That annoying drunk guy in the crowd.

Moe_Zambeek

Maybe not a Gibson though, just in case!

That's why teles were invented - crowd control. At least, that's the only reason I can think of!

Brad

I was having to read a swing gig, and this drunken idiotic couple knocked over my music stand sending my carefully ordered charts flying (and those of the keys player). They didn't even have to decency to apologise and just carried on dancing. Furious doesn't begin to describe and as much as i wanted to do a Keith Richards on them, alas, you just gotta get on with it.

You learn a lot about self-control having to gig with the punters at close quaters!

     

TheOtherDennis

I was a photographer at a big insurance company event in Bristol about 18 months ago. They had a band on the stage, and I've no idea if they were any good or not, because I was too busy focusing on my job (no pun intended - actually, fuck it, I did intend it ), which was taking pics in my studio set up - a backdrop, with two lights on the subject, one on the backdrop for a bit of extra punch.

I was supposed to be there till 1am, but by half 11, most of them were so drunk tthey nearly pulled my backdrop over three times, so I pulled the plug. The organiser came over to complain about me quitting early, and she wasn't happy with my insistence on saving my gear, if not the others. (Yes, I do have public liability insurance, but I've never claimed on it and I don't intend to make a bunch of pissheads make me, either.)

As I was taking it down, the band stopped mid-song and the lead singer announced (I'm paraphrasing, obviously, it was a long time ago) "Right, that's it. We've had enough. This is getting completely out of hand. The next idiot who comes up on stage and starts trying to take over and we stop playing, got that? Please stay on the dancefloor and everyone can have a good time, but no one gets up on stage again, got that?"

I just gave the organiser a look, she walked away, and I went home.

Handsome_Chris

Moe_Zambeek said:

That's why teles were invented - crowd control. At least, that's the only reason I can think of!

That's the thing that tele's are good for!

Live and learn.

Handsome_Chris

Wait a minute... I usually am that drunk guy.

gubble

Lots to recount from the annoying drunk bloke telling me i'm playing this or that wrong right through to full on damage.

Lost 2 speakers to drunk revellers who've knocked them off the stands.

One bloke threw his leather jackets with studs on at the stage which put a ding in my PRS.

Drunk woman jumping (literally jumping) on my pedalboard.

Same woman different gig taking my mic out of the stand then throwing it on the floor - you wouldn't think she likes us but she does.

A rather 'curvy' woman at a wedding who tripped over her dress which launched her over the monitor onto my pedalboard

but to name a few

hotpickups

gubble said:

Lots to recount from the annoying drunk bloke telling me i'm playing this or that wrong right through to full on damage.

Lost 2 speakers to drunk revellers who've knocked them off the stands.

One bloke threw his leather jackets with studs on at the stage which put a ding in my PRS.

Drunk woman jumping (literally jumping) on my pedalboard.

Same woman different gig taking my mic out of the stand then throwing it on the floor - you wouldn't think she likes us but she does.

A rather 'curvy' woman at a wedding who tripped over her dress which launched her over the monitor onto my pedalboard

but to name a few

LOL similar to me. My band playing at a family do and drunk woman falls into my pedal board. All was ok though thank god. I don't know about the drunk woman though

Fez

ToneControl said:

ToneControl said:

I think that sounds like Bish

Bish was a guy who used to dance like that at UMIST rock discos in the 80s

Strangely, I think he never touched drugs

I remember Bish from those heady days at UMIST rock nights and the Phoenix,  that fair takes me back.

The barmen at our last gig had to have words with an extremely drunk lad who kept pestering the bass players mrs and my mrs, the barman saved him from being skewered with a Fender Jazz then being beaten to pulp by my wife's handbag.

Also had a girl go sprawling over my pedalboard at a new year do.

sted

Had a woman do a full on dirty dance with her fella whilst staring at me over his shoulder, forgot a few lines that night!

Also had a bloke who used to think he was Bruce Lee and do loads of mad kicks and crazy arm circles in front of me and in perfect time to the music too.

Also had a bloke ask for a go of my guitar, I said no as we were, you know, in the middle of a friggin' gig, he disapears and comes back with a guitar case and stares at me from the edge of the dancefloor, fucking weirdo.

DrJazzTap

Only ever had drunken twats asking to have a go on my gear.

meltedbuzzbox

We used to have things happen almost on a weekly basis. 

Numerous fat birds landing on monitors and pedal boards. 

PA speakers knock over numerous times

Several mic take overs including a bride telling her dad to shut the fuck up.

2 failed stage dives/face plants (performed by punters)

We had a stage invasion at a wedding which was a bit awkward. 

The singer had his guitar whipped off of him and another old woman made her way to the drums, which in hind sight was a bad move.

She was trying to play the drum kit whilst the drummer was drumming so he intentionally and continuously blasted 7 shades of shit out of her hands whenever he could for 4 odd minutes. I would bet good money her hands were bad the following day. 

I really dont miss playing covers

Dalefty

I had a drunk backpacker try and steal my guitar off me while we where playing a cover of U2's Elevation in a Irish bar that we where the house band for, I learned the hard way that if you're ever going to hit somebody with your guitar, you hit them with the neck, you don't hold the guitar by the neck and swing the body at them like a baseball bat.  Anyway the good news was that the backpacker was not just banned from the pub, but also made to replace my guitar - it was broken when I cracked him across the face with it, and deported from Australia with a very very substantial fine - so big a fine that his parents had to actually fly out to Australia and remortgage their family home to pay the fine to keep their brain dead child out of prison.


DaLefty

jd0272

Dalefty said:

I had a drunk backpacker try and steal my guitar off me while we where playing a cover of U2's Elevation in a Irish bar that we where the house band for, I learned the hard way that if you're ever going to hit somebody with your guitar, you hit them with the neck, you don't hold the guitar by the neck and swing the body at them like a baseball bat.  Anyway the good news was that the backpacker was not just banned from the pub, but also made to replace my guitar - it was broken when I cracked him across the face with it, and deported from Australia with a very very substantial fine - so big a fine that his parents had to actually fly out to Australia and remortgage their family home to pay the fine to keep their brain dead child out of prison.


DaLefty

You braindeaded him? You Sir, are a man of much harshness.

jd0272

ToneControl said:

I think that sounds like Bish

Not Bish Vegas, surely? Can't be, it's not NW.

jd0272

gubble said:

Lots to recount from the annoying drunk bloke telling me i'm playing this or that wrong right through to full on damage.

Lost 2 speakers to drunk revellers who've knocked them off the stands.

One bloke threw his leather jackets with studs on at the stage which put a ding in my PRS.

Drunk woman jumping (literally jumping) on my pedalboard.

Same woman different gig taking my mic out of the stand then throwing it on the floor - you wouldn't think she likes us but she does.

A rather 'curvy' woman at a wedding who tripped over her dress which launched her over the monitor onto my pedalboard

but to name a few

You simply have an Unlucky Pedalboard. This shit happens. Just change it. It's a voodoo thing.

mike_l

jd0272 said:

Dalefty said:

I had a drunk backpacker try and steal my guitar off me while we where playing a cover of U2's Elevation in a Irish bar that we where the house band for, I learned the hard way that if you're ever going to hit somebody with your guitar, you hit them with the neck, you don't hold the guitar by the neck and swing the body at them like a baseball bat.  Anyway the good news was that the backpacker was not just banned from the pub, but also made to replace my guitar - it was broken when I cracked him across the face with it, and deported from Australia with a very very substantial fine - so big a fine that his parents had to actually fly out to Australia and remortgage their family home to pay the fine to keep their brain dead child out of prison.


DaLefty

You braindeaded him? You Sir, are a man of much harshness.

Be fair it was in Australia.

jd0272

mike_l said:

jd0272 said:

Dalefty said:

I had a drunk backpacker try and steal my guitar off me while we where playing a cover of U2's Elevation in a Irish bar that we where the house band for, I learned the hard way that if you're ever going to hit somebody with your guitar, you hit them with the neck, you don't hold the guitar by the neck and swing the body at them like a baseball bat.  Anyway the good news was that the backpacker was not just banned from the pub, but also made to replace my guitar - it was broken when I cracked him across the face with it, and deported from Australia with a very very substantial fine - so big a fine that his parents had to actually fly out to Australia and remortgage their family home to pay the fine to keep their brain dead child out of prison.


DaLefty

You braindeaded him? You Sir, are a man of much harshness.

Be fair it was in Australia.

Aye, I neglected to factor that into it.  

zenzeypher

All sounds like fun to me! perks of the job.

I think our lead singer was the troublesome drunk guy.. after gigging with him for so long I don't think anyone could hold a candle to Locs drunken, beer spilling schinnanigans.

I couldn't count on one hand how many pedals and tuners hes broken.

Jeremiah

Someone once asked me if I played any techno.

RocknRollDave

Weird gig for us this Saturday just gone.
At first, the "drunk guy in the crowd" was the plastered blonde who thought she was the bees knees and decided to stand right in front of various band members whilst "rocking out". Right in front, invading your personal space, kind of thing. Annoying enough for me, as, let's say, I'm not much of a people person really, but worse for our singer who, as he plays guitar too (so has his mic on a stand), repeatedly had his mic smashed into his front teeth. Classy bird, like.

But the weirdest thing was that, as quite a young crowd who were clearly indulging in the happy juice, we'd expect them to get progressively rowdier throughout the night, but instead it seemed like it turned on a dime, like someone had thrown a switch.
One minute, happy drunks, a bit boistrous, hard work when you're stone cold sober, but hey that's what a party is all about and we're the entertainment not the guests....the next minute it felt volatile, like it could turn nasty at any point. Never know an atmosphere change so suddenly.