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Medical emergency at outdoor gig last night


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At a very hot outdoor gig last evening in Boulder City NV, the drummer collapsed with chest pains just before the second set and we had to call 911. The Paramedics stabilized him and took him to the hospital where he's recovering this morning.

 

Needless to say, after the emergency, the band cancelled the rest of the night and the club was gracious enough to pay out for the entire gig. Ironically enough as we were setting up at about 6:30 - 7 PM , I was joking with the other band members, most of whom are north of 60, about one of us old farts croaking. It turns out that the drummer, who is 64, had had heart surgery a couple of years ago before he had a shoulder replacement last year.

 

After last night, I'm not too anxious to play outdoors in the summer in southern Nevada, especially with a band full of old guys.

Gigs: Nord 5D 73, Kurz PC4-7 & SP4-7, Hammond SK1, Yamaha MX88 & P121, Numa Compact 2x, Casio CGP700, QSC K12, Yamaha DBR10, JBL515xt(2). Alto TS310(2)

 

 

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I know that's pretty scary stuff. We have a similar situation here: At 60, I'm the second youngest in our group.

 

The twins (drummer + guitarist) are 73 years old, and they've both had cancer. Heat and even long gigs are often a problem for the drummer. That said, their singing voices would still make many 40-year-olds jealous.

-Tom Williams

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So sorry to hear that. It was a hot one here yesterday. I live close to a park and I walk the dog every night around 7:30 and even just that can be uncomfortable. Hope he's ok. Pretty scary for him and his Family.
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Sorry to hear this. Glad the paramedics were able to stabilize him, and best wishes for a speedy recovery. Nice that the venue cooperated. You mentioned chest pain, did he have a heart attack?

 

Old guy in his mid 60s here... I have taken the summer off from playing, and will be having my second open heart surgery next Monday. Replacing a leaking aortic valve and part of the aorta. The heat just wears you down when the hearts not fully functional.

I would like to apologize to anyone I have not yet offended. Please be patient and I will get to you shortly.
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Thoughts and prayers for your friend.

 

I've lost quite a few musician friends over the last several years, but they've all been in their 40s and 50s. We gotta take care of ourselves!

 

Those outdoor gigs can be rough. I had an even myself some years back with playing in the heat, combined with my diabetes and not a proper meal before the show. I made it through the show then immediately collapsed backstage. Luckily the band knew what was up and there were already paramedics on sight. A shot of glucose and I was back to myself in a few minutes.

Dan

 

Acoustic/Electric stringed instruments ranging from 4 to 230 strings, hammered, picked, fingered, slapped, and plucked. Analog and Digital Electronic instruments, reeds, and throat/mouth.

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I'm not sure if he had a heart attack but I got the news that's he doing OK in the hospital. I'll probably hear more details later today. He's a church-going guy who exercises regularly and tries to live a healthy life but he's got a bad heart and had a shoulder replacement last summer. IMHO maybe it's time for him to dial it down with gigging; but that's his decision.

 

Weirdly enough, the drummer that subbed for him last summer while he had his shoulder replacement surgery passed away after a few gigs. He was also north of 60, was an excellent drummer and nice guy but had lived a hard life.

 

Gigs: Nord 5D 73, Kurz PC4-7 & SP4-7, Hammond SK1, Yamaha MX88 & P121, Numa Compact 2x, Casio CGP700, QSC K12, Yamaha DBR10, JBL515xt(2). Alto TS310(2)

 

 

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Thoughts and prayers for your friend.

 

I've lost quite a few musician friends over the last several years, but they've all been in their 40s and 50s. We gotta take care of ourselves!

 

Those outdoor gigs can be rough. I had an even myself some years back with playing in the heat, combined with my diabetes and not a proper meal before the show. I made it through the show then immediately collapsed backstage. Luckily the band knew what was up and there were already paramedics on sight. A shot of glucose and I was back to myself in a few minutes.

Wow... That sounds pretty scary. It's good there were paramedics on site. Playing outdoors in heat can be risky if one has health issues or if one is older. Given that I'm north of 60, after last night, I'm seriously reconsidering playing outdoor gigs during the summer here in Vegas

Gigs: Nord 5D 73, Kurz PC4-7 & SP4-7, Hammond SK1, Yamaha MX88 & P121, Numa Compact 2x, Casio CGP700, QSC K12, Yamaha DBR10, JBL515xt(2). Alto TS310(2)

 

 

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I'm not sure if he had a heart attack but I got the news that's he doing OK in the hospital.

 

That's wonderful. Best wishes for a complete recovery.

9 Moog things, 3 Roland things, 2 Hammond things and a computer with stuff on it

 

 

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Here is E Central Florida, the vast majority of the gigs are outdoor, and the past couple months we've had triple digit heat indexes. When I got in the car today after church, the car thermometer said 101.

 

Our bass player is the youngest in the band at 57, so we have some year on us. Thankfully we all have good fans to keep some air flow going.

 

Chris, the bass player, commented that he didn't mind that we've had a couple cancellations for August, as it takes a lot out of us to play these outdoor gigs.

 

Next week, indoor, but potentially smokey

 

"In the beginning, Adam had the blues, 'cause he was lonesome.

So God helped him and created woman.

 

Now everybody's got the blues."

 

Willie Dixon

 

 

 

 

 

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I'm west of you ^ in O-town and yes outdoor gigs are awful.

 

The heat is worse for the players, the threat of sideways monsoon rain with plentiful lightning (which is basically every day) makes it iffy to set up and plug in a bunch of powered gear most of the time....I dread late afternoon/evening outdoor gigs.

 

We all bring compact "carpet drying" fans, I bring them to indoor gigs too. They make a huge difference. Unfortunately I cheaped out and got a canary yellow one lol....have to try to hide it on stage.

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Yikes, glad your friend and bandmate is okay. Had a scare like that a few months back during the final blues jam at a closing venue that had hosted them for 30 years. The guitarist and singer who had led the jams for the majority of those years passed out and was taken away by paramedics during the intermission (he's doing okay now, thankfully). The drummer cornered me and said "Sam, Pete's not doing great... you gotta lead the band! I know you can do it!"

 

No pressure or anything. A few other folks who came to sit in came up and we took turns calling tunes. Quite an evening.

 

As much as we all love performing, I don't know if any of us actually want to go out onstage like Colonel Bruce Hampton.

Samuel B. Lupowitz

Musician. Songwriter. Food Enthusiast. Bad Pun Aficionado.

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We are playing at our hottest venue this weekend in Palm Springs, it's outside but later in eve. Going to try get in the gym more this week as it helps alot. A friend posted a weather screenshot from there sat so it's going to be scorching.
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Next week, indoor, but potentially smokey

Is it Siggys, in Palm Bay?

The fact there's a Highway To Hell and only a Stairway To Heaven says a lot about anticipated traffic numbers

 

People only say "It's a free country" when they're doing something shitty-Demetri Martin

 

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If you can ever find this model, its a bit pricey but incredible for outdoor gigs. I believe Sams Club sells it for $87 but I dont have their membership. At Walmart its $109. This sucker moves some air! I sometimes play an outdoor bar where the owner lets me use his.

 

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Lasko-Max-Performance-Pivoting-Utility-Fan-Model-U15720/150636539

The fact there's a Highway To Hell and only a Stairway To Heaven says a lot about anticipated traffic numbers

 

People only say "It's a free country" when they're doing something shitty-Demetri Martin

 

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At a very hot outdoor gig last evening in Boulder City NV, the drummer collapsed with chest pains just before the second set and we had to call 911. The Paramedics stabilized him and took him to the hospital where he's recovering this morning.

 

Needless to say, after the emergency, the band cancelled the rest of the night and the club was gracious enough to pay out for the entire gig. Ironically enough as we were setting up at about 6:30 - 7 PM , I was joking with the other band members, most of whom are north of 60, about one of us old farts croaking. It turns out that the drummer, who is 64, had had heart surgery a couple of years ago before he had a shoulder replacement last year.

 

After last night, I'm not too anxious to play outdoors in the summer in southern Nevada, especially with a band full of old guys.

Hope hes ok. It sounds a bit like heat stroke. For those of you who have played both environments, which is worse for outdoor gigs: the oppressive humidity in, say, Florida or the dry heat out west? It would seem to me that the dry heat is more deceptive and can sneak up on you more.

The fact there's a Highway To Hell and only a Stairway To Heaven says a lot about anticipated traffic numbers

 

People only say "It's a free country" when they're doing something shitty-Demetri Martin

 

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The drummer's OK now but he was told by his cardiologist to avoid stressful physical activity (e.g. drumming) outside during the summer.

 

WRG to humid vs. dry desert heat... I lived and played in both Houston and New Orleans, as well as in Vegas where I live now. IMO you're correct about dry desert heat being more deceptive and "sneaking up on you more". Outdoor gigs during the summer in the high humidity of the Gulf Coast were more uncomfortable for me because after a few minutes I was usually dripping with sweat and miserable. I find playing outside in the desert heat during the summer to be more "comfortable" but it's actually more dangerous because, due to the low humidity, one's sweat evaporates almost as soon as it reaches the skin's surface, As a result in the desert one runs a higher risk of rapid dehydration and all the related dangerous problems. This is why I try to drink massive quantities of water when I play outside here in Vegas during the summer.

Gigs: Nord 5D 73, Kurz PC4-7 & SP4-7, Hammond SK1, Yamaha MX88 & P121, Numa Compact 2x, Casio CGP700, QSC K12, Yamaha DBR10, JBL515xt(2). Alto TS310(2)

 

 

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I didn't share this at first, but my ex-wife's boyfriend (not biological grandfather of my kids, but I love him and consider him their grandpa) has some heart problems. He's a great guitar player. He didn't want the band to know. Last weekend on break he let my ex mother in law know his heart was racing. Didn't take his medicine. She left to get it, and against his wishes, told the drummer what was going on and made him promise to keep an eye on him. She came back with the mess and he was fine,

 

My point is TELL your band mates so they know what's going on in case something happens....it saved me. Also, take your G-D meds!!!! They're prescribed for a reason!

Dan

 

Acoustic/Electric stringed instruments ranging from 4 to 230 strings, hammered, picked, fingered, slapped, and plucked. Analog and Digital Electronic instruments, reeds, and throat/mouth.

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My point is TELL your band mates so they know what's going on in case something happens....it saved me. Also, take your G-D meds!!!! They're prescribed for a reason!

 

I had a grand mal seizure in '05 and neither the ER doc, my GP, nor the neuro could put their finger on the cause. No prior history. You bet your ass I told my band to keep an eye on me.

9 Moog things, 3 Roland things, 2 Hammond things and a computer with stuff on it

 

 

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WRG to humid vs. dry desert heat... [...] I find playing outside in the desert heat during the summer to be more "comfortable" but it's actually more dangerous because, due to the low humidity, one's sweat evaporates almost as soon as it reaches the skin's surface, As a result in the desert one runs a higher risk of rapid dehydration and all the related dangerous problems. This is why I try to drink massive quantities of water when I play outside here in Vegas during the summer.

I remember a news item about, I think, a German tourist that went on a day hike in the mountains outside LV â with a single bottle of water, which turned out to be a fatal mistake. I agree, in LV the heat is deceptive! I was there once when it was 112 I think... they cancelled some flights because the runways' asphalt was melting or something... it was crazy. I walked from the hotel to a Starbucks and back â maybe two or three blocks â and that was enough. Back to the smoke-filled casino!

 

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Wow, glad to hear your bandmate will pull through.

 

It wasn't that long ago that a major recording artist - Bruce Hampton - collapsed and died on stage in the middle of his 70th birthday concert (not outdoors). Totally unexpected passing. You can be in good health and still lose your life when you least expect it.

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Glad to here your band mate is alright! The same thing happened to me last summer. I was sitting in with a band that had two bass players who would switch off when one was singing. It just so happened that one of the bass players was out of town and his flight got delayed and he could not make it back so the show goes on without him. Well,it was an outdoor street festival and a very hot July day, when half way through our last set the bass player falls out. He tries to get up and keep playing but he cannot stand. The horn players help him to the back of the stage. I pick up playing left hand bass and we finish the song and the next several song I am covering the bass. We ended early and the EMT guys were back stage with our bass player and finally stabilized him and talked him in to going to the hospital. He had heart surgery the next day and back on stage in about a month. SCARY to say the least!!!

Jimmy

 

Those are my principles, and if you don't like them... well, I have others. Groucho

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...We ended early and the EMT guys were back stage with our bass player and finally stabilized him and talked him in to going to the hospital. He had heart surgery the next day and back on stage in about a month. SCARY to say the least!!!

Glad he"s OK! I"m typing this from a bed in the cardiac unit at The Cleveland Clinic awaiting open heart surgery Monday AM. I"m having my aortic valve replaced for the second time. First time was 22 years ago, and that valve finally gave out in May. They told me at the time to expect 10-15 years out of it, but I guess I"m an overachiever. If any of you ever need serious heart care (hopefully not) I can"t say enough about this place. Excellent care!

I would like to apologize to anyone I have not yet offended. Please be patient and I will get to you shortly.
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If you can ever find this model, it�s a bit pricey but incredible for outdoor gigs. I believe Sam�s Club sells it for $87 but I don�t have their membership. At Walmart it�s $109. This sucker moves some air! I sometimes play an outdoor bar where the owner lets me use his.

 

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Lasko-Max-Performance-Pivoting-Utility-Fan-Model-U15720/150636539

 

Hah! That's the one I see everywhere, or at least one by that company. I mentioned my cheap yellow one...this one blends in way better on stage. I also regret getting one that doesn't have a tilt, I have to wedge it to have it hit me.

 

Amazing how something like a little fan (or a cart) can change gig enjoyment so much (or at least it has for me).

 

Let me add my thoughts that I'm glad the guy is ok.

 

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Glad he"s OK! I"m typing this from a bed in the cardiac unit at The Cleveland Clinic awaiting open heart surgery Monday AM. I"m having my aortic valve replaced for the second time. First time was 22 years ago, and that valve finally gave out in May. They told me at the time to expect 10-15 years out of it, but I guess I"m an overachiever. If any of you ever need serious heart care (hopefully not) I can"t say enough about this place. Excellent care!
Best wishes for a speedy recovery.

 

"I  cried when I wrote this song
Sue me if I play too long"

Walter Becker Donald Fagan 1977 Deacon Blues

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Best wishes stillearning! I look forward to you getting back here and around to offending me at some point. I'll wait my turn. ;)

"I'm so crazy, I don't know this is impossible! Hoo hoo!" - Daffy Duck

 

"The good news is that once you start piano you never have to worry about getting laid again. More time to practice!" - MOI

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Scary stuff. Here's hoping your buddy bounces back just fine.

 

I've been lucky in that I don't play many outdoor gigs any more (that was back in my 20s, mostly), but the one exception was the Different Skies festival in Arcosanti in Arizona. I did ten of them over a decade, and after the fifth one, the giant fabric tent over the amphitheater was destroyed in a windstorm and Arcosanti couldn't afford to replace it. The first year it was gone, replaced by a small and flimsy sun shield, the amphitheater got so hot that scorpions were sunning themselves in the bleachers... and we were set up on stage and rehearsing/songwriting in that heat for a WEEK. Gnarly... and no one got hurt, but tempers got very short.

 

Dr. Mike Metlay (PhD in nuclear physics, golly gosh) :D

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Best wishes stillearning! I look forward to you getting back here and around to offending me at some point. I'll wait my turn. ;)

Thanks, I"ll put you on the list. Just got back to my room after a right side heart cath, should get the results later. If everything is good, I"ll be cleared to go forward with open heart surgery Monday. Looking forward to getting a normal life back!

I would like to apologize to anyone I have not yet offended. Please be patient and I will get to you shortly.
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