Worst injuries or sickness you've had and you still played?

Never drumming, but:
1 - I did lighting for a show having just left my grandads funeral. Was sobbing pretty much the whole way though.
2 - I tore the nerve out of my right index finger and was on stage doing an electronic set a couple of hours later.

how did that happen?I am getting the willys just thinking about it
 
how did that happen?I am getting the willys just thinking about it
I'm sure if anyones following my ranting about costumes on stage in another post, this might raise some laughs, but I was doing some last minute upgrades on what I'd be wearing on the stage, it was full on industrial noise kinda set and I wanted more circuitry coming out of me, as you do. We were young, silly, no real tools, and high, and I was trying to snap a circuit board with my hands.
I struggled for a while, then suddenly snapped and the rough edge went through two fingers. One, nasty cut but was fine, the other over the line I hold my stick, little whitish noodle shaped thing dangling out of the wound...I stopped drumming after this, its only now about 12 years later the scare tissue and feeling has returned enough that I can play drums again.
 
I'm sure if anyones following my ranting about costumes on stage in another post, this might raise some laughs, but I was doing some last minute upgrades on what I'd be wearing on the stage, it was full on industrial noise kinda set and I wanted more circuitry coming out of me, as you do. We were young, silly, no real tools, and high, and I was trying to snap a circuit board with my hands.
I struggled for a while, then suddenly snapped and the rough edge went through two fingers. One, nasty cut but was fine, the other over the line I hold my stick, little whitish noodle shaped thing dangling out of the wound...I stopped drumming after this, its only now about 12 years later the scare tissue and feeling has returned enough that I can play drums again.

bruhh...that is ugly
 
Stood up and jambed stick in my eye. Thank God we were on last song. I felt liquid running out of my eye didnt know if it was water or blood. My ex saw it happen and screamed. I pulled my headband down and finished the song and went to the hospital. Dr said I came close to detaching my retina. It swelled close and turned black before leaving the venue.
 
Does playing with a broken heart count?

No physical injury per say.........but anyways.

The night before a show, I was left broken hearted by a girl who dumped me.

She had no sense of humour and drove a shit car.

She hated hiking, hated my Star Wars action figure collection....she also thought my Remo Acousticon kit was lame.

On the night of the show I sat behind my kit, head down and was teary eyed and blubbering all the way through sets one and two.

I smoked a full packet of cigarettes between sets.

Set three I was over it...... goodbye you mung-bean.
 
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Does playing with a broken heart count?

No physical injury per say.........but anyways.

The night before a show, I was left broken hearted by a girl who dumped me.

She had no sense of humour and drove a shit car.

She hated hiking, hated my Star Wars action figure collection....she also thought my Remo Acousticon kit was lame.

On the night of the show I sat behind my kit, head down and was teary eyed and blubbering all the way through sets one and two.

I smoked a full packet of cigarettes between sets.

Set three I was over it...... goodbye you mung-bean.

Aaaaaaand look at you now with that cool outta this world alien supportive woman 😉😂
 
I've had three I'm kinda proud of:

3. Stomach flu so bad I brought a five gallon putty bucket with me in case I needed to puke. This was in a 500 seat theater playing a sold-out performance of Peter Pan.

2. I fell on my snowblower while trying to get through a new 36" snowfall. Later found out that I'd broken two ribs. But six hours later I was playing West Side Story in the same 500 seat theater, again sold out. I had to have a couple stage crew guys help me get into the pit for the first couple days, but while I was playing I was strangely OK.

1. The perpetually late bandleader was driving the van and we arrived VERY late for a show we were playing at a local festival. Audience c. 4000-5000 people and we arrived like 10 minutes before we were to start. We unloaded the little bit of gear we had to provide and I went to park the band van. I ran as fast as I could back to the stage and didn't slow down when I go to this pretty steep ramp. I actually flipped and landed first on my shoulder, then rolled in the gravel. I checked and realized I had no broken bones so I got up and ran to the stage. I was bleeding from my shoulder (my shirt had also torn) and from both knees, both hands, and my head. The other band members looked at me and were screaming, "Oh my God, what happened to you?" but I said, "let's go," so we played the gig. Stage crew was handing me ice packs and paper towels through the gig.

In all three of these gigs, amazingly, I ended up playing REALLY well. I guess adrenaline is my friend.
 
I played more than a few gigs with sprained ankles, tendonitis, stomach bugs, asthma, badly cut fingers and muscle cramps. It's been a rare occasion when I have had to cancel a gig.
 
Worst for me: I was working a graveyard shift full time job. I played a gig. Finished at 1 AM and then immediately started my work shift for 12 hours. In less than 6 months, I was out of the job and the band.

Second worst: I played with a nasty bout of flu. I kept a large cup under my floor tom... just in case. Fortunately, I made it through without incident.
 
I'll add to this

Last gig out of the blue about three songs into our set I had the worst stitch and cramp in my abdomen, I was in so much pain and discomfort. Every time I moved my position for a fill or to move onto the ride it flared up again.

A good stretch and walkaround in between set 1 and set 2 sorted it but I definitely had my best sweaty and gurning face on for the first hour. Not something thats ever happened before and hopefully the last.

My band mates looked quite confused when we made eye contact so had to explain it in the break.

Not an illness or sickness but a whole lot of pain in quite an important area.
 
I posted this in the Practicing Under The Influence thread:

Way back, barely in my 20s, my first band's first gig had a pretty sizeable crowd (opening for a more established band) and I got nervous. I thought a good solution for that was to knock back a few to take the edge off. Midway through the first song- again, of the first gig, with my first band- I thought I was killin' it with the loud, aggro alt-rock style we had. Smacking the drums like a wild man, I noticed the crowd was really into it, cheering wildly, and a surprising number of them looking right at me. My face began to feel warm, then wet- body heat and sweat, right? Well, apparently I knocked back a few too many and took too much edge off. Turned out I'd smacked and/or raked a splintery drum stick across my eyebrow. Blood was running down my face, onto my shirt, and snare drum. I quickly realized that was what the cheering was for. Well, y'know, the show must go on, so I dried my face with a clean bar towel between each song (white, of course, so, gradually more blood-soaked, which brought more cheers every time I brought it to my face), and after the show, hastily broke down & packed gear with one hand, the other holding the towel to my face, and drove to the ER for 2 stitches. Had to clean blood off my gear the next morning. I never played a show drunk again.
 
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