Come on you rocksquawkers. You had to have some strange backyard BBQ show at an uncle's party when you first started. And you were way too loud and your wierd aunt kept trying to sing with you. Or was that just high-school us? No, Ya Ya's worst one was back when Kris, Mica, Kel and Dustin were still in the band. Mica set it up at a Mormon church for a zapatista benefit show. Cool cause. But ... Well, it was a little room. NO. IT was a quaker church! Even worse. And we were loud, though we tried to turn down and we actually blew a lady's hearing aid out. I am not shitting you. And everyone hated us. They gave us cool zapatista patches though, and like 50 bones. So that wasn't bad. But yeah. Post. I want to know. Miza
Rexx and I were in Snubnose, our first band together. Our first show was a Halloween party playing after Fever Hot. After only four drunken practices. I hadn't played a bass in years, hadn't ever played a show on an electric. Our drummer had an abscessed tooth. He took a bottle of painkillers and a bottle of booze. It was so crowded people kept stepping on my toes as we played. And we played ever damn song we had, each one was worse than the last, I wasn't even sure which song we were playing a few times. Afterwards Isaac (from The Foxx-in The Alarm Clocks at the time) was the only person even polite. He told me we sounded, "like early Circle Jerks," which I took to mean SO early they hadn't ever picked up an instrument before.
The nice part was that it totally cured me of any stage fright ever, since I know I'll never make more of an ass of myself than I did that night even if I tried (and I have tried, but that's different).
The second was Feels Like Sunday's cd release (not the last one, the one before-2002?) At The Launchpad. The sound was so off-none of us could hear each other AT ALL. I didn't know it was that bad until I walked over near Rexx and realized that he was 6 notes behind me, and the drummer somewhere in the middle. It was the shock without having had any idea that hurt so much. But the worst part was that everyone just assumed we were drunk, when I had worked my ass off to STAY STONE COLD SOBER.
We've had other band shows, but none I really felt bad about. Because we usually WERE drunk off our ass.
A basement at a bookstore in Toronto. We got paid $18 (most of it in change). But who am I kidding, now that I look back every show on tour was a good one.
Not exactly a single gig but - for 2 months I was in the house band at Filthy McNasty's in Hollywood and we had open mic night on Sundays. Every single Elvis Impersonator in southern Cal (and I suspect a bunch from Nevada) would show up and we would back them. I probably played Houndog & Blue Swade Shoes 200 times - and what a sureal bunch those guys (and gals) were (and singing was never really part of their agenda)
nomad
If I only had a brain . . .
Posts: 25 | Location: Santa Fe, NM | Registered: August 25, 2005
The worst show I ever played was a pretty big backyard bash type thing in Homestead, FL (south of Miami) a few years ago. There were probably 100+ people there, and we played on a 4' high porch. It was my first time on stage basically, performing on bass and I was way nervous.
I had just joined this industrial/prog metal band and rehearsed with them about 2 or 3 times. I still didnt know half the music but figured if I was slapping really fast in C# and getting real into it, I'd be OK. Since I couldnt play very fast any other way at the time, I used this funny technique where you slap back and forth between your thumb and your pinky knuckle to make some rattly-ass noises.
Right before we began our set, the drummer and guitarist told me they had decided to open with Slayer "Raining blood." I had never listened to Slayer once in my life, so I was a little nervous about it but decided to go with the flow.
I basically rattled my way through every song with that bad slapping technique and even screwed up on all the parts that I thought I knew. After the show some people told me my playing style was very "extreme" and a few musicians laughed at me. My reputation was severely tarnished at the time, but I had a good time anyway.
Probably the worst show I myself have ever played was about 6 years ago at the Launchpad. I got really drunk and played through the first song out of tune - REALLY out of tune. That was super embarrassing and is why I generally dont drink anything of consequence before shows anymore.
As far as performances of bands I've played in, I'd have to say the worst show was again 6 or so years ago at the Peak Picnic. Just bad musicianship and performance all around.
Yeah Im surprised I didnt just put my bass down then and there and never walk back on a stage again. It was also very embarrassing.
I played bass for a band called "Mad Canvas" back around 1990. Three way tie for worst gig: Middle Earth coffee house (read: hippies galore). Didn't know half the songs yet, and had massive hand cramps three songs into the set, and, therefore, sucked. Same band @ The Machine on Lomas. Lead singer in black leather pants, black turtleneck and black beret with John Lennon sunglasses reading lyrics from recipe book style index cards. Total audience was one guy sitting against the wall. Big Mud Tractor circa 1992, Played a badass house party in Carnuel. We were the last band, and, after our drummer gets way too drunk, he attempts to play the first number but cannot, stands up, shrugs his shoulders, and falls over his kit, taking the entire set with him on the way down. Vomit ensues.
All right. This one's almost too embarassing to admit. But it's our first bar show, at sprockets, I must've been 17? And it's a Monday. And it's Valentine's day. We practiced forever, but I was still totally petrified on stage. I didn't like recording, and I hated playing live, so I'm not sure why they didn't kick me out right then. What good was I? So I was scared I would forget all my lyrics in front of that huge audience (like 3 people and my dad) so I printed them out, and tried to put them at my feet so I could read them onstage. Big mistake. Picture our high school singer standing stock still in front of a mic looking at her feet reading her god-awful lyrics. It was so dull. We were all terribly bored. The music was about as perfect as could be, but the lack of stage presence was the equivalent of an energy vacuum. I think we made everyone there feel much worse about the beers they were drinking alone on a Monday night on Valentine's Day. Terrible. Wow. That feels better Miza
Toured with a popular christian alt. rock band from Nashville in the mid 90's....(for money, of course). Broke my ankle the first nite of the tour in Denver (sneaking off to smoke a rope and a cig)...So I limp back to the hotel, show the band what happened, and they start praying over my ankle. weird.
three days later, we have a stop in Leadville, CO...highest town in America. the whole band, except me, goes skiing. I go ice fishing with some of the locals, get the worst sunburn of my entire life, and end up looking like a leper (seriously, my face was fucked up) with a broken ankle for a majority of the tour.
on top of that, kids were constantly asking to have their bibles signed after shows. there are no words to describe how awkward that was. i've never even read the bible.
three months of the worst gig of my life. my relationship with God has never been the same.
