What's the worst reception you've ever had doing a gig?

[Barking Spiders]

I don't mean punters just carrying on talking etc while you're playing but mebbe where they've really taken against you and thrown all manner of undrinkable fluids at your heads etc or even invaded the stage and ripped out your amps plugs

[Woodinblack]

Never had that but my wife got us a gig at a local pub thinking it was another one, turned out it was a very dodgy looking one. I took the cheapest bass. Got a text before we got there “Dave accidentally unplugged the juke box and I think the whole thing is going to kick off”, there were some lads being loud.

turned out when we did the gig it was fine and now is my favourite place to play!

[dudewheresmybass]

My hard rock covers band was booked to play at a pub not too far away. 

It turned out when we arrived that it was essentially a harvester style restaurant/ pub. 

We played our usual sets and towards the end of the second set, I had a punter come to the front and ask very politely - "excuse me, I don't want to be rude, but how many songs do you have left?" 

Alwaysbmake us chuckle 

[itsmedunc]

Two songs, jeered and threatened all the way through by inbreds with bad teeth and 6 fingers, then told to leave by a massive rugby player like landlord. Got paid though!

[paul_5]

Up in the sticks (out past Todmorden). No bars, not even 3G!!

[BrunoBass]

Our former guitarist was really into a fairly recent but still reasonably obscure Rolling Stones song called Doom and Gloom. Pretty rocking track actually, but I wasn’t keen on playing it due to the fact that no one knew it. 

Anyway, we played it. First song in the set. We finished. Silence...

Suffice to say we never played it again.

[fretmeister]

Mine went well until I got a music stand out...

 

 

[mrtcat]

Played an Oxford Uni graduation ball with an old Steel Panther tribute band I was with called Iron P##sy. Everyone was in ball gowns and tuxedos and had paid £140 a ticket. We rocked up and opened with "17 Girls In A Row". There was a fairly strong feminist vibe in the room and with the exception of the rugby team, who loved us, we got plenty of verbal abuse and a few drinks thrown at us. At the end a rather militant looking group of short haired girls got up in our faces and we're expressing their feelings. Didn't help that our singer genuinely thought they were messing around and was hitting on a couple of them.

Edited May 20, 2018 by mrtcat

[Christine]

In 77 I was in a punk band and we played a venue that was expecting something a little different. Half way through the first song a few people got up and tried to throw us out with undue violence (read that as a mass invasion and an attempt to kill us) so I hit one of them with a brand new Les Paul and broke it, I also got arrested (and released later on). That was a bad reception and one that is always on my mind even now before a gig. I was very very frightened by that

[Cat Burrito]

We played a Skinhead pub in Brockworth in '94 looking like below. The lowest point was when a bar stool was thrown at the band onstage.... so we did an encore! They offered what could only be described as a "carry to the car" service once we finished. Apparently the pub closed down in the late 90s.

[bassbiscuits]

In about 1991 my band - a sort of glam/metal crossover in the style of Saigon Kick/Extreme etc - was booked to play a pub in the Swansea Valley. 

We only got as far as playing a quick soundcheck to a smattering of stunned looking old boys sipping bitter, when the landlord gave us our marching orders. 

He'd been expecting a female vocalist playing the usual hits apparently. We didn't get paid. 

To top things off, on the way home our van got caught up in a big scuffle between riot police horses and rival soccer fans in Swansea. 

[bassbiscuits]

Last summer I played a one-hour slot of upbeat, lively covers to kick start a charity party in the garden of a decent local pub. It went down well so the landlord booked me for three more well-paid solo gigs.

So far so good. 

But when I turned up to play a few weeks later, it couldn't have been more different. 

He'd now decided that what he really wanted was just quiet background music.

I toned down what I had and tailored it as best I could. But he and a couple of regular punters complained continuously that I was too loud, they didn't like the songs, and they steadfastly refused to pay any attention whatsoever let alone applaud.

Given that he'd booked me on the strength of the last gig, I was a tad surprised to say the least.

I did all three gigs and got paid in fairness but we mutually left it with a 'thanks but no thanks!' 

[scalpy]

Did one last year. The drummer arrived first and the venue manager told him he was too loud before his tom case was out of the boot. There was a 70dB limit for us at the bar. The bar was quite a way from the stage, we did a dB check with no music, just the punters laughing amongst themselves was peaking 85 or so. 

The bride also wanted to perform first- she and her sisters had been in a girl group and the groom had never seen them. They did about 10 insipid All Saints numbers and we went on. The bar promptly served the food and we just watched the audience exodus from the dance floor. Then the manager comes over and said we were too loud. First dance was wind beneath my wings, which would make a worthy much shorter post on this thread in itself. Only the bride and groom on the dance floor. Things did get rolling a bit but we had a laugh telling the audience off for clapping too loud. 

[chris_b]

We turned up to a gig and found the drummer pacing up and down outside.

Apparently, when he arrived, someone had said, "I hope you're better than the band last week. The drummer got stabbed!"

It was a dodgy pub full of oiks, retards and throwbacks, but we still did the gig. Thankfully they liked us.

[KingPrawn]

We played a boozer near Cannock. When I pulled up there were two guys fighting in the car park. Should have just driven home. Wen set up played the gig. An awful lot of gesturing and punters acting out sexualised behaviour on each other, with inflatable guitars. Our singer cut the set about 5 minutes short, ( which i was annoyed about) Packed up, went to pick up the silver coin and the gaffers wife refused to play as we had finished early. This was true, all be it 5 minutes. I said ok pay us what you think is fair. They were itching for a fight. We were escorted out of the pub like we were in a spaghetti western. A guy followed us to our cars still itching for a punch-up. Our guitarist, who has some serious anger issues obliged and slapped at least four of the possie before we hit the road out of dodge. We still talk about it ten years on. Good times!!

[bassbiscuits]

5 hours ago, scalpy said:

Did one last year. The drummer arrived first and the venue manager told him he was too loud before his tom case was out of the boot. There was a 70dB limit for us at the bar. The bar was quite a way from the stage, we did a dB check with no music, just the punters laughing amongst themselves was peaking 85 or so. 

The bride also wanted to perform first- she and her sisters had been in a girl group and the groom had never seen them. They did about 10 insipid All Saints numbers and we went on. The bar promptly served the food and we just watched the audience exodus from the dance floor. Then the manager comes over and said we were too loud. First dance was wind beneath my wings, which would make a worthy much shorter post on this thread in itself. Only the bride and groom on the dance floor. Things did get rolling a bit but we had a laugh telling the audience off for clapping too loud. 

I did a wedding two years ago in a posh stable conversion place in the middle of nowhere which had a sound limiter 'to protect the neighbours' tho the only neighbour was the bloke who owned the place and lived next door. 

Same thing tho - the audience clapping was enough to set it off, and we played the whole gig about the same volume as i would play at home. 

When we finally left the organiser again made a point of stressing we had to leave quietly not to disturb 'the neighbour'.

Fed up by now of the petty rules which had completely neutered the gig, we made a point of being as noisy as possible, leaving the stage door wide open while the disco was on and revving and tooting our horns at each other when we left.

The happy couple later told us what a lovely time they'd had and enjoyed the band. Baffling. 

[Dropzone]

We once had a stink bomb let off in the pub. thought it was the singer but after a while it hurt. Bad times.

 

[Monkey Steve]

21 hours ago, bassbiscuits said:

I did a wedding two years ago in a posh stable conversion place in the middle of nowhere which had a sound limiter 'to protect the neighbours' tho the only neighbour was the bloke who owned the place and lived next door. 

Same thing tho - the audience clapping was enough to set it off, and we played the whole gig about the same volume as i would play at home. 

When we finally left the organiser again made a point of stressing we had to leave quietly not to disturb 'the neighbour'.

Fed up by now of the petty rules which had completely neutered the gig, we made a point of being as noisy as possible, leaving the stage door wide open while the disco was on and revving and tooting our horns at each other when we left.

The happy couple later told us what a lovely time they'd had and enjoyed the band. Baffling. 

going off at a tangent a bit but I bet "the neighbour" had been making formal complaints.

A pub that an old band of mine used to play regularly was well known as a local music venue, but in a very pretty village.  Their life was made a misery when a new couple moved in across the road and were surprised to find that the pub advertising live music was quite noisy, and started complaining to the Council.  Fortunately for the landlord the bloke from the Council understood that somebody moving in opposite a music pub shouldn't get much sympathy, but the onus was put on the landlord to show that he had taken "reasonable measures" to limit the noise.  Not a noise limiter, but insulation to be put over the windows before the band even started soundchecking, and a strict curfew of 11.00.  He always made a point of asking us to be as quiet as possible when loading out, just to save the hassle of yet another visit from the council where the neighbour couldn't complain about the music as that was within the agreed rules, but could complain about general noise from the pub after closing time.

It only takes one determined person to make a venue's life a misery.

[bassbiscuits]

5 minutes ago, Monkey Steve said:

going off at a tangent a bit but I bet "the neighbour" had been making formal complaints.

A pub that an old band of mine used to play regularly was well known as a local music venue, but in a very pretty village.  Their life was made a misery when a new couple moved in across the road and were surprised to find that the pub advertising live music was quite noisy, and started complaining to the Council.  Fortunately for the landlord the bloke from the Council understood that somebody moving in opposite a music pub shouldn't get much sympathy, but the onus was put on the landlord to show that he had taken "reasonable measures" to limit the noise.  Not a noise limiter, but insulation to be put over the windows before the band even started soundchecking, and a strict curfew of 11.00.  He always made a point of asking us to be as quiet as possible when loading out, just to save the hassle of yet another visit from the council where the neighbour couldn't complain about the music as that was within the agreed rules, but could complain about general noise from the pub after closing time.

It only takes one determined person to make a venue's life a misery.

In this instance the complaining guy was the owner of the venue tho! 

Appeared he was happy to take the money for renting it out for functions, but then adamant we tiptoed around not to disturb him. 

Seened a bit silly really! 

[Monkey Steve]

5 minutes ago, bassbiscuits said:

In this instance the complaining guy was the owner of the venue tho! 

Appeared he was happy to take the money for renting it out for functions, but then adamant we tiptoed around not to disturb him. 

Seened a bit silly really! 

oh FFS!!

Sorry - totally missed that you had said that in your post

but still, FFS!

Edited May 21, 2018 by Monkey Steve

[Skol303]

On 19/05/2018 at 11:18, paul_5 said:

Up in the sticks (out past Todmorden). No bars, not even 3G!!

 I'm familiar with those hinterlands myself.

[bassbiscuits]

1 minute ago, Monkey Steve said:

oh FFS!!

Sorry - totally missed that you had said that in your post

but still, FFS!

Yup - it is as daft a situation as it sounds unfortunately!

Oh well. We played. We got paid. We got home safe. No harm done. 

[scalpy]

10 minutes ago, bassbiscuits said:

In this instance the complaining guy was the owner of the venue tho! 

Appeared he was happy to take the money for renting it out for functions, but then adamant we tiptoed around not to disturb him. 

Seened a bit silly really! 

Are you sure we didn’t play the same place? Exactly the same for us at above example. Herefordshire/Worcestershire border?

[bassbiscuits]

Just now, scalpy said:

Are you sure we didn’t play the same place? Exactly the same for us at above example. Herefordshire/Worcestershire border?

No - its further north than that (I won't identify it here...) - sounds like there are at least two of these places then. Great! 

 

[T-Bay]

47 minutes ago, Monkey Steve said:

going off at a tangent a bit but I bet "the neighbour" had been making formal complaints.

A pub that an old band of mine used to play regularly was well known as a local music venue, but in a very pretty village.  Their life was made a misery when a new couple moved in across the road and were surprised to find that the pub advertising live music was quite noisy, and started complaining to the Council.  Fortunately for the landlord the bloke from the Council understood that somebody moving in opposite a music pub shouldn't get much sympathy, but the onus was put on the landlord to show that he had taken "reasonable measures" to limit the noise.  Not a noise limiter, but insulation to be put over the windows before the band even started soundchecking, and a strict curfew of 11.00.  He always made a point of asking us to be as quiet as possible when loading out, just to save the hassle of yet another visit from the council where the neighbour couldn't complain about the music as that was within the agreed rules, but could complain about general noise from the pub after closing time.

It only takes one determined person to make a venue's life a misery.

Not just music venues, Mallory Park had all sorts of hassle due to this. A pub is hardish to miss but a full scale racing circuit conveniently named after the village it’s in?