Anyone else Ever been told to "shut it down"?

[jacksplatz]

then you the area!LOL!!!!!!!!!

[Fendercaster]

Bands I've played in have been told to shut down early several times, some with good outcomes, some not so good. We played a biker bar in a new town once and were told to pack up after the second set (of four), there were only several people there. That was Friday, the same thing happened Saturday night. Then, the owner refused to pay us! I guess we didn't have a contract, there wasn't much we could do about it.

Another time, last year, up to a foot of snow was forecast for the Saturday night we were supposed to play a Valentine's Day dance. The club owner called at about 4:00 and said the job was still on (it had already started to snow). So, we showed up and started on time at 8:00, half way through the first set the manager came up and told us to pack up after the set was over, the snow was starting to stick to the roads pretty well. This time, we did have a contract, so we got our full pay for the night.

[Rich4Once]

A few years back a friend of mine called me. He's a very nice guy, but not very talented. He's been "singing" for many years, but usually just in his basement with whomever will play with him. He booked a gig at a bar in a nearby small town, and then went into as panic when his bass player and guitarist quit a week before the show.

 

He called me, pleading with me to bail him out...I was already in a band, but agreed to do him a favor *just this once*. I called my bass player from my band, ran him the story, and he agreed to help me bail the guy out. We went in with no rehearsals, but since he was playing classic rock standards (Nazareth, AC/DC, Steppenwolf, Mountain, etc.) we figured we'd be alright.

 

We show up for the gig, and during soundcheck started to worry. He sounded terrible, screeching like Brian Johnson, but without the slightest regard for pitch. It didn't get any better when the show started, either. He really dressed up for the show, too...since it was the July 4th weekend, he wore denim cut-offs, a red shoe, a white t-shirt, and a blue shoe, in honor of Old Glory. His vocals were abominable, the drums were mediocre at best, and there wasn't much I and my (by now very pissed off) bass player could do.

 

We start with Dirty Deeds, and people are looking at us with "bitter beer face"! Next is Mississippi Queen, and the people get up to leave. Next is Born to be Wild, and the place is now nearly empty.

 

After the set was over, I go to the bar to get a drink and the barmaid says she recognizes me and Mr. BassMan from *our* band, and wants to know what we're doing with *these* guys. I tell her what's up, and she says not to be surprised if we don't finish the night.

 

She says the manager saw *us* and thought it'd be okay, but soon realized that it wasn't going to work out. While I was sitting there talking with the barmaid, he came out and talked to the singer. After a *short* discussion, we were packing up.

 

It took a while for my bass player to forgive me for that one.

[kurtisqpublic]

Happend to us once but not for the quality of the music or a lack of audience. We were playing a festival gig and stage times stretched due to technical difficulties with the PA throughout the day finally we hit the stage as the headlining band and POW! three songs in the police show up and tell us to stop the show because of a city noise ordinance! Depressing but the pay was they same.

~Kurt

[zekesayer]

just one of those things that goes along with being in a band haha. My band, Fact Not Fiction played a show in Statesboro, GA.....it's a nice little college town. Anyways the venue we played at was called "Turtles" but other than then name, the place was a great looking place, except for the stage which was about 4' by 10' maybe. all of us, even our drummer was almost in 1 straight line all across the stage. The crowd liked us though, although there wasn't alot of people there because it was also Game night.

 

But the dude that booked us was an idiot, he didn't let us do sound check, so there for our sound was unbalanced, so we kept having to turn things up and down, and then he got his bookings mixed up and booked a party of 200 that same night to come in for a party, which they didn't want a live band playing. So we had to cut our set short. and THEN the asswhole tried to short us $50.00 on the pay, but after confronting him in the back room, he *remembered* that he had indeed promised us $200.

 

 

There are all kinds out there, you gotta watch out for your self to make sure you dont get burned. All in all though, we still made a few new fans that night, so always make the best of it.

 

 

Zeke

[fishmanrod]

Don't take it personally.

 

I have been shut down due to ;

 

Weather, after one set

No crowd, after one set

The cops, private party, half way though second set

The bar, cause the Leafs were elliminated from the playoffs, and everyone left.

 

Only once did the manager try to stiff us, though.

 

It happens, learn your lesson, move on.

 

Cheers!

[HRM]

Don't take it personally. I have been shut down due to ; The bar, cause the Leafs were elliminated from the playoffs, and everyone left. Cheers!

 

Only in Canada!

[B Money]

years ago our (former) lead guitarist booked us into a tiny little bar on the lake called "The Port O' Call". Nautical themed place, decorated with little lighthouses, netting, lobster traps, seagulls, etc... you get the idea. When I say small I mean SMALL, like a short bar with a dozen stool, and maybe 8 to 10 hightop tables.

The "stage" as a small 10'x10' area directly adjacent to the bar and next to the front door.

At the time, we were a hard rock/metal cover band. Can you guess where this is going?

So we're setting up the PA and amps, all the while the bar owner is staring at us giving us the stink-eye, and few curious locals wander in and sit down at the bar. Somehow we manage to get everything setup and crammed into the corner, and launch into our first song, which was probably something like "You Got ANother Thing Comin'" or maybe it was "Man in the Box". I don't remember exactly what we played, but suffice to say that it was not what they wanted to hear! Almost immediately the owner ordered the barmaid to tell us to turn it down. So we did, and continued to play our ususal set.

A few minutes later; "you guys gotta turn it down, you're too loud, we can't talk" so we turn it down some more.

By this time our drummer is getting seriously pissed becuase he's barely hitting his drums, we're lightly strumming our guitars, and the PA is basically turned off and they're still telling us it's too loud!

By the end of our abbreviated first set, we had driven most of the patrons out and the owner told us not to play any more. I think we got paid $50 and told never to come back.

I don't blame the bar though, I blame the idiot guitar player that would book any bar he possibly could, regardless of whether it was appropriate or not.