DPhillips Posted December 15, 2009 Share Posted December 15, 2009 First of all' date=' NEVER acknowlege a mistake to an audience. 1 out of a hundred MAY have noticed, and it makes you and the whole band look like amateurs by admitting to it. Secondly and most important, Whenever you do make a mistake (and we all do), just turn and look at the bass player....... I play a lot of one-of shows, probably 8-10 a year. I'll woodshed in my practice room with the charts and/or recordings, attend a few (if that many) rehearsals, and then to the concert stage or orchestra pit. I get ONE CHANCE to play it right. If the show night just happens to be a "bad day", I'm screwed. The only thing you can do is be prepared and play the best you can. Sometimes you blow the roof of the joint, sometimes it tanks. There have been many times that I said to myself "if we only did this show one more time, I'd get it right". I did a Big Band show a couple Sundays ago. The opening number was a Count Basie chart with a Freddie Green guitar and piano intro at about 340 bpm. So basically I'm playing (or supposed to be playing) about six different chords every two seconds, two beats each. About bar 14 I missed a chord and didn't catch up until about bar 25, in front of a packed house at a college campus concert hall. I will receive a recording of that show and I just can't wait to relive the agony all over again. The band director thought it was a great show. You learn to shake it off.[/quote'] I don't know about the acknowledgement part. We've always acknowledged glaring mistakes, at least when we thought the audience was paying attention. Own it and do something, anything, to make it up. I've seen solo shows where the artist owned it (Steve Earle, Guy Clark, Jackson Browne, and Todd Snider), even saw Clapton own it once with the band. Stevie Ray stopped a show in Nashville and redone the entire song because the sound faded on his lead (that was a ridiculous long time ago and his equipment was pretty sorry). Saw the Stones really muck one up and they just blew it off. I walked away with the feeling that they didn't care... Guess it comes down to your audience, if they are loud and not paying a lot of attention in a small venue, just forget it. If your audience is savvy, own it. Humor is a great way for them to accept it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaxson50 Posted December 15, 2009 Share Posted December 15, 2009 Ever have your lead guitarist/singer pass out, fall flat on his face and break the headstock off his Les Paul, and just lay there? He didn't even bounce or fart when he hit the deck! (I won't mention his name so don't worry Billy) When your a drummer (me) in a three piece band when this happens I suggest you go into a drum solo so your bass player can drag the guitarist off the stage. The sad part of this story is, the audience didn't really think much of it...........they were as stoned as the guitar player was and really liked the drum solo followed by the two hour bass/drum blues medley. And no, Billy didn't get paid that night. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FirstMeasure Posted December 15, 2009 Share Posted December 15, 2009 One mistake does not a bad show make. Always remember, the audience will let you know if it's a bad show. As far as a missed cue goes, that's not a bad mistake at all. An anal retentive guitarist might give you a little crap about it, but It's no big deal. At least you didn't play "The House is Rockin'" in B while the rest of the band is in C . Lot's of good advice so far.....Carry on, make a joke. But most importantly, don't beat yourself up and nail the part next time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DPhillips Posted December 15, 2009 Share Posted December 15, 2009 "Well we/I bollosked that up, here's a bonus".... "My guitar still thinks it's a tree" "We were playing so loud, I couldn't hear myself think. Wait a minute, I'm a guitar player, I don't even know how to think..." "I was trying to get THAT girl's phone number..." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
milod Posted December 15, 2009 Share Posted December 15, 2009 There's only one way not to have what you feel like is a horrid clinker in a gig: Don't play in front of people. If you play music, you'll on occasion blow it. It's like an old newspaper photog told me a thousand years ago after I blew an assignment - if you don't blow a cupla assignments a year, you ain't takin' enough pictures. Me? Hey, I've played music in public one way or another since I was four - 60 years ago. I still get nervous for some easy gigs and I'm flying high and relaxed for some hard ones and - duhhhh - I've blown stuff (I thought) on the easy ones and flew almost perfectly through some tough ones. It's hard to say. Sometimes I've thought I totally blew it and everybody else thought it was super. Hmmm. I dunno. My first reeeally big gig was in '65 as a solo tame folksinger with a cupla thousand in a live audience and heck, I forgot the words halfways through 'cuz I was thinking other stuff. I faked it, I guess, long enough to remember the words and only a cupla my guitar students knew it. It wasn't even stage fright 'cuz I was a lot more relaxed than a week before when a promo for the show was a terrifying first TV deal in an overlit hallway with a huge old color camera and no audience at all and... I'm too self-critical too, which cuts quality when I try too hard. But I ain't quittin'. I hope you don't either, and are here in another 50 years to tell some kid, "hey, back when, I..." Besides, as the guys have said, "it" happens. m Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Silenced Fred Posted December 16, 2009 Author Share Posted December 16, 2009 Thanks guys, it is great to hear recommendations as well as personal stories. I know I am not the only one who makes mistakes, but when you are up on a mic, it sure as hell feels that way. I am gonna try and work on Best of You for our next show, I can pull this one off, as long as I don't find out I am singing an hour and a half before the show Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thermionik Posted December 16, 2009 Share Posted December 16, 2009 . . How do you get over a bad show..... .....play a good show. The punters rarely notice, and even if they do - I don't see THEM up there on stage. . . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
saturn Posted December 16, 2009 Share Posted December 16, 2009 At least you didn't play "The House is Rockin'" in B while the rest of the band is in C . That is so funny, because I/we've done that too! I think it's a combo of the two kewys obnly being a half step apart and SRVs tuning a half step low. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DanvillRob Posted December 16, 2009 Share Posted December 16, 2009 We were playing Little Sister by Queens of the Stone Age and I sang the second verse. The lead guitarist turned down his amp considerably and I couldn't hear him and everyone turned at looked at more for some reason' date=' so I thought it was time for me to sing. I came in halfway through his interlude, and fxcked up the whole song. We made it through and I managed to recover, but it just pisses me off that I messed up so bad.[/quote'] There ain't a musician alive who hasn't honked up a song/show/set/whatever. You just keep at it, and the mistake will either be forgotten, or become part of the lexicon. Remember, in the Kingsmen recording of "Louie, Louie" the singer comes in too early...recorded for all time....and in Them's version of "Baby Please Don't Go", the bass player starts one of his runs two beats too early, and has to "dance" at the end of it so it resolves itself on time..... and of course, look at the battle scene in "Gone With The Wind". As the camera pans over the dead and injured, it goes past a gatepost with a light on top...and you can CLEARLY see a lightbulb in the lamp. Pretty sure Edison hadn't invented them yet! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EVOL! Posted December 16, 2009 Share Posted December 16, 2009 How do you get over a bad show or set? Take whatever mistakes you made and learn from them. A few added words of advice to reinforce what was already said. - If you make a mistake on stage just keep plowing through. As was said, 95% of the audience will never know. Do not look around or glare at your bandmates. - Never, ever apologize on stage for anything. As was said, 95% of the audience will never know. - Lead singers are princesses. You have to deal with them directly and assertively. You singer wants to back out of something at the eleventh hour? Tell him tough. Choking him up against the wall is sometimes necessary. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NeoConMan Posted December 16, 2009 Share Posted December 16, 2009 Never' date=' ever[/b'] apologize on stage for anything. As was said, 95% of the audience will never know. I'll clarify my statement with a couple points. 1. I play bars with relatively small crowds. We know many of the people there, and things are really informal. Big venue/high ticket price? Never done any such show, so I'll defer to those who do. 2. Don't stop the show, turn on the lights, and give a college-level dissertation about it. If you can throw out some sort of one-liner after the song and then move into the next number, do it. Most people (who didn't hear the mistake anyway) won't have a clue what you just said - or why. But they'll start tapping their toe as soon as you start playing again. 3. I've seen bar bands and Rock Gods repeat a song at the end of the night for a variety of reasons. Some people insist on hearing a SRV or AC/DC song again, they don't care that you just did it an hour ago. If five people in the place realize you screwed it up the first time, they will all cheer you the second time. Way to get back on that horse, so to speak. 4. The ONLY big name show I've seen in 30 years where I couldn't spot a single mistake was Rush in 1983. I'll chalk that up to the heavy use of pre-programmed synths and click tracks for the drummer. To paraphrase one of their songs, "All of this machinery making my music..." Not my cup of tea. Slick polished bands like Journey, Boston, Foreigner etc. They ALL goofed every time I saw 'em. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jefleppard Posted December 16, 2009 Share Posted December 16, 2009 You'll always remember it. Just build you a bridge and get over it... no big deal. Even great big' date=' world famous bands screw up. You'll kill 'em next time out it happens. even springsteen came out on stage two weeks ago in detroit and said "hello, ohio!". mistakes challenge you, try to make you better. they're mile markers. i know how you feel. i f up all the time, especially with between-song comments. i regularly put my foot in my big, sometimes crude, mouth. i amke light of it. you'll notice that even though mistakes occur, you and your band will get better everytime you play. its all part of the process. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bonzoboy Posted December 16, 2009 Share Posted December 16, 2009 Just file it away in your memory and use it as a learning experience and don't beat yourself up over it ,even the most seasoned pros make mistakes.John Lennon forgot lyrics in a lot of concerts. ------------------------------------------------- Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
myspace.com/jessenoah Posted December 16, 2009 Share Posted December 16, 2009 how do you get over a bad show? but playing another show Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Californiaman Posted December 16, 2009 Share Posted December 16, 2009 How do you get over a bad show? I mean, it's not like Duane can just delete it, you know. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hellion102792 Posted December 16, 2009 Share Posted December 16, 2009 When I saw Paul McCartney, he screwed up "I Will" during his acoustic bit and stopped the song to joke about how he wrote the song and should know it by now. Sometimes that's the best thing to do, especially if its a big enough mistake where you have to stop and pick up from before you messed up. The audience will laugh, and you can shake it off and say you did it on purpose to see if they were still paying attention. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Izzy Posted December 16, 2009 Share Posted December 16, 2009 When I saw Paul McCartney' date=' he screwed up "I Will" during his acoustic bit and stopped the song to joke about how he wrote the song and should know it by now. Sometimes that's the best thing to do, especially if its a big enough mistake where you have to stop and pick up from before you messed up. The audience will laugh, and you can shake it off and say you did it on purpose to see if they were still paying attention.[/quote'] Yeah! Ani does that. I've seen her look up with BIG eyes and then laugh her head off and people feel empathy like, "yeah, I remember in fifth grade I puked in front of the girl I loved." Considering all eyes are on famous people they feel they have to point it out. She once sang in the middle of a song of hers "i think that was the lyric...wait was it?" It almost seemed like part of the song, if we didn't know it better than her *cough Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dem00n Posted December 16, 2009 Share Posted December 16, 2009 Just say **** everyone and move on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lowdown Posted December 16, 2009 Share Posted December 16, 2009 If the audience notices (you'd be surprised how many people don't) then smile at the end of the song and make some sort of humble reference to your mistake. Maybe promise not to butcher the next song.... Near the end of the show (if you wanna redeem yourself) ask the crowd if they wanna hear QOTSA again. If they chuckle and laugh' date=' let it go. If they shout and cheer in approval, play it again - correctly. That, or just get drunk, throw your gear in the truck and drive home.... Spot on. Unless you're a muso in which case we notice everything,because we can always do it better than the next muso. Deny everything. Never let on you've screwed up,ever. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Silenced Fred Posted December 16, 2009 Author Share Posted December 16, 2009 How do you get over a bad show?I mean' date=' it's not like Duane can just delete it, you know. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA Oh well, I found out I get a chance to redeem myself on Friday, we are playing the same show but during school hours as a mini concert. I will kill em this time Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChanMan Posted December 16, 2009 Share Posted December 16, 2009 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NeoConMan Posted December 16, 2009 Share Posted December 16, 2009 Rock on Dude! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rocketman Posted December 16, 2009 Share Posted December 16, 2009 The ONLY big name show I've seen in 30 years where I couldn't spot a single mistake was Rush in 1983.I'll chalk that up to the heavy use of pre-programmed synths and click tracks for the drummer. To paraphrase one of their songs' date=' "All of this machinery making my music..." Not my cup of tea.[/quote'] I saw Rush in 1983 too! Geddy actually messed up the solo to Freewill. He just jokingly hit his head with his hand and moved on; Neil adjusted to him and they were fine. In all the years we've played we never had to stop a song due to a mistake. But we surely did make mistakes. We got through them because we played with confidence in each other. This is why everyone should play jazz at some point. Jazz music forces you to listen to the other band members rather than just yourself. Once you get the "feel" of what the other players are going to do then it becomes much easier to recover when a player or you makes a mistake... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Silenced Fred Posted December 16, 2009 Author Share Posted December 16, 2009 Yeah, it should be great, hell no one even noticed after hearing people talk about, not directly to me, but overhearing from people. Friday is gonna rock, and the singer is a prima donna b¡tch, I am going to start working on more stuff with a smaller group, doing more Foo Fighters and the sort stuff, it is a good set up and I hope we can do it justice. Thanks for the kind words again Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NeoConMan Posted December 16, 2009 Share Posted December 16, 2009 As the years go by, I've always liked the idea of a GOOD singer in a band to free the musicians up. Seems a compromise for most players to sing 100% while trying to cover all the guitar or bass parts. Hell, I can't do it... But the whole stereotypical LSD thing (Lead Singer Disease) always seems to rear its ugly head. Seems if the only job they have is mouthpiece, they lose sight of reality for some reason. A GOOD singer is a treat, but I can live without the neurosis... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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