Recently I was at a local show. There were only about 5 people in the audience, and the lead singer started yelling at the top of his lungs “Stand the fuck up and come up front”. He then refused to start the show until everyone in the bar was up front. The energy seemed mismatched, considering the low turnout. I guess I could understand if it was Hetfield standing in front of a packed stadium, or even a hopping local show- but what do you guys think – Should your attitude be the same regardless of the energy coming from the audience / turnout. When should you just shut the fuck up and play?

I think if the energy is there then definitely give it back. If there were five people there I doubt there was any energy whatsoever.

If you have a crowd of 5 people it'll STILL be a crowd of 5 people if they are at the front of the stage. It's just louder for them and probably annoying.

quote:

refused to start the show

Jesus. It's bad taste to ask, but who was it? It might be just that I'm in Simfonik Plague and I'm used to there being 5 people in a bar who aren't there to see us, but refusing to start a show until there are 5 people by the stage sounds incredibly usprofessional, nay, childish. I'm all for putting your energy into the performance and not acting all hardcore between songs. If you're ordering your audience to do anything that involves the "f" word as an adverb, you've already lost. i like to listen from different parts of the venue, 'cause up close, things tend to get a little muddy. Any band that refuses to start playing for a reason such as was stated above is a band I'm walking out on. And because it's Albuquerque, I can walk less than two blocks in any direction and listen to a killer band who're a bit more grateful to have a stage on which to play.

Also Jesse, may I compliment your taste in, and method of delivery of, bourbon. Looks like a typical Simfonik Plague recording session.

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Originally posted by Simfonik Junkie:
Also Jesse, may I compliment your taste in, and method of delivery of, bourbon. Looks like a typical Simfonik Plague recording session.

oh but...

All right maybe not quite straight from the bottle. The flask fits better in the cargo pockets. And you shoulda quit that shit for a month, Aaron. 2 weeks is pussy shit...

quote:

Originally posted by Five Minute Sin:
Recently I was at a local show. There were only about 5 people in the audience, and the lead singer started yelling at the top of his lungs “Stand the fuck up and come up front”. He then refused to start the show until everyone in the bar was up front....

Totally, 100% Ghey

As an audience member, getting cussed out by the band on stage is a total turn-off. I believe our Joe coined these types as Insult Bands. And, like Mike (hehe), I tend to stand near the sound board, or a few steps forward, where the heaters are at. Or sometimes, I'm just not into the music so much or I'm talking to some friends and therefore hanging out at the bar.

What about hecklers? Have you ever been heckled? How did/would you respond to them? Are you, yourself, a heckler?

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Originally posted by gio:
What about hecklers? Have you ever been heckled? How did/would you respond to them? Are you, yourself, a heckler?

we play too loud for hecklers.

We heckle too loud for playas...

There needs to be folks at the show in order for us to be heckled...

I've never been heckled, and I've never done it. At the most, I won't clap.

No one who comes to your shows wants to hear you talk. No one cares about what you have to say. I HATE it when bands fucking talk any longer than about 15 seconds

Just shut the fuck up and ROCK!!!!!

One of my favorite bands to see live (the ramones) never said one word on stage ... just went song to song in an avalanche of rock.

thats the way it's done

quote:

Originally posted by WebMonkey:
No one who comes to your shows wants to hear you talk. No one cares about what you have to say. I HATE it when bands fucking talk any longer than about 15 seconds

Just shut the fuck up and ROCK!!!!!

That pretty well sums it up.

If you play to those five like they were five hundred...
They tell people.
If you're THAT big an ASS.
They tell every one they talk to about music.

quote:

Originally posted by gio:
What about hecklers? Have you ever been heckled? How did/would you respond to them? Are you, yourself, a heckler?

I've been heckled. I probably deserved it, but I spit on them anyway (I have also kicked a few people in the face from stage, they are just at perfect foot/face level). Once I was told, "you could have been good, you could have been Minor Threat good" preceded by a series of boos. I could only respond with "...fuck you!" It's always drunk people, and it's always not our crowd when that happens though. I'm more bothered by people who want to have conversations with you in the middle of your set. Like, they lean onto the stage, and motion you in, and start with some shit like, "hey, you guys are pretty good, you know, my friend is in _____, ever heard them? Well, ...blah blah." Whatever. I also hate requests for songs that aren't ours. "FREEEE BIRRRRDD!!!" I hear that shit at damn near every show I've ever been to, no matter who is playing.

I've also been a talking jerk from stage too, usually when in antagonistic drunk-punk bands, while drunk. Sometimes nowadays when I'm desperately thirsty or just need to take a second because I have a hand cramp or while someone else has to tune or something. I'm less rude about it, and it's still better than dead air in my opinion, but I'm also on the more-rock-less-talk side. I hate killing the momentum if I don't have to, and if I could I'd play everything back to back. As an audience memeber I don't like it when bands introduce themselves or thank the crowd or anything actually.

Talking shit to a bad crowd never helps. You can only get them on your side one way: playing good shit. You think you can guilt people into liking you? Shit...

Tristin loves calling out hecklers.

Even worse than the usual carnival barker shit or the diatribe about how George Bush is ruining the earth is dead air. Ten seconds of nothing while the band figures out what to play next.

Actually, scratch that. Not as many people do the dead air thing.

quote:

Originally posted by Levi Electric:
I also hate requests for songs that aren't ours. "FREEEE BIRRRRDD!!!" I hear that shit at damn near every show I've ever been to, no matter who is playing.

This is by far the number one thing that pisses me off most about drunk assholes. Because after EVERY damn song they start doing this to heckle the band. Luckily Chris scared em off last time by saying, "What? You want me to free a bird? FUCK YOU! How's THAT?!" while giving them the finger. They left shortly afterwards. I really can't stand people that come to local shows just to give the bands shit. Especially when it's overused, unfunny, drunken shit. At least if it was amusing I could find the f'n humor in it.

Mike just LOVES that song...