I'm not sure I've ever been this angry before

[Dankology]

Probably should be in the "how was your gig last night thread" but as we didn't end up playing it feels slightly wrong.

 

We applied for an established multi-venue town centre mini-festival a while back and were accepted. The organiser sent us a very badly worded info email and a "tech spec" form (actually pre-populated with a previous year's band's details, phone numbers and all) - all of which should have been warnings, really.

 

We seemed to have been booked into a venue that was mainly acoustic acts and duos so we were sure to email to clarify that the promised shell pack would be present and were assured it would be.

 

Over the two days prior to the Bank Holiday gig, we received messages from a couple of other bands listed alongside us, asking for info as they hadn't been able to get a repsonse from the promoter. More red flags...

 

I'd forwarded the info we had, inluding the stuff about the drums and backline. I got a message from one of the bands around midday yesterday to say that there were no drums - and later that "they'd found us a kick durm and stool". I felt terrible as if I'd not sent on our info I bet the band would have brought their own kit.

 

Anyway, we arrived early afternoon, full kit in hand and carried everything all the way up a narrow staircase for safekeeping until our 2040 slot. We made our way round the various stages and stands until about an hour and a half prior to our allotted time when we headed back to our venue only to be told "I'm not sure if you are playing - there's a problem with security".

 

It seems the promoter had turned up inebriated, spotted two people without event wristbands in the pub and caused an altercation. He had then cancelled the remaining slots of the day. When we asked where this left us 6 hours into our day he said "I either find you another slot or your set is cancelled". At this point he was clearly in no fit state to organise anything.

 

I told him that we would needed a decision within 20 minutes given that our planned set was now less than an hour off and we would need to let people know who were coming out to see us specifically. He did not like this. He squared up to me, called me "a c**t" and when I said that I thought we should perhaps video our conversation, tried to snatch my phone from me.

 

At this point the venue told us that they would be happy for us to play our set regardless of the event organiser - which led to him removing the PA system and disappearing.

 

An utter waste of a day - and indeed the bank holiday weekend. I would have gone away with the kids if we hadn't been booked in and our guitarist came home from Krankenhouse a day early to make sure we'd be in and set up on time.

 

I'll be emailing the event organisers and their community partners to request an explanation but I suspect that it will all be quietly brushed away in view of the income the event brings in for charity. I will be thinking long and hard before volunteering to do any similar events in the future.

Edited August 27 by Dankology

[Burns-bass]

Chalk it up to experience.

 

A month or so ago we did a gig at a pub which was ostensibly part of a larger festival programme. We were paid by the venue but it turns out that none of the bands who played the festival were paid a penny. Would have been ok but our singer told them all we’d been paid.

 

This caused quite a lot of strife!

[Jackroadkill]

OP, that's a rough deal.  So many "promoters" don't have a clue what they're doing.  If I was in your shoes I'd be spitting feathers.

[rOB]

How frustrating. I'm sorry your time was wasted.

[12stringbassist]

Festivals are often a total pain in the a*se.
We did an annual one somewhere in the North of England yesterday. It's quite a big event and we got on after two years of asking - they always lose our applications.

The tech spec said we needed to bring breakables for drums and amps for guitar and bass - cabs were provided. The venue wasn't set up for a 3 piece rock band. But you show willing, don't you?

 

It didn't help that the band before us over-ran up to the start time of our set and really dawdled when it came to packing away.

When they finally buzzed off, it turned out there was no bass cab, just a bass bin attached to the PA, so my amp was routed thru the PA which was sounding like a pair of transistor radios. The guy behind the desk seemed to be unfamiliar with what they actually do, as my bass was pretty much non-existent and he kept turning our vocals and the guitar off. Our drummer told me to 'be nice' and not to tell him off. I felt absolutely murderous. It ruined the gig for me - qualifying it as the worst 40 minutes I have ever spent on a stage. I couldn't get out of there fast enough.

40 minutes of sheer frustration. I will never leave it to chance and trust a festival team again. I will always drag my bass rig along.

 

It would be a close contest between myself and the OP as to who is the most angry.

Edited August 27 by 12stringbassist

[Dankology]

12 minutes ago, 12stringbassist said:

We did an annual one somewhere in the North of England yesterday. It's quite a big event and we got on after two years of asking - they always lose our applications.
 

 

This all sounds eerily familiar. Did your event have a name that plays on the name of a long-established major festival?

[Steve Browning]

A mate of mine managed a Polish band (the Poise Rite - great they are too). They were down to support Lenny Kravitz at a stadium. During their sound check, they were told to stop because Mr Kravitz was asleep back stage. They were then told that Mr Kravitz didn't want a support on the gig, so they didn't get to play at all. I fancy they were  a trifle miffed.

[borntohang]

August Bank Holiday is Mad Friday for techs: off the top of my head there's Leeds/Reading, All Points East, Victorious, Camper Calling, and loads of small festivals all happening at once. It's the worst weekend of the year for trying to hire competent techs and backline. Sorry to hear about your show - we've all been there at one point or another sadly.

Edited August 27 by borntohang

[12stringbassist]

1 hour ago, Dankology said:

 

This all sounds eerily familiar. Did your event have a name that plays on the name of a long-established major festival?

Yup.

[Dankology]

5 minutes ago, 12stringbassist said:

Yup.

 

I'm so sorry, it seems like anything outside of the bigger stages was thrown together on a wing and a prayer.

 

And you could have used my amp - sat as it was in an unused kitchen for 6 hours... I truly hope it wasn't the same bar that you were in... that would be too painful.

[meterman]

One of the worst for me was when I was doing a session on drums for an indie/dance crossover band that were playing the dance tent at Glastonbury, in the late 90’s. I won’t name the band because they were all gakked up arśèhölés and just a nightmare to put up with. One of those “only doing it for the money” gigs. Everybody’s done them.

 

Anyhow, one of the vocalists had the bright idea to let off a distress flare inside the tent about 10 minutes into our set. Visually the first 10 seconds were amazing but then there was thick, choking smoke everywhere. The audience and bar staff evacuated pretty quickly and security escorted us off the site. I had to plead and beg to go back in and get my drums out first. No way was I leaving a 1968 Ludwig kit and rare cymbals behind. I was furious.
 

The tour manager (ex-army) clumped the idiot singer and quit there and then. The band had 3 days booked in a hotel in Castle Cary, but I f***ed them off and got the train back to London the next morning. With my drums, traps case and cymbals case and everything. Stuck my invoice to the management agency in the post on the Monday and that was that.
 

Lesson learned? Take your B-team gear out on gigs you’re not sure of, and don’t gig with arśèhölés.

[12stringbassist]

On 27/08/2024 at 18:16, Dankology said:

 

I'm so sorry, it seems like anything outside of the bigger stages was thrown together on a wing and a prayer.

 

And you could have used my amp - sat as it was in an unused kitchen for 6 hours... I truly hope it wasn't the same bar that you were in... that would be too painful.

I've spoken to Dankology.
It WAS the very same bar.
At least we got to play.

We won't be doing it again, though. Nobody has a good word for the organisation outside of the main stages.

[snorkie635]

Ah, life on the road!

 

I remember once being asked to provide music at an outdoor, community-run event. The initial contact between our band and the 'community' reps, involved me having to attend two Community Council full meetings, answering loads of questions from the 'committee': what type of music, how long the songs were (and the set list), how many band members, previous experience, etc. (I should add, that the gig was being done as a favour for a friend who worked with this 'community' and involved no money for us). Once the Committee seemed satisfied I had been gigging for decades, they graciously accepted our offer and said we could play. I checked loading times, stage, equipment available, etc. and was told we only needed to bring our backline and instruments as a full outdoor PA was already 'on-site'.

 

Come the day of the gig, we arrived as arranged and caught the last 15 minutes of another band's set - mostly guys in their 70s playing hits from the 1960s (they sounded fine). Once their set was over, they proceeded to break down and pack away their equipment. Slowly but surely, the stage was cleared and all that was left was the PA, which was nothing fancy, but up to the job in-hand. We were about to bring our gear onto the stage, when three guys from the other band came back and began taking the PA down (we were told that it was their own PA and they were about to depart the show-ground and head home). I then headed off to liaise with the guy from 'the Committee', about our promised PA, only to be told that it was "all in-hand" and was about to be delivered by 'Boab' from the local Council Events Team. 'Boab' did indeed arrive five minutes later in a Council van, said to contain the PA.

"Are yoose the band needin' the black box thing?" asked 'Boab'. 
Confirming we were, 'Boab' then proceeded to bring out a home-Karaoke unit of around ten watts, sans mikes, stands or even a mains lead. We, of course could not play our slot and left more than a few audience members staring at an empty stage. Our 'Committee' man was not best pleased when told we were departing and inventively used the vacant stage area to begin a 'beat the goalie' competition for some kids in the audience.

 

Rock 'n' Roll - you can't beat it.

[taunton-hobbit]

I have found out, after many years of enduring cack, that 'freebie' anything attracts idiots, wannabees & greedy ar*e holes. If it's free, they ain't risking anything & have no real incentive to bother too much. I gave up doing 'charity' crap a few years ago (even for close 'buddies').

 

😎

[police squad]

my first Police tribute turned up to play a counci organised gig in Folkestone. Was there watching the first band (the bloke with the light up guitars from BGT) they were on for over an hour.

Then we find out that 2 different people had booked the bands, so there were twice as many bands as advertised.

I had to say, if we don't go on next, I'm out of here. We went on onlt to have our set cut because the council leader wanted to come on stage and talk about stuff.

That was the last thing like that I ever did. Must be 15 years ago now.

I pretty much only do gigs that I've arranged now (unless I pass the audition for the (un named) group that I've spoken about in another thread

[12stringbassist]

We did a gig in Lytham the last two years where someone who was MC-ing came on and cut our set shorter than agreed because he saw himself as 'the big entertainer' and liked the sound of his own voice. He was actually umming and ahhing, struggling for things to say while we were packing up and I said it was his fault for stopping us so early. I wanted to throw him off the stage. He tried to cut it 15 mins shorter, but I wouldn't look at him. I complained to the organiser and the guy wasn't MC-ing this year. we didn't play either as we had other things on the date.