The Gig from hell...

[MotiDave]

This doesn't compare to some of the stuff posted above, but over the last two days I had quite an experience.

 

Got asked about two weeks ago to be the keyboard player in the backing band for a show choir camp going on at the university 45 min down the road. It paid well so I agreed. A week before the show, asked the contact when I could expect the music and was told I'd get it 3 days before the show. Little did I know that it wouldn't be only one show choir I'd be playing for, but 6, with 24 total songs to play. Not that big of a deal...except the music never came and I got it the day before the show at the 4 hour rehearsal the band had, during which we played through each song once. Different director for each choir, all the while making last minute cuts, additions, and add-ons to the music (my music was hardly legible at the end of it all and very difficult to follow). So I sightread through everything decently, kind of BSing it as I went along and it was alright, but would have been a lot better if I had gotten the music in advance (as promised).

 

The next day is the show, but before that is the 4 hour sound check in the morning where we run every song again with the choir this time (no time to practice the music the night before, by the time I got back home from the rehearsal it was time to hit the sack to wake up at 6 to drive to the sound check). So this brings my grand total of playing through these songs to twice. Brought a VR-09 to cover some basic synth, strings, brass, and pads, as well as organ, but was able to use one of their amps (thankfully). Here's the kicker. This performance was taking place in one of the top-ten collegiate performing arts facilities in the country. 3 tiers of seats, huge impressive concert hall...yet no one thought to mic the keyboard amp (or the guitar amp). So they have this amp cranked all the way up, and asked me to have my VR turned all the way up for a great deal of the show so my sound could reach the audience. Why, in such an impressive facility, with a sound crew, did no one think to mic the amps...beyond me. Anyway my chair was vibrating through the whole show because of how loud this amp was as I played through everything for only the third time. And this camp is a pretty big deal, lots of prep and planning (one would assume).

 

Really not worthy of a "gig from hell" title, but still frustrating and exhausting (easy fixes for all these problems).

 

Mic the keyboard amp? As in an actual microphone in front of the speaker? Concert halls still do that?

 

I Hate last second song info. I did a show for a guy I sub for 4-8 ties a year. He does a Bon Jovi tribute, plus some big rock hits after that set. I"ve done the jovi a hundred times, and knew the rock hits he plays most often. 2 days before we fly out to AZ he sends a set list. No Jovi - 15 all new songs i"ve never played before, and haven"t programmed. I spend the 2 days programming the songs quickly and getting the bare min arrangement chords down but that level of prep completely sucks for my standards. Hated the gig, felt off all the way thru.

[Sam McDermott]

This doesn't compare to some of the stuff posted above, but over the last two days I had quite an experience.

 

Got asked about two weeks ago to be the keyboard player in the backing band for a show choir camp going on at the university 45 min down the road. It paid well so I agreed. A week before the show, asked the contact when I could expect the music and was told I'd get it 3 days before the show. Little did I know that it wouldn't be only one show choir I'd be playing for, but 6, with 24 total songs to play. Not that big of a deal...except the music never came and I got it the day before the show at the 4 hour rehearsal the band had, during which we played through each song once. Different director for each choir, all the while making last minute cuts, additions, and add-ons to the music (my music was hardly legible at the end of it all and very difficult to follow). So I sightread through everything decently, kind of BSing it as I went along and it was alright, but would have been a lot better if I had gotten the music in advance (as promised).

 

The next day is the show, but before that is the 4 hour sound check in the morning where we run every song again with the choir this time (no time to practice the music the night before, by the time I got back home from the rehearsal it was time to hit the sack to wake up at 6 to drive to the sound check). So this brings my grand total of playing through these songs to twice. Brought a VR-09 to cover some basic synth, strings, brass, and pads, as well as organ, but was able to use one of their amps (thankfully). Here's the kicker. This performance was taking place in one of the top-ten collegiate performing arts facilities in the country. 3 tiers of seats, huge impressive concert hall...yet no one thought to mic the keyboard amp (or the guitar amp). So they have this amp cranked all the way up, and asked me to have my VR turned all the way up for a great deal of the show so my sound could reach the audience. Why, in such an impressive facility, with a sound crew, did no one think to mic the amps...beyond me. Anyway my chair was vibrating through the whole show because of how loud this amp was as I played through everything for only the third time. And this camp is a pretty big deal, lots of prep and planning (one would assume).

 

Really not worthy of a "gig from hell" title, but still frustrating and exhausting (easy fixes for all these problems).

 

Mic the keyboard amp? As in an actual microphone in front of the speaker? Concert halls still do that?

 

I Hate last second song info. I did a show for a guy I sub for 4-8 ties a year. He does a Bon Jovi tribute, plus some big rock hits after that set. I"ve done the jovi a hundred times, and knew the rock hits he plays most often. 2 days before we fly out to AZ he sends a set list. No Jovi - 15 all new songs i"ve never played before, and haven"t programmed. I spend the 2 days programming the songs quickly and getting the bare min arrangement chords down but that level of prep completely sucks for my standards. Hated the gig, felt off all the way thru.

 

I've played for other show choirs where the amps are mic'd, but maybe that isn't standard practice. At first I suggested that I just go directly in to the mix but they told me to use their amp.

 

Yea the last minute stuff just throws me off. And it's different than actively listening and adapting as the song goes on, it feels like I'm just swimming in a chart that I'm not even aware of what it's supposed to sound like. I can't imagine how frustrating it is when you're flying somewhere for the gig.