Pitfalls of playing a kit

Smacking myself in the back of my hand with a full force stroke from the other.

During a rehearsal in high school band, I cut my arm on a lug while dampening the timpani. During my next rest, I pulled a Band-Aid out of my stick bag and put it on without missing a note. I don't remember how long the rest was so it gets shorter each time I tell the story.

It wouldn't be a community band concert if a horn player who showed up 5 minutes before performance time didn't yell at me for setting up his section incorrectly.
 
I've got a list!
Keep in mind, not all my gigs are the standard sit behind the kit and play 2 & 4...

1. In High School I broke my finger on the hoop of the snare, mid concert. Finished the show, bleeding all over the kit.

2. Took an aluminum baseball bat to the face, after it bounced back on me from hitting the side of a keg.

3. BROKE an aluminum bat on the edge of a keg and watched in horror as the top end spiraled through the air, over the guardrail, and into the front row. Thankfully no one was injured.

4. Ripped an earring out of the cartilage on the top of my ear with a drumstick, mid-song. Finished the song with one hand, while holding my bloody ear with the other.

5. Missed my Floor Tom and smacked my right knee so hard it brought tears to my eyes.

6. Tripped over a washing machine (yes, on stage).

7. Hit the gong behind me so hard it fell of the back of the stage and into a bunch of compressed air tanks. Thankfully nothing exploded.

8. Had my very short, and um, "transparent" shorts almost burned off with the sparks from an angle grinder. I think there's photos online someplace.

I'm sure there's more, I may have to do a Part 2 later.
 
I'm playing with this piano trio years! Ago. At the end of a tune the piano player says no applause just throw money. I went down thinking I had some brain malfunction and when my mind sorted things out the ping I'd heard was a quarter that hit my left nugget dead center wearing suit pants. I was just glad it wasn't some weird stroke I'd had.
 
Never caught a pant leg.. i don't think i have ever once worn pants while playing. I have hit myself in the face more than i would like.... and whacked my knuckles with the other stick a lot, which hurts way more than it should. nothing too bad for me luckily.
 
Maybe we've discovered a reason to prefer pedals with external springs, and in general more adjustment flexibility than those that don't.

"Thunderfoot" seems an adequate name considering your experience. LOL

Yep!

lesson learned - is it a cool looking pedal though - but man...having that spring inside a column one would think that Gibraltar would have made the spring bulletproof.
 
Storing items on the dashboard of your kit - the area on top of your bass drum, between the two upper most lugs, bounded by the bass drum hoop and if present, the tom mount plate - can cause issues when they dislodge from vibration. Can't recall how many times my phone has fallen off to the side and an alarm goes off or someone calls me. And yes, for those of us that too often attempt stick recoveries while keeping their ass on the throne... it's prime time for a head injury on a tom or snare rim! :)
 
I used to play the Christmas Eve carols service at church and every year I’d dress up. One year I was fully decked out: I had a Christmas themed teddy on my bass drum as a mascot, hardware draped with tinsel, a Santa hat on, singing Christmas tie and most importantly I was wearing battery powered Christmas lights. While we were playing shark the Herald the battery back started to overheat and burn my leg, I was terrified my pants would catch fire before we finished the song. Got through and turned them off but that was a close one.
 
About 15 years ago I was playing a showcase with my band at the Red Lion in NYC's Greenwich Village. Because it was a showcase I had to use the house drum kit. I'm playing the first tune of our set and in the middle of the tune the single mounted tom starts to droop to one side. The more I played the more it drooped. Until finally it just dropped to the floor of the riser. I couldn't do anything more than smile and played on. Someone, I don't remember who, tried to put it back but it just fell off again. Afterwards I got it attached to the tom mount and made sure it was secure. No more mishaps the rest of the set. I actually found it more distracting when the guy tried to put it back. For something like that, just let it alone until the tune is over and then mess with the equipment. During the tune? Just play on.
 
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5. Missed my Floor Tom and smacked my right knee so hard it brought tears to my eyes.

Ah yes, that one should be added to my list as well :LOL:
Just remembered another: doing a quick snare fill and wanting the end on a rimshot, but instead of hitting the rim you hit the fingers of your other hand. Hurts like hell. Would not recommend 1/10.
 
I suspect most of us have caught the pedal beater in our pant leg, cut our knuckle or hand on the hats, or dropped or had a stick break while playing.

What are your other disruptive hazards associated with playing?
I played once at a venue that had two skateboarding tracks, we where set up in one, the other one had skateboarders, they were literally flying over me about 3 feet over my head the entire time I was playing. On another venue a kid got his nose busted in the mosh pit, he then proceeded to stand next to me bleeding all over my hats and was drinking my beer, I Sparta kicked him out of the riser and cleaned my hats.

People would also try to steal drumsticks as souvenirs, all they had to do is wait until the end of our set and catch one...
Also stupid guitar and bass players standing on my bass drum, I again Sparta kicked them out of there immediately same when they use their hands to "Play" my cymbals... I don't go and try to play your guitar, or stand on top of your amp.. so...
 
I have not as of yet hit my fingers between the stick and the snare (in 35 years of playing) I don't know how some of you do that...
I have had wild bass drums trying to run away (had to tame them with rope or a nice rug) or cymbal stand falling away, not anymore since I got the rack. (basically for all the rack haters I have had a much better experience ever since I got rid of all the stands, much cleaner and it takes me an 8th of the time to set up and I can do it alone (because the day the singer steps up to help, you might as well ask him for the covid cure while he is at it).
About tossing sticks.. when I started playing I used to practice that, then it became second nature, now I do it as a reflex and don't even think about it, it is like a reflex but it works every time, I very seldom drop sticks , I did hit my face once but I was headbanging while playing so that contributed.
 
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