Have you ever played in the drizzling rain?

Walter Stettner · From: Vienna, Austria

I had a fun gig last Saturday - I was scheduled to play for an hour at a local festival in Vienna, not with my regular group but a bunch of good friends. The music? Some Country, some Swing and some Steel instrumentals. Location? Outdoor, directly in the streets of Vienna, with lots of people walking by. Sounds like fun, don't it?

When we got there, we noticed the stage with a nice PA, mikes, monitors...but no roof! The very same minute it started raining, not hard, just drizzling. The sound guy was well prepared, he had plastic to cover the speakers, amps and the board, that was it. We were in the rain all the time. I was lucky because the drummer's wife volunteered and stood next to me with an umbrella for the complete set. I must have looked real funny!

Of course the interest of the public in our music was close to zero, but believe me, we had a ball playing.

Good thing about it: My steel got washed and looks brand new now!

Kind Regards, Walter
www.austriansteelguitar.at.tf

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Drew Howard · From: 48854

Yeah, rain isn't good for fretboards.

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Drew's Website

John Billings · From: Ohio, USA

Not in the rain, but I played for an ice carving festival/end of Christmas season in Cleveland, on Public Square. January 7th or 8th, several years ago. A few degrees above zero (farenheit), and snowing like crazy. Not fun, and STUPID!

Roger Rettig · From: Naples, FL

If you've played Medora - as I have - then you've played in everything the elements have to offer!

North Dakota - from late-May to Labor Day - experiences temperatures from 35 to 100 degrees; the band is under cover, but that doesn't stop the sleet (yes - sleet) from going sideways!

I STILL had a great time, though.

Roger R.

Paul King · From: Gainesville, Texas, USA

I played a gospel concert in San Antonio, Texas at the Riverwalk. It started drizzling rain so we cut it short. It brings new meaning to the song "You Light Up My Life". I guess we were fortunate no one got shocked.

Bob Hickish · From: Port Ludlow, Washington, USA, R.I.P.

We got rained out - In Forks Washington - see if you can find that on the map -- we ended up playing under a Cedar tree
and folks in that area stayed to listen

Tim Bridges · From: Hoover, Alabama, USA

I almost hate to tell this one on myself, but looking back...maybe I shouldn't. We were at Pensacola Beach scheduled to play after the Blue Angels show. It was your classic July day, all day, until we were set up ready to play. There are literally a couple of hundred thousand people there to see us (actually they may have been there for the Blue Angels, ya think?). The Blue Angels put on a great show as usual, lots of beer saturated people, lots of cars and boats. I only mention boats because our bass player (also my boat partner) was crossing the Bay to dock the boat and drive back over. He really isn't much of a Captain either. Short story made long, a water spout shows up with a mammoth thunder head and it is literrally a terrential down pour; it does this for 45-60 minutes. Keep in mind we were set up to play and this sucker shows up out of nowhere. We covered the power amps, board, etc., which are out in the open. Did I mention the wind is blowing 40+ mph? Where is the bass player (who has a tendancy to get into the brown early at the beach)? Well we never saw the water spout. We were lucky. It literally was on a path straight for us, jumped the beach road and landed in Little Sabine Cove, where all the boats, etc. watch the angels and party. When it all cleared, the boats had been hurled around like they were in a washing machine. There were a couple 30-40 ft. boats on land. Of course, we don't have a clue. We were trying to stay dry, along with the equipment under an roofed pavillion. At 40+ mph, the roof ain't much help. But, the show must go on. Where is the bass player? Believe it or not, this dude is out in the middle of the bay, with 4-6 ft. chop, and gets lost due to poor visibility. Heck, on a clear day he's known to develop poor visibility from the brown. Well, he survived, the boat survived, there were no deaths, or tragedies. Actually, it'll be one of those you'll look back on and tell it and laugh. How lucky can you get? I guess if no one had told us, we'd thought it was just an afternoon thunderstorm. I hope you enjoy reading this as much as I enjoy sharing it.

Smiley Roberts · From: Hendersonville,Tn. 37075

MORE THAN ONCE!!!

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  ~ ~


  ©¿©  It don't mean a thang,   


  mm   if it ain't got that twang.


       www.ntsga.com

Winnie Winston · From: Tawa, Wellington, NZ * R.I.P.

1971 Philadelphia Folk Festival. A major storm came through. On the way out my friend Jack (who was in the band) said to me, "I hope you like mud, because if you don't you'll be very unhappy."
We got up to play in a bunch of tarps with the wires underneath. It was just bucketing down. After we were on, Doug Kershaw was on. He was wearing real fancy clothes. He was *carried* to the stage from his car. We left at about 11. At 1am the whole tent blew down.
It was an unreal scene.

JW

[This message was edited by Winnie Winston on 10 June 2004 at 03:46 AM.]

Tony Prior · From: Charlotte NC

question:

Topic: Have you ever played in the drizzling rain?

ok I just have to do it..

"Not sure, hum me a few bars and I'll see if I recognize the tune" ...

ok the real answer..yes..recently..not fun..put the Steel away, then played the Tele for a few minutes ..then not..

Played a few shows where we were under a dome like deal, light rain in front of the bandstand..mist on the bandstand..no fun..I hate it..

t

Bill Bosler · From: Schwenksville, Pennsylvania, USA

Well, I guess I gotta tell my rain story. I went to play an outdoor gig in Minersville, PA about 25 years ago. One thing they have plenty of in Pennsylvania coal country is steel bar grating. The floor of the bandstand was made of bar grating and there was no place to put my steel guitar or seat because the legs went right through the openings in the bar grating. We scrounged up some plywood for the drummer to set up on, but there wasn't enough for me. The bass player, who was the bandleader, and I were wondering what we were going to do when we spotted two outhouses behind the bandstand. I said, "You gotta be kidding me." We got a screwdriver out of my toolbox and took the doors off the privies. We laid the doors on the bar grating. My guitar sat on the "HIS" door and my seat was on the "HERS" door. (They were one-holers)
While we were playing, a summer thunderstorm blew up and it just poured. The roof of the bandstand leaked like a sieve. I was sitting there on two outhouse doors with water dripping all over me and my guitar thinking, "Nobody is ever going to believe this one."

Ben Slaughter · From: Madera, California

Yup, back when I was young and stupid. Um, now that I think about it, it was only 5 years ago.

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Ben
Zum D10, NV400, POD, G&L Guitars, etc, etc.

Ray Montee · From: Portland, Oregon (deceased)

Our TV Show band was to play the St.Paul Rodeo Dance after the rodeo events ended. It was a beautiful warm summer night; what could be more perfect?

We were all set up on this little outdoor stage and the attendants had sprinkled soap flakes or whatever all over the outdoor cement dance area to make it "danceable".

The Star arrived and half way thro' #1, from out of now where comes this torrential down pour. Within just moments, the entire area was buried in soap bubbles (ala Lawrence Welk!). THe bubbles were floating clear back over to the rodeo grounds, several blocks away and the dancers were
flogging around, knee deep in "Super Suds"!
TRUE STORY! A fun time was had by all.

[This message was edited by Ray Montee on 09 June 2004 at 09:51 AM.]

Ray Minich · From: Bradford, Pa. Frozen Tundra

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