Scary gig stories anyone?

One of my roommates at time feels the same way Mr InsanePolack. Back when I lived in those old homes I was in an altered state (most of the time) so I would not have questioned seeing freaky things (spent a lot of time in cow pastures picking fungi). And yeah I wonder too-but my scientific mind always wants to find another answer-though often it isn't satisfying. Reminds me of the story of Exodus and the ten plaques-science can explain all in natural terms (they've all happened before) but science can't explain foretelling them before they happened. So yeah I guess I'm skeptical and open at same time. Lots of strange things to contemplate like cosmology and the beginning of universe and weird space-time phenomena or multiverses. Science can't explain everything I've come to realize and some of the explanations seemingly defy logic. The matter and energy in the universe remains constant it just changes form-so what form does all our energy change into-ghosts??? LOL.
 
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Played a gig where the DEA raided the bar while we were on stage.

Played a gig where the bar "ran out of beer" and 200 people rioted.

Played a bowling alley where the VFD was against the local PD, and a brawl broke out between the two. First time I ever had a gun held to my head (to dissuade me from calling 911 on the payphone).
 
Another death story (Sorry) We travelled all the way to Cork in Ireland only to be met with the Police & an ambulance. The promoter of the gig had hung himself.
 
The luckiest story though was when we cheated death due to beer :) We got carried away in a bar & left late. Got to the ferry only to watch it sail without us. the ferry was the "Estonia" which sank on that crossing killing everyone on board.............................
 
Another death story (Sorry) We travelled all the way to Cork in Ireland only to be met with the Police & an ambulance. The promoter of the gig had hung himself.
The luckiest story though was when we cheated death due to beer :) We got carried away in a bar & left late. Got to the ferry only to watch it sail without us. the ferry was the "Estonia" which sank on that crossing killing everyone on board.............................

Please, someone needs to remind me to never be in a band with this guy. :oops: :geek:

Holy cow man! You should write a book.
 
The luckiest story though was when we cheated death due to beer :) We got carried away in a bar & left late. Got to the ferry only to watch it sail without us. the ferry was the "Estonia" which sank on that crossing killing everyone on board.............................
Holy crap man. I'll drink to that.

That is one hell of a story.
 
The matter and energy in the universe remains constant it just changes form-so what form does all our energy change into-ghosts??? LOL.

This is precisely what I chalk it up to. I was in a good place mentally in that house, and no substances either. But I also have a science degree, and coming to terms with everything that went on in that house was difficult. I don't like not knowing or being able to find the answer. It's hard to admit to believing in something I can't explain.
 
The luckiest story though was when we cheated death due to beer :) We got carried away in a bar & left late. Got to the ferry only to watch it sail without us. the ferry was the "Estonia" which sank on that crossing killing everyone on board.............................
Killed almost everyone on board. Of the 989 on board, only 138 made it out, and one of those died a few days later.

But you are right. Had you been on board, you probably would have been screwed.
 
We had some guy this past summer while we're playing at a festival, come up to the front of the stage, make a finger gun and imitate shooting both of the singers in the band while mouthing the words, "BANG!" They are black, he's white. Security and the police were on him very quickly thanks to a fan getting their attention almost instantly. It happened during our first set and when we went on break, everyone in the band pretty much said the same thing: If that guy tried anything he was going to get a face full of mic stand, cymbal stand, etc. One of our spouses happened to capture it on her cell phone.
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Not a gig story, but to quote the The Cowardly Lion from The Wizard of Oz, "I do believe in spooks." My wife, son and I lived in the 40 Mile Point Lighthouse from 1982 to 1983. I witnessed lots of unexplainable phenomena, though none malevolent. The first mate of the Joseph S. Fay lost his life just offshore in 1905. If you care...


One weekend my buddy and I decided it would be cool to enjoy some Colombian non-tobacco products and barbecue some burgers up in the tower. If I ever get the chance to do it again, I won't be under the influence. "Dude, did you get the charcoal?" "What about the charcoal lighter fluid?" "Dude, did you get the spatula?" "Dude, did you get a plate?" 55 steps and a ladder. But the Fresnel lens is cool!
 
I have loads more.............. o_O
Dude, that story was so good, that I'd love to see a thread chronicling all your stories since you seem to have more. I for one would dig the hell out of that. Put it down for posterity, so your kids can read about it after you're gone.

Your personal experiences can be memorialized for all eternity here.
 
You guys make me REALLY glad that all my gigs are at church and musical theater. LOL
Years ago, at a Wednesday evening church rehearsal, I was sitting on the kit tuning it, while the bassist & guitarist talked quietly to my right. To my left was a keyboardist and the worship leader with acoustic guitar. Directly in front of me was a lone woman backup singer.

Out of nowhere, this backup gal turns around and shrieks, "You guys are such assholes for talking about me and even thinking about me!" Which they weren't. They were talking about concert setup for national acts at the local college (I was eavesdropping). Then she abruptly turns around and runs off the stage and out the door (and bailed on the rehearsal).

She apologized that weekend, without reason for the meltdown though.
 
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Years ago, at a Wednesday evening church rehearsal, I was sitting on the kit tuning it, while the bassist & guitarist talked quietly to my right. To my left was a keyboardist and the worship leader with acoustic guitar. Directly in front of me was a lone woman backup singer.

Out of nowhere, this backup gal turns around and shrieks, "You guys are such assholes for talking about me and even thinking about me!" Which they weren't. They were talking about concert setup for national acts at the local college (I was eavesdropping). Then she abruptly turns around and runs off the stage and out the door (and bailed on the rehearsal).

She apologized that weekend, without reason for the meltdown though.

And that would absolutely be the moment at which I’d make sure to never be in a room alone with her in any place, any time. LOL

Does she have the crazy eyes?
 
Only one I have.......pretty standard gig but there was a group of young lads the worse for wear, heckling every song. As it got worse and worse it really looked like they were going to lynch us. My singer is a big unit and he has a tambourine made out of gas pipe as he demolishes the standard plastic ones. During a guitar solo,he marches down the pub,still playing this tambourine,and smacks the ringleader round the head with it...ON THE BEAT.... before returning to the stage and starting the next verse. Jaws just dropped everywhere....and the gang of lads picked their mate up and left pretty soon after.
 
Only one I have.......pretty standard gig but there was a group of young lads the worse for wear, heckling every song. As it got worse and worse it really looked like they were going to lynch us. My singer is a big unit and he has a tambourine made out of gas pipe as he demolishes the standard plastic ones. During a guitar solo,he marches down the pub,still playing this tambourine,and smacks the ringleader round the head with it...ON THE BEAT.... before returning to the stage and starting the next verse. Jaws just dropped everywhere....and the gang of lads picked their mate up and left pretty soon after.
Quite the satisfying bar tale.
 
Who was the guy, David Blaine? That is creepy.
 
Who was the guy, David Blaine? That is creepy.
The plot twist is even weirder. It was later discovered that that person used to not be a guy, and when she was a gal, she fell in love with Channing and got a lower-back tattoo of his name, only for them to run into each other 10 years later post-op.

Small world sometimes.
 
Spring of 69 or might have been 70. It was after all Telegraph Avenue Berkeley CA. A night of blues in the Pauley Ballroom at the UC Berkeley campus. Paul Butterfield Blues Band with Mike Bloomfield, Steve Miller Blues Band before his hit records aa just plain old Steve Miller, Captain Beefheart and his Magic Band, Willie Mae "Big Mama" Thornton, and my guys the Gilman Street Blues Band. We opened and were told that Willie Mae didn't bring her band and we'd be her backup. "What?" We played our set and then she was introduced. Said she liked our style and if we knew Hound Dog? Well that started her off. She ranted for 10 minutes how Elvis stole her thunder and how she recorded Hound Dog first but he got all the money and glory.
When she was done she turned to us and said "Hound Dog" in the key of "A" boys, then proceeded to scat the tempo and chord changes she wanted. Her version of Dog was growly, soulful and mean. AND she didn't use a mic, but damn she belted that song!!! When she finished she asked us if we ever stole any of her songs. No we said and she responded with a rant about people who were making money off her songs. She then said keep it in "A" boys and we'll do another one stole from me. But girl who took it did it good. So with her instruction we did Ball and Chain. Yeah the Janis Joplin remake of Willie Mae "Big Mama" Thornton's self penned tune about love gone bad. We finished and she just walked off stage not to return. Me and the guys will never forget that night with a 400 pound black woman who had obviously swallowed a lot of whiskey before hitting the stage. Not sure this is a scary story, but at the time, the Gilman Street Blues Band was shakin' in our Beatle boots. And thankful for the experience.
 
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