Punters wanting to talk to you when you're playing.

[paul_5]

[quote name='Heathy' timestamp='1496582777' post='3312433']
I've said it before, and I'll say it again:

Lick their faces.

They will stop.
[/quote]

Yes, but you could die of some disgusting disease.

[blue]

It happens a lot. It's rude, I'm not sure there is any polite way to deal with it.

Blue

[TimR]

Depends how good looking they are.

[mrtcat]

[quote name='Jean-Luc Pickguard' timestamp='1496584635' post='3312451']
All requests must be written on a £50 note
We don't do that one, but we will play one later which contains some of the same notes
[/quote]

This is the right approach imo. Humorous without being aggressive but enough to let them know that you have enough wit and experience to make them look a bit of a tit in front of the crowd if they persist.

[FinnDave]

We had a guy climb onto the stage and attempt to talk to each of us while we were playing. He ended up tripping over his own feet and hitting the wall rather hard, resulting in him being laid out cold next to the PA. We just kept playing. The police attended, we kept playing until they asked us to stop between numbers. The guy was hauled out between two burly coppers and taken away in an ambulance. His reason for being on the stage? He wanted to buy us all a drink and was trying to find out what we wanted!

[Cato]

Eat a garlic and anchovy vindaloo before going on stage.

Nobody's going to want to spend long talking to you.

[Ruck]

Its mostly the punters who are blind drunk or off their face on charlie. The ones who are blind drunk are too stupid to know the difference between a band and a DJ. The ones off their faces on charlie only ask because they are dying to get on stage and be the centre of attention. You can tell the ones who are on charlie because they keep asking you the same thing over and over again and get really pissed off when their dreams of being centre of attention come crumbling down. They then either try to steal a stage mic or jump on stage and dance whilst shout the wrong lyrics. It was common practise for my band in some places filled with idiots to form a band wall at the front of stage to completely block people from stage invasions.

[stingrayPete1977]

I went to an Eagles tribute gig a couple of weeks ago, there was a guy there trying to shake hands with the three guys at the front, as they were playing their guitars! I'd guess he'd been at the old columbian marching powder.

[Les]

[quote name='mrtcat' timestamp='1496598276' post='3312584']
This is the right approach imo. Humorous without being aggressive but enough to let them know that you have enough wit and experience to make them look a bit of a tit in front of the crowd if they persist.
[/quote]

We're more than capable of setting our over the mic banter from amusing to public annihilation if need be but I'm really looking for ways to discourage punters coming up to talk rather than dealing with the event.

There probably isn't an answer

[blue]

[quote name='FinnDave' timestamp='1496599787' post='3312596']
We had a guy climb onto the stage and attempt to talk to each of us while we were playing. He ended up tripping over his own feet and hitting the wall rather hard, resulting in him being laid out cold next to the PA. We just kept playing. The police attended, we kept playing until they asked us to stop between numbers. The guy was hauled out between two burly coppers and taken away in an ambulance. His reason for being on the stage? He wanted to buy us all a drink and was trying to find out what we wanted!
[/quote]

That buying the band a drink thing is common and a nice thing.

But wait until a song is over.

Blue

[andyonbass]

[quote name='Cato' timestamp='1496600072' post='3312598']
Eat a garlic and anchovy vindaloo before going on stage.
[/quote]

Are you a solo artist by any chance?

[FinnDave]

[quote name='blue' timestamp='1496605791' post='3312665']
That buying the band a drink thing is common and a nice thing.

But wait until a song is over.

Blue
[/quote]

Unfortunately the guy laid himself out before he made off the stage and up to the bar!

[Cato]

[quote name='andyonbass' timestamp='1496606279' post='3312674']


Are you a solo artist by any chance?
[/quote]

😂😂😂

[Lozz196]

Announce to the audience that the person you`ve just been talking to wanted you to play The Birdie Song, but that not all of you know it so you`re going to learn it for the next gig.

He`ll either feel such a pillock he`ll slope off, or he`ll tw*t you. 50/50, but it has to be worth the risk.

[ambient]

I did a solo gig in a church in Birmingham city centre last year, it was a Friday lunchtime, part of a regular series, so there's always a good audience, people on their lunch break etc.

I was sat on a stool at the front, people were sat on seats, the closest row about 4 metres from me.

For one guy that wasn't close enough, he walked up and stood literally half a metre from me. After I'd finished one piece, he started talking to me about what I was fldoing and my music etc. Really nice and I appreciated him liking what I was doing, but he was just oblivious to the fact I was performing.

[TimR]

[quote name='Les' timestamp='1496604167' post='3312646']


We're more than capable of setting our over the mic banter from amusing to public annihilation if need be but I'm really looking for ways to discourage punters coming up to talk rather than dealing with the event.

There probably isn't an answer
[/quote]

You can't stop them coming up and talking to you. Unless you effect a razor wire fence, which isn't always possible in your local.

You can get rid of them quickly by saying that you'll have a word with the band and see what you can do. That'll get rid of them for 30mins or so. Hopefully by then they've forgotten.

[NoRhino]

Point to your own ear and say "Sorry I can't hear you"

[skidder652003]

[quote name='TimR' timestamp='1496609629' post='3312732']
You can't stop them coming up and talking to you. Unless you effect a razor wire fence, which isn't always possible in your local.

You can get rid of them quickly by saying that you'll have a word with the band and see what you can do. That'll get rid of them for 30mins or so. Hopefully by then they've forgotten.
[/quote]
This, no point being rude, they are indirectly paying the wages

[bazzbass]

the very first guy that walks up to ask you something, kick him in the mouth. Problem solved.

I hate the punter that comes up to you the second your set is finished to talk bass. "I have a Fender too, mine is.."

why do they think I give a damn about what they have? But I always talk to them coz, well, at least SOMEONE is talking to me hehe

[Telebass]

[quote name='NoRhino' timestamp='1496612185' post='3312758']
Point to your own ear and say "Sorry I can't hear you"
[/quote]
This, pointing out your plugs/in-ears. Usually works.

[Roland Rock]

[quote name='andyonbass' timestamp='1496606279' post='3312674']


Are you a solo artist by any chance?
[/quote]

A solo bass player doesn't need bad breath for people to stay away

[Norris]

If someone is particularly persistent about us playing song X by artist Y, we'll announce a "new" song by artist Y and then play which ever song we were going to do anyway.

Most of the time we'll have a go at requests. We encourage them.

As for requesting mid-song we'll usually ignore them until the song is done

[SpondonBassed]

As you say Les, it is probably something you can't prevent. You can only manage the situation when it occurs. From your post that sounds infrequent. The pro approach is to never put down or insult a punter for being enthusiastic whether drunk or not.

There are exceptions of course;

Contains mild swearing -
[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q8BYgzIEHIY[/media]

[Yank]

I've had it happen a few times while I'm singing. I just continue to sing and play looking them dead in the eye, with no facial affect. Eventually they figure you're deaf or mentally challenged and will disgustedly walk away.

[Muzz]

[quote name='Telebass' timestamp='1496644732' post='3312830']
This, pointing out your plugs/in-ears. Usually works.
[/quote]

This has been an unexpected bonus of moving to in-ears - it saved me from pissed punters three times last weekend...

Although the best one was the hammered girl at a Rugby Club do, who did the clicky-finger thing in front of me during a Foo Fighters song, got annoyed when I didn't instantly devote all my attention to her, then demanded Abba. I politely declined with a "Sorry, we don't do any Abba" to have her point at the Mac on the mixer (we run Mainstage) and insist "No, play Abba." This we repeated this exchange three times until it was clear she wasn't going to understand we weren't some sort of iPod, so I said "Fine, yeah", and she went away. I told our singer, and he introduced the next song with "Not a lot of people know this, but the next one was originally recorded by Abba. This is Rosanna, as covered by Toto..."