The "Just got in from a gig" thread.....

[saturn]

I didn't "just get in" but played gig last night. It was first gig using my new PRS. I was plugged straight into PA (through Morley multiFX)  so I didn't really get the full experience of playing through a nice tube amp.  But it played and sounded great. Think I'll keep it. 😎

Edited December 16, 2023 by saturn

[saturn]

Played our last gig of 2023 tonight. New Years Eve Eve.  Great night that ended in a two-man Free Bird jam.  😎 See ya next year.

[Murph]

7 hours ago, saturn said:

Played our last gig of 2023 tonight. New Years Eve Eve.  Great night that ended in a two-man Free Bird jam.  😎 See ya next year.

Mighty fine.

I haven't gigged much this year, I do a weekly acoustic jam with some "old" guys that is a hoot, but am happy to be sitting at the house this New Years eve.

Best to ya, Saturn.

[saturn]

Played the first full band gig of 2024 tonight. Also the first gig playing my new PRS through an amp, not just straight into PA.

Also the first gig we played at this venue. Place called B.C. Brewery. Huge stage, lot's of space inside and place was packed. Another guitar player, who has filled in for me several times in the past, was there and sat in on several songs.  No photos but here's the Set List with a few "new" songs added,  

 

['Scales]

Nice one Saturn - yeah, I spose its time to get 2024 kicked off....last Friday night pub gig. It was ok - not great, not bad. The 2 opening acts were cool and interesting but not particularly high energy...I prefer to come on after some high energy (or even before some) just to get the blood flowing and the crowd up, but hey, our peers would have been home watching some cr@p on tv or checking their finances or whatever they do rather than this, so its all good eh!   

[B.T.]

Last night - First gig in quite a while. Outside condo pool deck right on the Gulf of Mexico. Temperature was pretty nice with a good breeze off the water but the humidity was murder. Had to retune between almost every song. 
Got another one next week - forecast indicates almost exactly the same conditions. 
Anyone got any suggestions??? 
That was the worst it’s ever been out there!!! 

Edited March 9 by B.T.

[saturn]

6 hours ago, B.T. said:

Last night - First gig in quite a while. Outside condo pool deck right on the Gulf of Mexico. Temperature was pretty nice with a good breeze off the water but the humidity was murder. Had to retune between almost every song. 
Got another one next week - forecast indicates almost exactly the same conditions. 
Anyone got any suggestions??? 
That was the worst it’s ever been out there!!! 

Congratz on the gig. Hope the next one goes well. I don't what to advise on the humidity. I've played some gigs like that too. There's just no escaping it. 

[B.T.]

2 hours ago, saturn said:

Congratz on the gig. Hope the next one goes well. I don't what to advise on the humidity. I've played some gigs like that too. There's just no escaping it. 

Thanks Saturn - It frustrates the heck out of me but the folks there were all visiting, seemingly enjoying the music and didn’t appear to mind at all.  
A good bunch! 

[B.T.]

Well - 11:00 Thursday evening. Just got in from the second gig out on the water in a week. This one was entirely different!! Low humidity, mild breeze off the water, mid 70's, beautiful evening and an absolutely great crowd! Man! It doesn't get much better than that! I couldn't have asked for a more fun evening!! (Everything went well - sound was great and the guitars even stayed in tune this time around!!)

[saturn]

Whenever I played with my full band, it was a bout a 50/50 chance I'd cross the Key Bridge to get to my gig. That will no longer be an option.

When I play with my buddy Steve, there's about a 50/50 chance I drive over another iconic bridge in Maryland, The Chesapeake Bay Bridge. That was the case tonight. The bridge was backed up with beach traffic tonight, so it took me about an hour and a half to get there. I couldn't help but looking over the water to see if any huge ships were crossing under. There weren't any. 😬

Once I got there, it was a pretty routine gig. Nice crowd. We played well. Nothing too memorable, other than the sort of ominous feeling upon approaching the Bay Bridge after witnessing the footage of the Key Bridge collapse. Kinda like the way airplanes appeared ominous for the first few weeks after 9/11.  The drive home was much quicker with little traffic.

Here is an older photo of the Bay Bridge taken from the spot of another gig a few years ago.

 

[saturn]

Got in late last night from a double header.

Played as a trio with my buddies Steve and Quinny at a nice dock bar in Kent Island. Great crowd and show. Watched the Os win as we played. 😎 We played til 7 and packed up and were playing The Rams Head with a full band by 8.

For Rams Head, we added a drummer, bass player and dude named Elvin on guitar. No rehearsals at all for us. Elvin arrived halfway though the first set with a bad *** Dr Z amp and his modded Tele.  He plugged in and we went right into Folsom Prison Blues, but he forgot we were all tuned down a half step. 😦We quickly realized something was wrong, so the rest of us just played that one in F. He tuned down after that and we continued to rip it up all night, to a very small crowd. That part was a shame.

I can't overstate how good this guy Elvin is. He recently played the Lincoln Center in NY with The King Of Latin Soul , Joe Bataan. Then he comes down to play an empty show with a hack like me.  But we had a great time playing.  Mainly jammed and improvised all night. It's amazing to play with these great musicians, who are above my level.

 

['Scales]

Second gig for the year last Friday, and it went very well at a (extremely cold outside) local pub. Good large crowd, decent sound/light show and we were middle of three acts which I enjoy the most. 🍻… If we get one more gig and it will be quite a busy year by our standard 

[sparquelito]

We played an event yesterday that has become an annual tradition. 
Large sports fest on the local Army base, alternating sets with another band. 
Around 700 people in attendance. 
The ball fields and picnic pavillions are down on the Tennessee River. 

Loaded in at 06:00 am, sound check by 08:15, and opening ceremonies and national anthem at 09:00. 
Live music all day, until around 1:30 pm, and then the awards ceremonies and closing remarks by the Commander. 
It was hotter than hell, up into the 90's F. 
And not much of a breeze. 

It was a lot of fun, but of course a lot of work. 
My band this time was a power trio, augmented on some songs by the girl singer from my last band. 
The three of us are comfortably proficient on guitars, bass, and drums, so we traded instruments on and off all day. 
I really enjoyed that aspect of it. Instead of sticking to guitar only, I had a really good time playing bass and singing on a lot of songs, and drumming and singing on an equal number of songs. 

The two bands cross-pollenated a bit, and we had some fun jams together. 
It was a blast. 
Crowds enjoying the food, cookouts, barbeque grills going, live music, and sports tournaments. 

As we were tearing down the equipment and coiling up cables at the end of it all, I began to feel a bit woozy. 
I got the young strong guys to load the really heavy speaker cabs and stuff into my van, and then bade all the band mates goodbye. 
I decided that maybe I needed to hydrate, and eat something, and then finish loading out the bags of cables,  mic's, stands, and guitars by myself. 

Sat with the support staff for awhile to try and cool off, and I had a sandwich and some cold water. 
Realized that I had not peed all day. 
I was badly dehydrated. 

It's a by product of working hard all day in the heat, and keeping things in order on the back stage. 
I rarely know how to rest, and I fail to look after myself. 

Finally got everything loaded by 3:00 pm, and drank another jug of cold water as I drove steadily toward home and hearth. 
I found that my left hand would not unclench from my grip on the steering wheel. 
It was painfully locked up. 
The dehydration maybe?  Or too many songs in the sets featuring barre chords?

I eventually got the hand unlocked, and drank yet another jug of cold water on the drive home. 

Got home, greeted by the wife and dogs, and then worked for over an hour unloading the van, and carefully putting away all the gear.  Wiped the guitars down with some Finger Ease and a bit of spray wax. 
Got them shiny and beautiful again, after a long day of salt and sweat. 

Once everything was nicely put away, I cracked open a cold beer, peeled off my clothes into the clothes washer, and enjoyed a nice bath. 

I slept like the dead last night. 
My head hit the pillow at 09:00 pm, and I slept solid until my usual 4:00 am wake up. 

Good times!!

😗

[Sheepdog1969]

18 hours ago, sparquelito said:

We played an event yesterday that has become an annual tradition. 
Large sports fest on the local Army base, alternating sets with another band. 
Around 700 people in attendance. 
The ball fields and picnic pavillions are down on the Tennessee River. 

Loaded in at 06:00 am, sound check by 08:15, and opening ceremonies and national anthem at 09:00. 
Live music all day, until around 1:30 pm, and then the awards ceremonies and closing remarks by the Commander. 
It was hotter than hell, up into the 90's F. 
And not much of a breeze. 

It was a lot of fun, but of course a lot of work. 
My band this time was a power trio, augmented on some songs by the girl singer from my last band. 
The three of us are comfortably proficient on guitars, bass, and drums, so we traded instruments on and off all day. 
I really enjoyed that aspect of it. Instead of sticking to guitar only, I had a really good time playing bass and singing on a lot of songs, and drumming and singing on an equal number of songs. 

The two bands cross-pollenated a bit, and we had some fun jams together. 
It was a blast. 
Crowds enjoying the food, cookouts, barbeque grills going, live music, and sports tournaments. 

As we were tearing down the equipment and coiling up cables at the end of it all, I began to feel a bit woozy. 
I got the young strong guys to load the really heavy speaker cabs and stuff into my van, and then bade all the band mates goodbye. 
I decided that maybe I needed to hydrate, and eat something, and then finish loading out the bags of cables,  mic's, stands, and guitars by myself. 

Sat with the support staff for awhile to try and cool off, and I had a sandwich and some cold water. 
Realized that I had not peed all day. 
I was badly dehydrated. 

It's a by product of working hard all day in the heat, and keeping things in order on the back stage. 
I rarely know how to rest, and I fail to look after myself. 

Finally got everything loaded by 3:00 pm, and drank another jug of cold water as I drove steadily toward home and hearth. 
I found that my left hand would not unclench from my grip on the steering wheel. 
It was painfully locked up. 
The dehydration maybe?  Or too many songs in the sets featuring barre chords?

I eventually got the hand unlocked, and drank yet another jug of cold water on the drive home. 

Got home, greeted by the wife and dogs, and then worked for over an hour unloading the van, and carefully putting away all the gear.  Wiped the guitars down with some Finger Ease and a bit of spray wax. 
Got them shiny and beautiful again, after a long day of salt and sweat. 

Once everything was nicely put away, I cracked open a cold beer, peeled off my clothes into the clothes washer, and enjoyed a nice bath. 

I slept like the dead last night. 
My head hit the pillow at 09:00 pm, and I slept solid until my usual 4:00 am wake up. 

Good times!!

😗

I was thinking about you, and and wondering how the show went. Glad the gig rocked.  I'm sad that it "rocked" you back, as it were. 

I'll reach out mid week to hear about it in person. Sadly, I have a wake today and a funeral tomorrow to attend. 

Take it easy and get some electrolytes in ya' brother.

[sparquelito]

Thanks, buddy. 

Uh, beer has electrolytes in it, right?

🥲

[Ceptorman]

35 minutes ago, sparquelito said:

Thanks, buddy. 

Uh, beer has electrolytes in it, right?

🥲

I believe it does!

The Pedialyte powder poured into a pint of water works great for me, MUCH better than Gatorade. 

[saturn]

Our band closed out the season tonight at the gold course where we play one Thursday a month from May-September. 

Our keyboard player/vocalist, Billie, had something come up, so we got someone to sit-in for him. I've met the guy , Rich, before and our bass player has played with him. We did very well considering , Billie sings lead on about 80% of our songs, and we had no rehearsals with his replacement.  

Rich is a professionally trained musician and makes his living playing music, so our gig was little challenge for him. Crowd wasn't huge tonight, but they were enthusiastic and danced all night. 

[saturn]

Got in a little while ago from NOT playing a gig.

Had a gig booked in Kent Island on the Eastern Shore of Maryland.  Got off work, changed clothes and headed off to the gig. Weather was nasty and traffic was horrible. I called my partner Steve as I was approaching the Bay Bridge to let him know I was running late, which is normal on a Friday evening heading East on Rt 50.  He said he just got there and not to worry.

Anyway I arrived about 20 minutes before gig time and ran in with my guitar and pedals . I saw he already had PA set up and was having a beer at the bar. I said to order me one and I was going to get the rest of my stuff from the car.

When I got back, he was unplugging  everything and said "We are getting the f#ck out of here".  He said the manager accused us of running out on our bill the last few gigs! I was shocked. They comped our tab every time we've played there, and it wasn't like we ran up a big bill anyway. The guy came over and I questioned him and he said "You owe me money!". Now I was pissed and I kind of got in his face and said "If I owe you money, I'll pay, but show me where I ran out on on a tab!" The guy pointed to the door and said "Just get the F@CK out!" Then I looked over at Steve and he was laughing. 😁 I looked back at the manager and he was laughing too! They got me!

They had decided, with the weather being what it was, there would be a small crowd and they were going to close early. He said he would comp us for dinner and drinks. So we got some food and a few beers and then I headed home. Traffic going West was much better. 

 

[Sheepdog1969]

9 hours ago, saturn said:

Got in a little while ago from NOT playing a gig.

Had a gig booked in Kent Island on the Eastern Shore of Maryland.  Got off work, changed clothes and headed off to the gig. Weather was nasty and traffic was horrible. I called my partner Steve as I was approaching the Bay Bridge to let him know I was running late, which is normal on a Friday evening heading East on Rt 50.  He said he just got there and not to worry.

Anyway I arrived about 20 minutes before gig time and ran in with my guitar and pedals . I saw he already had PA set up and was having a beer at the bar. I said to order me one and I was going to get the rest of my stuff from the car.

When I got back, he was unplugging  everything and said "We are getting the f#ck out of here".  He said the manager accused us of running out on our bill the last few gigs! I was shocked. They comped our tab every time we've played there, and it wasn't like we ran up a big bill anyway. The guy came over and I questioned him and he said "You owe me money!". Now I was pissed and I kind of got in his face and said "If I owe you money, I'll pay, but show me where I ran out on on a tab!" The guy pointed to the door and said "Just get the F@CK out!" Then I looked over at Steve and he was laughing. 😁 I looked back at the manager and he was laughing too! They got me!

They had decided, with the weather being what it was, there would be a small crowd and they were going to close early. He said he would comp us for dinner and drinks. So we got some food and a few beers and then I headed home. Traffic going West was much better. 

 

Dang, my heart would have sank, [as I bet yours did], if anyone accused me of thievery by skipping out on a tab, especially at a place that provides regular paying gigs. Yeah they "got you good", but I would have been discombobulated for quite a while after that emotional roller coaster. At least the comp'ed meal and beers kinda helped ease the lost gig income and travel cost/time. I'm sure glad you didn't throw a punch at the prankster manager before they let you in on the set up.  I suspect Steve knows you well enough to orchestrate the prank in a way that just teased your limits, but didn't exceed them. 

Remember, revenge is a dish best served cold.