Mo Foster and MC comments

[ecca]

The first time I stood in for a sick guitarist in a dance band in Wolverhampton.
"Take a solo in the middle Eric", said the leader.
Ok, comes the point of the start of the solo, I gets the nod and the b******ds dropped down a semitone without a word.
E to Eb.
They did it to all newcomers.
Sods.

[Alan Prudhoe]

Just to go off thread a little but staying with Mo's book, he mentions the nightmare of turning up at venues not knowing wether the electric sockets were 5 amp - 15 amp or 13 amp! I remember we bought a multiplug which had all the various pins in one plug head - saved alot of plug changing. One prob was that in some venues the sockets were mounted on the skirting boards and you couldnt get the plug into the socket as it was too low!

Back in the early 60s we used to play at one club where the only source of power was the billiard table lights.
You had to take one of the bulbs out and plug an extension in. Someone had to put a tanner in the meter every 20 mins or the power went off.

[flingelbunt]

I well remember nearly causing an international incident when I was playing at a social club in Birmingham back in the 70's.... We came off after our first set for the star of the show- Bingo!- and as I wanted to check my amp was ok, I went back to the stage and removed what I thought was my mains plug from the double socket on the stage..... (cough!) However, as I removed the plug, a deep silence came over the club room as the rather noisy bingo machine ground to a halt! A stunned audience had a synchronised intake of breath before pandemonium broke out, a committee meeting was convened and I guess people who were 1 number short of a jackpot were already loading their shotguns!! Somehow or other I got away with it and we went back on second half and lived!!

Maurice
Lord Flingel of Buntshire

[Pat Seaman]

We had an unexpected incident with a "Fitall" plug at the Empire Ballroom in Torquay..............The stage was surprisingly well equipped with single 13 or 15 amp sockets (can't remember which) set flush in the floor. Unfortunately, they were metal ones and as soon as the spare pins in the plug dropped down.........BANG.

We had our fair share of daft requests as well...........Bearing in mind that we were 4 middle aged (and the rest) blokes in the band, we had:-
"Can you do any Supremes?" and "Can you do Tina Turner?"

I'm still not sure who looked most like Tina Turner!

Pat.

[51 Relic]

Have to agree with you Steve - some punters expect you to play anything at the drop of a hat! We were a Country band and had "Country" as part of our name so there could be no excuse for anyone not realalising what we did. On occassions it didnt make much difference - we still got asked for latest chart stuff- waltzes, fox trots and quick steps! At those times you do feel like doing a quick step - through the exit!

Neil

I remember when i was playing in our country band we used to turn up and see all the crowds dressed up in line dancing western/country gear .
As we were setting up you always had someone that would come up and ask what type of Country music you played set list etc even before you soundchecked (We had Keeping it Country as part of the bands name )

Also being blues fans our answer was to soundcheck with a couple of die hard blues numbers .The looks of the faces and spilt beer was priceless

[Bob Dore]

I once did sound for a particularly bad band. After about half an hour the audience could stand it no longer and began shouting 'off, off...'.

The lead singer (who couldn't sing) announced:

"Sorry, we don't do requests!"

Bob.

[ecca]

Oh the country gigs..... I'd forgotten all about them.
It was shoot out time,quick draw, the 2 fellas squared up , reached for their guns and went for it.
Bang bang, the loudest thing you'd ever heard.
There was a young mum there who obviously had no idea this was going to happen.
The baby in her arms had just dropped off to sleep.
I swear this baby shot 3 feet vertically in the air.
Happy days.

[ecca]

The Adelphi ballroom, West Brom, revolving stage.
1963, first time we'd played on it.
Circular stage with a curtain across the middle.
Next band set up behind it, onstage band in front of it...... erm..... onstage.
Out turn came,the thing started to rotate catching our 3 mike stands on side curtains as it went round, knocking them over into the amps and the drums
generally causing mayhem.

Happy days.

[noelford]

Rob's tale reminded me of a gig we did at a Polish club. The MC, giving us our spot times, casually added, "..and finish with the Polish national anthem."

[bor64]

One gig stands out in my memory,everything what could go wrong.... it did...
We stand in for a band who sadly wrecked there band fan around a lamppost...so our name wasn't on the posters outside downtown.
When we arrived at the venue...no body there, the owners where late...when they arrive...one of them said b***ger i forgot the keys....
When he returned the audience shouting we want in, btw so did we lol.
Building up the gear and soundcheck while the audience walks on the dance floor and so did we...with our gear...
All artist on the stage that night where Dutch A list artist and we had to play between those folks and some of those a list ask us "my top ten hit can you do the backing?"on the spot ......
The MC was a famous Dutch TV artist a kind of Terry Wogan...downside of that he became very drunk while he announced the stars....
But the piece de resistance was an illusionist/fakir with his bed of nails...he put it aside to close to the audience....some half drunk guys, laid the bed on the floor and proof to the public the nails where blunt....the fakir got so pi**ed he shouted F*** off you F*** up my act etc....
The bloke had some snakes backstage and we saw those crawling around in a cloth bag next to us.....his assistant (gorgeous girl btw) transported the snakes into a wooden box..... white with golden stars,and put in one fake snake with the real ones.....
The fakir did his act with the snakes around his neck,and some brave victims from the crowd..... he changed some snaked from the box and we saw,he toke also the fake one around his neck....the poor folks in the room didn't have a clue....
As a joke the guy grabbed the fake one and trow it into the audience.....complete mayhem woman and children crying,tables fell over... people tried to run for there life....blood everywhere...skin shaved off from legs,arms and face....some broke a wrist etc....
Some brave drunken lads,pulled up there sleeves and attacked the fakir and give him a good slap around....
So you can see ,this one is hard to forget....