Worst gig

[Uncle Roy]

Ok then, tell us about the worst gig that you have ever done, the gig you wanted to forget.
You must have had one.

[mick hearn]

Playing at Hadleigh village hall in the 60's. The night started well but as was usual in those days a fight started. Usually someone brought them to a close fairly quickly but not this night. The number of people fighting got bigger and bigger until it resembled something from "Roadhouse". We kept playing but when the debris started coming up on the stage it was time to make a sharp exit side stage. Eventually it was a case of protect the gear, so in between flying bottles we kept running on to the stage, grabbing an amp and running off again. What a night.

One thing I can say though is that I only ever witnessed one fight at a country show - and that was between two women. Awesome.

[mick hearn]

OR
How about the gig that is going so slow that you keep looking at your watch and thinking "Bloody hell - another hour to go".
One particular event was the Officers club a USAF Lakenheath. Give me the Rod and Gun club any day. They were brilliant.

[Nick Bidmade]

Sorry to be a bore, but could we re-title this WORST gig - just to be grammatically correct

[Ken Byng]

A few years ago I played at a British country music festival in the Midlands. 2 guys were fighting over a woman during the evening in the beer tent and one stabbed the other with a Bowie hunting knife - they were both wearing western gear. When it was our band's time to play there was hardly anyone in the audience apart from uniformed police. One word of a stabbing and most of the punters cleared off home. The atmosphere was like being in an abattoir.

[Nick Bidmade]

Not on pedal steel, but I played guitar in an 80's 'pop' band. We were the starring attraction at the 101 club in Clapham on their first Saturday afternoon, sure-fire draw. The punters would be queueing round the block, they said...
One bloke I used to work with came - and later on a woman came in with 2 poodles...
The sure-fire draw didn't run to a second week. We got paid £40 which is exactly what it cost to hire the PA. Ho hum.

[Tony Russell Davis]

........................ the gig you wanted to forget. ........................................................

Can't remember!

[Dave Nutt]

My mate John Edmed putting me forward for a gig with a duo, turned up, guess what? Husband and Wife duo neither of them played an instrument. 1st number - The Lady is a Tramp- jazz style. Johns comment next day- 'if thats the way you feel I will tell them not to call you again.

Happy days.

[andrew marson]

Horribly similar to your gig Nick, again not on steel but playing guitar in a country covers band over thirty years ago. We were booked to play for the Communist Party of Great Britain's annual party and one bloke showed up, sat through a few numbers then went to the gents leaving us to play several songs to his half of Guiness. Thankfully cant remember if we got paid that night.

[SHAKEY]

This thread goes back to January, but this has just happened to me. I have for some time been considering giving up playing but then I was offered a gig. On Thursday the 4th of August John Davis phoned me and asked me if I wanted to go down to Uncle Roy's meeting at Siston, something I have wanted to do for so long but I had to decline as I had promised to do a gig quite local to me. Well where do I start, disaster isn't the word. A drummer that could not keep time, a bass player that had no idea what a "walking bass" was, a backup singer that sang every song an octave above the lead singer and swore he was singing harmony. Then to top it all after spending about £12 on drinks the organiser told me the drinks for the band were free. Then came the biggie. Oh, no there's no money it's a charity gig to raise funds for the catholic church. You know one of the richest companies in the world. I have nothing against any religion but as far as I'm concerned charity begins at home. For years I have helped charities such as Save the Children, Riders for Health, genuine charities not billionaire companies. Anyway the gig was a total disaster and I missed a bloody good night where I could have been enjoying myself with friends.