show must go on - must it?

Subject: RE: show must go on - must it?
From: Big Al Whittle
Date: 04 Feb 19 - 04:43 PM

they suggested that I could cancel. So , as this was quite unusual, i took the hint - i figured they probably wanted to cancel - so I agreed, and they grabbed my hand off.

I play there quite a lot, so it was no big deal in the end.

Thanks for your interest. When I was younger, I probably would have done the gig - I was desperate for the money in those days.

Subject: RE: show must go on - must it?
From: meself
Date: 04 Feb 19 - 12:11 PM

Send out a search party - with shovels!

Subject: RE: show must go on - must it?
From: Will Fly
Date: 04 Feb 19 - 09:14 AM

Hi Al - just out of curiosity - was the gig cancelled - was it on but you cancelled - you got there? :-)

Subject: RE: show must go on - must it?
From: meself
Date: 01 Feb 19 - 11:46 AM

Cancel. Seriously.

Subject: RE: show must go on - must it?
From: Jack Campin
Date: 01 Feb 19 - 11:16 AM

Malcolm Douglas once made it through fairly unpleasant weather to do a gig at Newtongrange FC, where hardly anybody had heard of him.

I live five minutes walk away and was on my way when a dental abcess blew up from nowhere and stopped me dead.

He got an audience of 3 and I never got to meet him.

Subject: RE: show must go on - must it?
From: punkfolkrocker
Date: 01 Feb 19 - 11:07 AM

right then.. what's on the telly tonight...???

btw... I said i did it once.. i'd never do it again.. bugger that...

Subject: RE: show must go on - must it?
From: Big Al Whittle
Date: 01 Feb 19 - 10:44 AM

venue just phoned up and offered me the chance to cancel - they're snowed in as well!

Subject: RE: show must go on - must it?
From: Big Al Whittle
Date: 01 Feb 19 - 10:15 AM

Don't worry - just me being a big girl's blouse, as per usual...

Subject: RE: show must go on - must it?
From: punkfolkrocker
Date: 01 Feb 19 - 09:10 AM

I did it once in the snow... to get to the gig on time...
carrying 2 guitars and an amp on and off trains
that were delayed but hadn't been cancelled,

Trudged about a mile from the station to the venue..

Two of us of a band of usually 6 or more managed to play the gig,
to a mostly indifferent audience of pissed up cider wallopers...

Subject: RE: show must go on - must it?
From: Jeri
Date: 01 Feb 19 - 08:51 AM

For the record, I know of no countries that require studded snow tires. Snow tires, yes, studded, no. Snow tires really do make the driving feel safer.
If the roads aren't cleared before your gig, and you don't feel like you can drive safely, cancel. Otherwise, drive like an old lady. And I agree that calling to confirm before you set out is a good idea. If you're thinking about cancelling, so are the patrons.

Subject: RE: show must go on - must it?
From: meself
Date: 01 Feb 19 - 08:34 AM

I've had a couple of times over the years of having gigs cancelled after I'd struggled through blizzards to get to them, and the place was empty. Might want to have a chat with the powers-that-be before setting out.

Subject: RE: show must go on - must it?
From: Black belt caterpillar wrestler
Date: 01 Feb 19 - 05:44 AM

I am nearly snowed in at the moment, would be if I didn't have a 4x4 to rely on.
In my case it is whether I can get safely down the hill to the main road that is always the first question. It's OK to get out if I have the car parked at the bottom but I don't want to carry the instruments a mile on foot, which is where our un-adopted road meets the gritted surfaces. The hill is about 1 in 6 at its steepest and often has ice refrozen from melted snow across it at irregular intervals when you come back at night.
I have once had to do a controlled reverse slide back to a section with more grip and fit chains to a Freelander in the middle of the night!
It you are fit this sort of goings on is just more exercise but when you have to consider the odd twinges from a delicate back you think twice.
The second thing is are the roads you need to travel on open at the moment and are they likely to remain so?
Do you rely on satnav or do you have a good map with you to work out alternative routes?
Have you got a spade, water, flask of hot drink etc.?

Will you have an audience or will they have cried off too?

Best of luck

Robin

Subject: RE: show must go on - must it?
From: Big Al Whittle
Date: 01 Feb 19 - 05:25 AM

Probably be all right.

The show must go on is a proposition, I have heard various people offer ideas about over the years. the most thoughtful probably being Tich Cooper, a comedian i used to work with, working out of Teneriffe these days - so the snow doesn't bother him there.

After all in the warp and weft of humanity, we entertainers are just so much fluff. What if the show doesn't go on, no one's dead. Tich said he had seen people ready to attack entertainers who weren't much cop at their job. Its a funny phenomenon - Hemingway noticed something similar about useless bullfighters in Death in the Afternoon.

Whereas, when he was an ambulance man - he saw people who were useless at their job being responsible for the death of patients, and invariably the relatives would come up and thank the blokes for their efforts.

Anyway...just thoughts.

Subject: RE: show must go on - must it?
From: Will Fly
Date: 01 Feb 19 - 04:25 AM

Last GUEST was me without the necessary cookie...

Subject: RE: show must go on - must it?
From: GUEST
Date: 01 Feb 19 - 04:24 AM

Always a difficult decision, Al. If you think it's unsafe to drive in snow - particularly if it might snow again while you're at the gig - cancel. Better to cancel too soon than too late. I drove home from a session about 10pm one evening, when snow started, and had a very slow and hairy 20 mile drive home.

And, GUEST, you have no idea what gear Al might be taking to the gig, whatever the distance. Walking with a guitar case in thick snow is not pleasant - walking with more might be impossible.

Subject: RE: show must go on - must it?
From: GUEST
Date: 01 Feb 19 - 04:23 AM

Cancel it if you don't think it safe to travel, but don't be surprised if you don't get a return booking. Don't know why you're asking here - it's your choice and nobody else's.

Subject: RE: show must go on - must it?
From: GUEST
Date: 01 Feb 19 - 03:40 AM

No, you can cry off. Driving in the snow is not fun, and it can turn out very badly. It's hardly going to be better at night. In countries where they have to do it all the time, all the cars are required to have metal studded tyres in winter so it is not an issue there. It is here. Be careful.

But If you just have to walk to the venue then stop moaning and get on with it.

Subject: show must go on - must it?
From: Big Al Whittle
Date: 01 Feb 19 - 03:32 AM

very very heavy snow,
gig tonight...ugh!