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Drunk + PA Speaker = Disaster

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FarleyUKFarleyUK Frets: 2377
edited December 2017 in Live
This happened during our first song last Saturday:



Thankfully, I managed to save my AX8 by catching the PA speaker on my knee. Needless to say, the guy didn't stay in the pub for long afterwards....
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Comments

  • John_AJohn_A Frets: 3775
    Wankers!  Had a few near misses too, and my Helix trampled on
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  • p90foolp90fool Frets: 31368
    This is why we have public liability insurance, in case the cabs wobble back the other way while we're trying to rescue them and accidentally whack the punter round the head really really hard.

    Twice.  

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  • RolandRoland Frets: 8591
    Yup. Insurance, plus a camera to provide evidence.
    Tree recycler, and guitarist with  https://www.undercoversband.com/.
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  • ICBMICBM Frets: 71960
    You need much bigger tripods for that size of speaker. If they’re wide enough it’s a lot harder to do that.

    "Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski

    "Just because I don't care, doesn't mean I don't understand." - Homer Simpson

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  • p90foolp90fool Frets: 31368
    ICBM said:
    You need much bigger tripods for that size of speaker. If they’re wide enough it’s a lot harder to do that.
    Wis'd, though every tiny pub gig is always a balance between opening the tripods wide enough to be stable, but not so wide that people are constantly tripping over the legs. 

    I'm glad I've given them up for compact columns tbh, the combination of safety, placement and feedback of conventional cabs on poles is a massive pain in the arse in a small room. 
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  • FarleyUKFarleyUK Frets: 2377
    ICBM said:
    You need much bigger tripods for that size of speaker. If they’re wide enough it’s a lot harder to do that.
    You also need bigger floor space... which, as you can see, was at a premium.
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  • ICBMICBM Frets: 71960
    FarleyUK said:

    You also need bigger floor space... which, as you can see, was at a premium.
    Yes, I can see that. I still wouldn’t use stands that small with speakers that large at all, it’s just an accident waiting to happen.

    The ones I use are about twice that size - just cheap Stagg ones, but they do the job and they’re nowhere near that easy to push over. If you set them up with one leg pointing back into the corner the other two don’t actually stick out that far.

    "Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski

    "Just because I don't care, doesn't mean I don't understand." - Homer Simpson

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  • FarleyUKFarleyUK Frets: 2377
    We're playing there for the last time on Xmas eve... But this time I'll be the other side of the stage, and that speaker will be on the stage so hopefully that won't happen again.....!
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  • I'm sharing that with our singer, the PA stands he has are awful old ones that don't clamp properly. I've mentioned it but he's still not replaced them. Just takes one nutter and it could be nasty.
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  • Danny1969Danny1969 Frets: 10357
    I've had 3 drunken fools crash into things recently, 2 of them fell over monitors at the front which drowned my mates pedals in beer and one drink women fell arse over tit when she tried to get onstage .... pain in the arse

    I'm not a fan of tripods, to get them stable you need a huge amount of floor space, bass bins and poles takes up less room on the floor but more room in the cans \ van so I guess you can't win
    www.2020studios.co.uk 
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  • impmannimpmann Frets: 12649
    We had a twat fall through a PA speaker at a gig. It fell backwards with such force that it separated the magnet from the speaker basket rendering it... fucked.
    The gentleman concerned was known to the pub and the band but seemed unwilling (at first) to recompense the band for the destroyed speaker. He was persuaded to assist in the purchase of a new one after some 'discussion' once he'd sobered up.

    As for insurance - yes it covers you if the twat gets boffed on the head by it. But no insurance pays out for drunks falling through your gear - apparently we didn't take enough measures to prevent this happening in our case, when we tried to claim (before 'discussions' with the drunk). The insurance company (I forget the name, but they used to advertise in the music press) weren't very forthcoming about how we could have prevented it, though...

    I also used to play with a bass player who would routinely get too drunk during the night, to the point of falling over, trampling over other people's gear and generally being a twat of the lowest order. I started gigging a *very* solid Partcaster Tele around this time, and there used to be a rather amusing video on Youtube of me smacking the prat around the back of the head with it after he stamped on the back of my M13 breaking the plugs off. A good Tele is a superb Defensive Weapon... :-)
    Never Ever Bloody Anything Ever.

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  • FarleyUKFarleyUK Frets: 2377
    I'm trying to figure out something to act as a barrier between the drunkards and my gear.... all I can think of is the crowd control barriers with extendable fabric rope parts. Does anyone else use anything to stop people getting too involved?
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  • PlectrumPlectrum Frets: 494
    FarleyUK said:
    I'm trying to figure out something to act as a barrier between the drunkards and my gear.... all I can think of is the crowd control barriers with extendable fabric rope parts. Does anyone else use anything to stop people getting too involved?
    Barbed wire works well :)
    One day I'm going to make a guitar out of butter to experience just how well it actually plays.
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  • We put our wedge monitors out front, forms a basic barrier even though they are rarely plugged in. Quite expensive if anyone managed to destroy one but they are a reasonably tough thing. 

    We have had someone knock over a PA speaker which was caught on the way down by another punter. We knew it was a dodgy position as well but couldn't work out anywhere else to put it. It's a pub that has two bands per week plus a DJ most nights so you'd think they might invest in a fixed PA system. But apparently not. 
    Tipton is a small fishing village in the borough of Sandwell. 
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  • p90foolp90fool Frets: 31368
    Our column PA is now behind us so it's out of the way, our biggest problem is having a very pretty 4'11" singer who drunks feel they can leer and holler at from six inches away.

    We've waded in fists flying as a band three times this year when 'security' were too scared to. She handles it pretty well and we're an easy going lot generally - but I can't wait until it happens on one of the rare gigs her boyfriend comes to, he's an absolute psycho.
    :) 
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  • CabicularCabicular Frets: 2214
    I had a punter put a speaker through the plasterboard wall at a very similar looking venue
    I've also had one of teeth broken in have when one guy backed into my mic stand and a 58 hit me in the teeth

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  • I was watching one of the Mary Spender YouTube things and she showed how to set up your mic boom stand up sideways ( ie not pointing at the audience). So bloody obvious but it had never crossed my mind before

     Cabicular said:
    I had a punter put a speaker through the plasterboard wall at a very similar looking venue
    I've also had one of teeth broken in have when one guy backed into my mic stand and a 58 hit me in the teeth


    Tipton is a small fishing village in the borough of Sandwell. 
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  • Out of interest, what camera did you use, looks a really good wide angle view and great sound?
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  • FarleyUKFarleyUK Frets: 2377
    Out of interest, what camera did you use, looks a really good wide angle view and great sound?
    It's a Zoom Q4n - brilliant bit of kit!
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  • FarleyUK said:
    Out of interest, what camera did you use, looks a really good wide angle view and great sound?
    It's a Zoom Q4n - brilliant bit of kit!
    i was looking at the Q2n but may rethink
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