The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #113541   Message #2414589
Posted By: Jayto
15-Aug-08 - 10:34 AM
Thread Name: Worst gig ever.
Subject: Worst gig ever.
If you have performed ever you've had them. What was your worst gig ever. This could get funny.

For me the worst gig was actually a recording session. It was in the United Artist building in Nashville Tennesse. I arrived early so me and the engineer could get everything ready. The owner of the studio and his regular staff were all out of town. It was a Sunday we had scheduled it this way because I got a cut rate for the "artist" if that is what I must refer to them as lol. When I arrived the studio was locked. I asked the engineer for the key and he just looked at me with a blank stare. I knew that look was not good. I called the owner after both of us failed to produce a key. The owner was on the road and was somewhere in Mississippi he said to call his GM. I called the GM but he was in Kansas or somewhere on a gig as well. I thought for a second and looked around. The ceiling was one of those drop false ceilings and in the bathroom (after removing a tile and climbing up on top of the toilet) I found you could crawl over to the ceiling above the studio. So you guessed it here I went up above the urinal and through the ceiling. I worked my way through the ceiling and into the studio on the other side. I am so happy I remembered the code to shut off the alarm to the studio. As soon as I popped out of the ceiling on the studio side the alarm started blaring. I quickly ran to the alarm and typed in the code. I then proceeded to let my engineer in. About an hour and a half later (later than they were suppose to be) the "artist", her husband, and sister arrived in grand fashion. The "artist" and her sister were so drunk they could hardly walk. The "artist"'s husband was infuriated beyond belief thanks to a mysterious phone call to the "artist" by an unknown male....uh.....fan shall I say. We had everything set up and ready to go a nice Sunday session in good ol' Music City. I positioned the "artist" in the vocal booth, cued the music (we had already had the music finished just needing the master vocals), and was ready for the "Masterpeice". The "Artist"'s husband, sister, the engineer, and myself were poised in the control room ready to take that next step in an odd musical journey. As soon as it came time for her vocals to begin all I heard was crying. We stopped the tape and the "artist" was in the vocal booth crying like you would not believe. Her sister jumped up and said "I'm gonna go talk to her. She gets emotional." . Just as the "Artist"'s sister walks in the vocal booth a phone call breaks the awkward silence. The "artist"'s husband answers and it was yet another adoring unknown male .... uh ... fan. Before his head hit the fake ceiling I had turned into my entrance I heard 2 people crying in the vocal booth. The "Artist" and her sister were both sitting in the floor crying hysterically. Neither of them knew that while they were sobbing the husband of the "artist" was in the control room screaming at the top of his lungs at an unknown male ...uh..fan. After all of this we managed to record 2 songs that day before the building caught on fire. Yes I am not lying the freaking building caught on fire. I stepped out to grab a cigarette and noticed smoke rolling out from underneath a door at the far end of the hall. I walked down there and looked in through the mail slot and the room was filled with smoke. I walked back to the studio and told the engineer he called maintenence (who knows why I think fire department was more appropriate) who then called the fire dept. who then called channel 5 news and we were evacuated. No damage just alot of smoke from the melting of electrical wiring. Yep it was crazy.
So tell me what was your worst?