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We played a show with a solo performer who asked to borrow our drums right before his sound check. This made our drummer mad, but not half as mad as when the dude started to tune the drums. Total dick move. If you knew our drummer you would understand that it was a miracle that we ened up playing this show.

j_harvey wrote:We played a show with a solo performer who asked to borrow our drums right before his sound check. This made our drummer mad, but not half as mad as when the dude started to tune the drums. Total dick move. If you knew our drummer you would understand that it was a miracle that we ened up playing this show.

steve wrote:

Champion Rabbit wrote:It's really all about

'Yeah, you can use my kit!'

vs

'No, my kit is special. Stand away from my kit!'

If the opening band shows up without a drum kit, that band shouldn't expect to :
A) play the show
B) get paid or
C) see the show free.

It is a dick move to jeopardize a touring band's equipment and complicate their already hectic life because you are lazy. Dick move. Don't do it.

Perhaps things are different in the US, but in the UK it's not realistic to soundcheck more than two (absolute maximum) kits. It's also not realistic to store more than one kit in the venues the UK folk posting on this forum are likely to be playing.

I'm entirely sure that given the choice, 90% of bands would use their own kits, but it's not going to happen unless they and the sound guy turn up 6 ours before the show. The sound guy isn't going to turn up 6 hours before the show.

It's nothing to do with 'dick move' or 'cheap touring' it's all about realistic (and successful) shows.

Headline band refuses to let the other band use it's kit?

Support band wastes it's soundcheck setting-up their kit.

*Edit*

steve wrote:If the opening band shows up without a drum kit, that band shouldn't expect to :

B) get paid or

I keep wondering whether this bit is a joke?

'Paid'?

'First on' bands getting 'paid'?

This talk? She is crazy!!

A former band of mine played at the 7th St. Entry in Minneapolis. We were the first band of the evening, so we got a sound check. I immediately break an A string on my bass and soon realize that we had left the backup bass and my pile of strings back in Madison. The other bands we were playing with had left to go get dinner. Robert Palmer was playing out front at 1st Avenue, so I walked up to the bass tech to see if I could buy a bass string. He said no, while I sat there looking at the 5 basses on that multi guitar stand. Luckily one of the other bands got back and I secured an A string for the show.

Another band of mine was playing at a local club and there was some kid wanting to jump on the bill when there were already 4 bands. The only thing was that if he got to play on the set, he would have to borrow someone's guitar amp. He said was traveling around the country in his car "on tour" without an amp.

j_harvey wrote:We played a show with a solo performer who asked to borrow our drums right before his sound check. This made our drummer mad, but not half as mad as when the dude started to tune the drums. Total dick move. If you knew our drummer you would understand that it was a miracle that we ened up playing this show.

Long story as to how this ended up happening....

But watching your drummer watch Michael Dahlquist borrow his drums was downright painful.

He tried so hard to be cool about it, but of all people for him to have to let play his kit....

I have always felt kind of bad about it. But it was also very funny. I think we got it down to, like, borrowing a single floor tom by the end.

Champion Rabbit wrote:Perhaps things are different in the US, but in the UK it's not realistic to soundcheck more than two (absolute maximum) kits.

Holy crap, you guys get soundchecks for each band?

Nicest bands:

Fucking Champs this last time round. All totally cool guys and really helpful, no probs about loaning gear, they even helped me fix mine.

Part Chimp are the greatest.

Joan Of Arc were a really nice bunch of people - a bit weird but so friendly and hassle free

Lightning Bolt - same as above.

Nightmares:

No names as it'll always come back to you but: drone rock 2 piece comprised of a socially inept creepy guy and a giant prick end. They stayed at my house and my housemate said "Oh hi, I'm Neil - whats your name?" to which he replied "you don't need to know my name"

Si-maro mentioned one band that was a nightmare to put on but they were even worse to play with. Too many reasons why. I have later met a lot of them in other bands and found them charming, lovely people though. Perhaps an off night or perhaps just one tall man with glasses was to blame.

However the worst band of them all - Orrin De Forrest. We left to get food after we soundchecked. Came back and they were using all our gear. No biggy, thats fine, it'd have been nice to have been asked but whatever. Then we noticed the bass amp didn't work. The input on the front was smashed into the amp. Apparently they pushed it over on to its front at soundcheck for some reason.
Our bassist went through the roof, the amp was being shared by 3 bands on tour. We fixed it, our bassist went in search of the other band. He basically went to deck them and ended up being calmed down but he refused to let them use our gear or to play the show.
I went outside to say to them "sorry guys, but you know you broke the amp" thinking they'd apologise and instead they gave me this fucking bullshit lecture about whats punk rock and whats not. Don't you love people confusing being punk rock with being a dick? Then they released an album and slagged our bassist in the credits.
So there you go. Orrin De Forrest.

DrAwkward wrote:

Champion Rabbit wrote:Perhaps things are different in the US, but in the UK it's not realistic to soundcheck more than two (absolute maximum) kits.

Holy crap, you guys get soundchecks for each band?

holy crap you guys get soundchecks?

I've been lucky in that most've the bands I've been in have shared bills with some extremly nice people

Such as:
Hammerhead
Chokebore
US Maple
Love As Laughter
Lustre King
sweep the leg johnny
HIM
Dylan Group
Calvin Krime (Har Mar helped us with our tour that summer)
&
Ten Grand, whom we played with numerous times, being from Iowa and all, but this topic has been broached in another thread

However:
Karate were a bunch of insufferable assholes for the two shows we played with them. I don't know if this is consistent with other peoples experience as friends of mine say they're super nice gents. I think they were maybe annoyed to be in the midwest & not Europe or the East Coast.

-Jeremy

the Classical wrote:

DrAwkward wrote:

Champion Rabbit wrote:Perhaps things are different in the US, but in the UK it's not realistic to soundcheck more than two (absolute maximum) kits.

Holy crap, you guys get soundchecks for each band?

holy crap you guys get soundchecks?

Yeah. no shit.
Over here you get a sound check if you're playing first and both you and the soundman show up early or if your really popular.