your favorite place you ever played,,and the least favorite.

Jim Simon · Post by **Jim Simon** » 20 Jul 2009 3:07 pm

Toss up for favorite. Lost Isle Resort on the Stockton channel and The Rawhide Ranch nudist resort in Wilton Ca.

The worst is easy. WiKiKi Club in downtown Oakland

Cal Sharp · Post by **Cal Sharp** » 20 Jul 2009 3:22 pm

Deemens's Den on Broadway was the most fun. You never who would walk in, or be playing when you walked in - Emmons, Day, Paul Franklin, Jimmy Bryant... Plus, I got a lot of gigs out of there.
The worst was that gig in PA , or maybe it was WV, where Faron got really drunk and they threw rocks at the bus when we left.

Jody Cameron · Post by **Jody Cameron** » 20 Jul 2009 3:29 pm

Best - Grand 'Ole Opry, Nashville, TN
Worst - Scott's Barbeque, West Columbia, TX

Brandon Ordoyne · Post by **Brandon Ordoyne** » 20 Jul 2009 4:09 pm

Best - Swinging Door, Richmond, TX
Worst - B&B Bar and Grill, Magnolia, TX

Herb Steiner · Post by **Herb Steiner** » 20 Jul 2009 5:24 pm

Without a doubt my favorite gig is the Broken Spoke, Austin TX, where I've been playing for 35 years and am like family.

The worst, I'd have to say, was... hmmm.. I can't recall what the worst one was. But there were some bad ones. I just figured that he who picks a rose must accept the thorns she bears from time to time.

Bill Cunningham · Post by **Bill Cunningham** » 20 Jul 2009 7:39 pm

Dick Sexton said:

Worst... Camp Shwab Okinawa, twelve drunks and a table full of dancing bears. I was stationed up the island at Futenma.

Dick, if that was worse than when we played Papa Joe's in Newport, NC it must have been really bad. I think that one or one of the other USMC dives around Cherry Point and Morehead has to be the worst for me. Wow. I am getting old. That was 30 years ago

Rmember that singer that did Rocky Top with only three chords? The Hootenany in Beaufort was the only nice gig out there as I remember.

The best is any time I get to work with great players that make me stretch.

James Jacoby · Post by **James Jacoby** » 20 Jul 2009 10:47 pm

My best and worst, was the same place, Marge & Dons in Lake Milton Ohio. I was playing Bass at the time, and we had people coming from as far away as Cleveland.The women always wore evening gowns, and the men wore tuxedos. One night the door flew open and a hard hat rolled across the dance floor and bounced off the wall! In walked about a dozen boisterous pipe-line workers, in dirty work clothes, talking loud, spending like sailors, and threatening to beat us up if we did'nt play Hank Thompson music all night. The waitresses talked the bar owner into not throwing them out, because they were spending a lot of money, and were giving them (the waitresses) $20 tips. All of our good crowd, left, and never came back. We never came back after that night, either!

Carl Kilmer · Post by **Carl Kilmer** » 21 Jul 2009 3:53 am

My favorite place, was at Larry Holmes Commodore Inn, in Easton, Pa.
Played there for a long time, with Free Country.
I guess my worst, is here in my studio, trying to
learn to play again, since my accident back in 2007.

Joe Casey · Post by **Joe Casey** » 21 Jul 2009 8:19 am

Favorite place Hmmmm..Someone once asked me what my favorite drink was?..It use to be my next one...There have been so many favorite places just as there were so many favorite drinks.. $:\$ My favorite place nowadays would be anyplace someone invites this ole fart out to..

Least favorite place..last year I was doing a single with Keyboard and tracks weekly at my Elks Lodge..The money was good but all the people attending were Kareoke singers and I gave the job to a DJ into that crap.Sold my PA to the Lodge so they could beef-up tthe ever exciting Bingo nights.

John De Maille · Post by **John De Maille** » 21 Jul 2009 1:00 pm

My favorite place or places, where, the local "cowboy honkytonks" located in New York, of all places, years ago. Such as, The Lone Star Cafe, City Limits, Remingtons, Cowboys. They were all great! And, of course, the rodeo's in upstate NY.
My least place is any job outside. I don't like doing outside concerts. The sound is never right, no matter what.

Twayn Williams · Post by **Twayn Williams** » 21 Jul 2009 2:09 pm

For me, best/worst venue is predicated on how good the sound is on stage. I don't pay much attention to the audience unless they get up on the stage

Some of the best sound on stage I've experienced lately (in Portland) has been at large outdoor venues: Pioneer Courthouse Square for the PSU radio station anniversary party, and the Waterfront for the Gay Pride Festival. Clear and a good volume level for both venues.

The worst recently has been Dante's. Nothing but muddy boom from the monitors and unbelievably loud.

Ben Jones · Post by **Ben Jones** » 21 Jul 2009 2:51 pm

fave: CBGB's.
least fave: "the comedy club" here in seattle...following a stand up comic was not fun

Russ Tkac · Post by **Russ Tkac** » 21 Jul 2009 3:26 pm

Favorite: Grande Ballroom
Least Favorite: Elmer's Steak Pit

Sonny Priddy · Post by **Sonny Priddy** » 21 Jul 2009 5:02 pm

My Favorite Place I Played Was Mamouth Opry Cave City Ky. Played There Off And On From 1969 To About 1975. Last Place was a Show In Hodgenville. Ky. SONNY.

Shane Glover · Post by **Shane Glover** » 22 Jul 2009 4:16 pm

My favorite place is Billy Bobs! Close 2nd would be Don Laughlins Casino in Laughlin Nevada.Least favorite is the local Moose Lodge. Last time I played there we were still loading in & they started B!+ching about how loud we were gonna be . We did not have anything set up or plugged in !!

Charles Davidson · Post by **Charles Davidson** » 22 Jul 2009 5:17 pm

Shane,you got it right about the critter clubs,you can be tuning up an acoustic guitar in some of them and right off the bat someone will say it's too loud,Was playing one one night,One came up and said your TOO damn loud,we cut everything down,PA and amps,took a break was standing around in the lobby,another one came up and said,you guys are good but I CAN'T hear you.Can't win for losing.maybe they should have traded hearing aids. DYK?BC.

Dick Sexton · Post by **Dick Sexton** » 22 Jul 2009 6:41 pm

Bill Cunningham wrote:

Dick, if that was worse than when we played Papa Joe's in Newport, NC it must have been really bad. I think that one or one of the other USMC dives around Cherry Point and Morehead has to be the worst for me. Wow. I am getting old. That was 30 years ago Shocked Rmember that singer that did Rocky Top with only three chords? The Hootenany in Beaufort was the only nice gig out there as I remember.

Bill, that was Hank Handcock, I think. Man, I'd forgotten about Papa Joes. Oh the horror!!!

Some gigs are best forgotten.

Tommy Shown · Post by **Tommy Shown** » 23 Jul 2009 9:04 pm

One of my best places were the Hardrock in New Orleans, I was doing a songwriters open there. Another favorite place was the Irish Pub on Decatur St. I did a songwriters showcase back 1999. The crowd treated me great. One of the worst places was the Delmont lounge on Plank road in Baton Rouge. I was going outside to get some air and I accidentally bumped a guy, and made him spill his beer. Being the gentleman that mom and daddy raised me to be, I apologized and offered to buy him another beer, but that was not good enough. He wanted to fight me right there in the middle of the club. Another one of my worst places was the Double Deuce in Hammond. It too was a pretty rough place.
Now to the best place is Cleat Wooley's studio laying down tracks. I don't have to worry about people fighting or somebody acting a fool.
And there is no pressure.
Tommy

Charles Davidson · Post by **Charles Davidson** » 23 Jul 2009 10:14 pm

Someone above mentioned outdoor gigs,A [FEW] you can enjoy,MOST suck,Have played them in 100 degree temps with NO cover to 20 degree temps,Played one about a month ago,the temp was maybe 90 [not bad on a southern redneck] maybe 4000 people there,had a huge outdoor COVERED stage,that top did'nt help,in the middle of our second tune came a BIG rain and wind gully washer,the rain was coming in sideways,everthing got wet,HATE those gigs that you are at the mercy of mama nature. DYK?BC.

Mike Perlowin · Post by **Mike Perlowin** » 24 Jul 2009 10:28 am

This is a no-brainer for me. The best place I ever played was the St. Cecelia society concert a few months ago with my classical music trio. Here's what I wrote about it at the time.

http://bb.steelguitarforum.com/viewtopi ... triumphant

The worst place I ever played was a bar on skid row near downtown L.A. called "the Plantation." As I approached the bar there were two drunks, one on each side of the entrance, lying unconscious in the street.

The funny thing about that gig was that the band was terrific. They included some of the best musicians I had ever worked with. I later worked with some of those guys again at a better club, but not all of them together.

Herb Steiner · Post by **Herb Steiner** » 24 Jul 2009 11:19 am

The talk about outdoor gigs brought up a couple memories that have to be among the worst gigs I've done, for logistics sake.

One, about 10 years ago, was a private party at a ranch with the Cornell Hurd Band. We had to lug our equipment a good 75 yards to set up in front of a makeshift dancefloor. Problem was, the area the band was supposed to set up on was grass, and on a downward slope(!), and I mean like a 15-20 degree slope. The hostess of the party couldn't understand that the steel guitar is supposed to play on a flat, level surface, and that electric instruments are not supposed to be played on wet grass. The ranch hands hauled out plywood for the band to stand on, and I just bowed out of playing that night.

The worst, however, was in November of 1979, in Freeport Maine, playing with Dottsy, an RCA recording artist at the time. It was a county fair, playing on a flatbed trailer in front of a racetrack and facing bleacher seats. I ask you, who amongst us would book an outdoor, evening gig in Maine in November?!? What few dozen audience members we had were bundled up in their warmest down winterwear, while we the band were in our summer-weight polyester cheesy fringed western outfits, freezing our a$$es off.

Tommy Shown · Post by **Tommy Shown** » 24 Jul 2009 11:59 am

I played on a flatbed trailer once back in '79. We were playing at a campaign rally in August. We had such a time keeping our instruments in tune. I was playing bass. And just about after every single song we played we were doing the ancient Chinese song call
tuning up. Of course I have some indoor jobs woek the same way.
Tommy

Tim Fleming · Post by **Tim Fleming** » 24 Jul 2009 1:35 pm

Best - Dorothy's Stage Stop in Duarte, CA
Worst - Dorothy's Stage Stop, different night.

Clyde Mattocks · Post by **Clyde Mattocks** » 24 Jul 2009 8:25 pm

One of my experiences mirrors Herb's with the hostess
expecting you to play on a grass hillside. Just as
bad for the steel player are those flatbed trailers with all the boards warped every which way.

Ron Randall · Post by **Ron Randall** » 24 Jul 2009 8:58 pm

State Fair of Texas Music Hall... the best.

An itty bitty joint in Gun Barrel City. the worst.

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your favorite place you ever played,,and the least favorite.

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