ARGH Posted November 25, 2022 Share Posted November 25, 2022 (edited) When is ill, too ill...? Edited November 25, 2022 by ARGH Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Horse Murphy Posted November 25, 2022 Share Posted November 25, 2022 (edited) Erm, I'd say it's when you're too ill to play.... Edited November 25, 2022 by Old Horse Murphy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mykesbass Posted November 25, 2022 Share Posted November 25, 2022 Saw Depeche Mode at Hammersmith Odeon 1984 or 85. Two of them had buckets on stage. Wasn't a very good gig, but I'm not sure if that was down to them being ill or being Depeche Mode... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lozz196 Posted November 25, 2022 Share Posted November 25, 2022 When it affects the performance to the point where if it were a show where people were paying to see it it would be unfair to take their money. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike257 Posted November 26, 2022 Share Posted November 26, 2022 Played a wedding gig with a hideous case of Norovirus once. Wouldn't recommend it! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EBS_freak Posted November 26, 2022 Share Posted November 26, 2022 Did a gig where I was sitting on stage puking up into a bucket. Not my finest moment. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doctor J Posted November 26, 2022 Share Posted November 26, 2022 We played a gig where the guitarist couldn't feel his hands and played slumped on a stool because he probably couldn't feel his feet either. Even after the singer walked off stage and left both band and venue halfway through the set, we continued to the very bitter end. Probably shouldn't have done that one. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gareth Hughes Posted November 26, 2022 Share Posted November 26, 2022 Middle of a tour once I got a ridiculously bad head cold, ears felt like solid concrete. Not good for intonation on a double bass. In the break one night I had a massive nosebleed that would not stop no matter how many bits of tissue were wedged in there. So now my ears are blocked, my nose is blocked, breathing in general is great craic, and my eyes (of course, it’s a reading gig) feel like they’re lead weights. More comical is that it’s a pseudo classical gig so everytime the singers do some choreographed walk towards the back of the stage, they can’t help but break out laughing at the sight of me. Oh yes, the show must go on! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2pods Posted November 26, 2022 Share Posted November 26, 2022 Did a wedding in the midst of a migraine (though I didn't know what it was at the time, so I was panicking all night), so bad that I was scared I would collapse on stage. The weird thing was the pain stopped while we were playing, but in between every song it was murder. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leonard Smalls Posted November 26, 2022 Share Posted November 26, 2022 I've played twice with a broken leg, once in the early 90s at Subterranea in Portobello, and once this year at the Nice'n'Sleazy fest. I needed help with my bass cab, but carried everything else! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neepheid Posted November 26, 2022 Share Posted November 26, 2022 Did two gigs in one day with bruised ribs. Took the Jack Casady to try and lessen the weight. It was still a tough shift though! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FinnDave Posted November 26, 2022 Share Posted November 26, 2022 I managed (just!) to get through 2 gigs less than a week after a prostatectomy. The first was painful, so before the second I took as many pain killers as I could - and then people kept buying me drinks. I remember sitting there (I was unable to stand after the op) and listening to the music and thinking I wish I could play bass like that. Then I looked at my hands and they were playing away quite independently of any conscious thought! I also played several gigs three months after a fairly serious motorcycle accident - wife drove me to the venues and band mates carried my gear for me. I sat on a barstool and had a great time - best therapy I could have had! 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sprocketflup Posted November 26, 2022 Share Posted November 26, 2022 Played with a few diff ailments including broken bones in my fretting hand which was painful, but I think the worst was a show that I could feel a toothache coming on all day, which was getting worse by the hour. By the time of the show it was raging and I was going into the wings and clawing at my face between songs. I hope I never have to go through that again, I can handle most things but toothache is something else. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Delberthot Posted November 26, 2022 Share Posted November 26, 2022 I played a 7 hour wedding one hogmanay from 7pm to 2am with a flu so bad that I was delirious. I felt like I was in a dream all night. I have no idea how I made it to the end of the gig or what songs we played and spent most of the night leaning against the side of the stage so I wouldn't fall over Another time I was in a car accident. Had to be driven to the gig and had to play it seated, complete with neck brace, in case I keeled over. I've probably only missed 3 or 4 gigs in 30 years of playing and they've been due to holidays 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gafbass02 Posted December 28, 2022 Share Posted December 28, 2022 I did one once when I was feeling very ‘off’. Turned out I was coming down with meningitis. Worse was the next one when I was ‘recovering’ from said meningitis after my spinal tap. I also played with measles once and a bout of sciatica mid gig once stopped me from being able to operate my pedals unless I lent backwards! My worse was just a flu type thing as a vocalist. I should’ve cancelled that one. The whole reason I searched out this thread, is cause I’ve just spent all of Christmas laid up with a fever and violent cough etc and tonight I have a three hour gig I can’t get out of. My wife has agreed to drop off and pick up and I’ve told the band I’ll arrive just before we start and leave as soon as we finish and I’ll probs sit down. Thank goodness for IEMs, but the fact that we’re using a dep engineer has me nervy! Spending today in bed in readiness. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JapanAxe Posted December 28, 2022 Share Posted December 28, 2022 I came down with a fever during the first of 3 sets on lead guitar, accompanying a country singer/guitarist who used a drum machine. The gig was somewhat challenging anyway as, not only was I playing unfamiliar material completely by ear, but the guy worked in 2-beat chunks - if he’d finished a vocal line before the end of beat 2 he’d immediately start the next one! I spent the breaks pressed against a radiator, trying to subdue the shivering. I couldn’t have left early as I’d shared a lift with the guy from part way there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lemmywinks Posted December 28, 2022 Share Posted December 28, 2022 Played with pretty bad sickness and diarrhea, was consciously trying to speed up the last few songs of the first set as it was touch and go but fortunately no on stage accidents. Also played with a fractured left clavicle and had to have the strap of my 11.6lb Sire over my right shoulder only which was interesting, have bought a much lighter bass since then! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bassintheface Posted December 28, 2022 Share Posted December 28, 2022 Broke my foot literally leaving the house to go to a gig….. couldn’t get a shoe on as it was so swollen so had a few socks on. didn't carry or set up any gear. took loads of painkillers (zapain and nurofen), still in agony. managed to play the 2.5hrs seated. went to hospital, got X-rays which confirmed foot was broken. Spent the next 5 weeks in plaster up to my knee. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cheddatom Posted December 28, 2022 Share Posted December 28, 2022 I got a pretty bad concussion at the start of 3 days drinking in France. I thought I was fine, got home to the UK, then straight to a gig. I thought it was weird that everyone in Uttoxeter was speaking French but I just went with it. When it came time to play I had no idea what was going on. I remember going out of time (on drums) loads and getting a few "looks". Oops! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SH73 Posted December 28, 2022 Share Posted December 28, 2022 Axl Rose would leave the stage shortly into the gig, he must have been sick Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paul_5 Posted December 28, 2022 Share Posted December 28, 2022 Played double bass for a good friend's MA performance exam (she was the singer) after twätting my middle finger with a hammer the day before. I did not play to my full potential. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
miles'tone Posted December 28, 2022 Share Posted December 28, 2022 Too ill is when your singer is too poorly to sing but she can still play rhythm guitar, and I'm not quite as poorly but still tripping out on flu enough to think it would be a good idea for me to take over on vocals. I had never sung in public before. I gave it everything. It didn't go particularly well. Two positives gained from the experience were that I found out that I can sing and play the bass at the same time (a great surprise) and that the whole debacle was recorded so we have a good tear rolling laugh listening to it occasionally. Oh it's funny now... We did get paid still though and the venue closed down soon after so we never got to find out if we were never invited back! 😄 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil Starr Posted December 28, 2022 Share Posted December 28, 2022 Our singer collapsed at our last gig so that was probably one step too far. I managed to put my thumb through the table saw two hours before a gig once. Put on a comedy sized bandage and managed to get through the gig on paracetamol and ibuprofen. After one gig where I had a few extra breaks I routinely carry Imodium in the car.. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulThePlug Posted December 28, 2022 Share Posted December 28, 2022 Which Thumb... Left? At least it stopped you putting over the fretboard!.. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MacDaddy Posted December 28, 2022 Share Posted December 28, 2022 Once gigged after a biopsy. Played sat down and didn't carry any gear to avoid bursting the stitch. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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