My Very First Gig !!

Pat Carlson · Post by **Pat Carlson** » 5 Jul 2006 10:06 am

Well folks I finally got my first gig under my belt! I played with a band put together with local musicians at the Fourth of July celebration yesterday. First thing I told them I would like to have at least an hour or hour and a half to get set up and tuned up. You know that didn't happen. I only got about 20 minutes to set up. Only then did I discover that the wal-wort deep inside my rack had come unplugged. It was also quite dark and I could not adjust the tone on my processor and amplifier. I did spin out a couple of times but I managed to recover without a total crash and burn. At first I was shaking so badly I could barely grab a 1-4-5 chord. Was sweating so profusely my dear wife threw me a towel. But then I sort of settled in got it going. I did pretty well on the solos but tried to just wing it with the fills and turnarounds. Guess I need quite a little practice there. But overall I think I did quite good. Several people complimented me after the show. I even had an offer to come and play at the Legion Club.Special Thanks to my fine neighbor the Great Curt Shoemaker for pushing me out of the closet!

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The Lone Prairie Steeler Pat

Hal Higgins · Post by **Hal Higgins** » 5 Jul 2006 10:29 am

Good for you Pat......keep it up......I still remember my first time too.....helps to keep me humble and also realize that I can still make mistakes (and do) and recover from them.......best of luck to you on your future endeavors..........HAL

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Be Blessed........HAL
'03 Carter D-10,(8 & 5) 95 Carter 9 & 7 Hilton Vol. Pedal, BJS Birthstone bar, 2 Racks w/Evans Pre-amps, Lexicon MPX500 & MPX550; (1) Nashville 400, (1) Webb 6-14 E Amp(2)1501-4 BW's in custom built cabs by T.A. Gibson, & Sound Tech PL802 Digital Power Amp; Steelers Choice seat with back rest and side-kick. Walker Seat w/o Backrest
Hal Higgins....Be blessed and "Keep Steelin'.....

Bob Martin · Post by **Bob Martin** » 5 Jul 2006 11:04 am

Congratulations Patrick, they just keep getting easier as you go. You're on your was to a life time of great fun and fulfillment! Keep up the practicing and stay current with your licks because when you decide that the music is to new to play or learn you will officially have fallen unknowingly into the old fart's club but until then you'll have 20 to 30 yrs of fun!!!!!! Of course just having fun with ya enjoy the music.

Curt Shoemaker · Post by **Curt Shoemaker** » 5 Jul 2006 11:12 am

Congratulations! It sounds like you got to see both sides of the coin. It never goes as smooth as you think when it comes to equipment.
Pat, you have come along way in a short time! I'm proud of your accomplishments. Shoe

Jim Bob Sedgwick · Post by **Jim Bob Sedgwick** » 5 Jul 2006 11:32 am

As Roy Clark used to say: "You'll notice I smile a lot when I play. That's when I make a mistake. That's why I laugh all night at most of my gigs." Live performance would not be live performance without the "clams" as Buddy Emmons calls his mistakes. Hey, it's all about having fun...ENJOY

Paul King · Post by **Paul King** » 5 Jul 2006 2:48 pm

What great news that is Pat. Now you can move on and start playing out more. I still get nervous from time to time and I expect to. I look forward to seeing you and your wife again and maybe we can just jam.

Pat Carlson · Post by **Pat Carlson** » 6 Jul 2006 7:28 pm

One other small problem was that in my haste to get set up in the dim light,I forgot to slide the clip over and tighten the wing nuts on my pedal board!Yup you guessed it just after I got started playing I had to stop get up and reattach the pedal rack!

Jim Walker · Post by **Jim Walker** » 6 Jul 2006 9:53 pm

Hey Pat, I played my first steel gig about 3 months ago. It scared me so bad I haven't played since... Just kidding. I had plenty of time to set up and everything worked great except my brain. LOL

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Clark Custom D10 8&5
Fender Steel King
B-bender Telecaster
Line 6 Flextone II Plus
www.jimwalkeronline.com
My Space

Paul Wade · Post by **Paul Wade** » 7 Jul 2006 4:55 am

good for you patrick. it's a learning proess
i played my first gig a motnth a go in two years i know what you where going through.
stick with the band and have fun

paul wade

<font size="1" color="#8e236b"><p align="center">[This message was edited by Paul Wade on 07 July 2006 at 05:56 AM.]</p></FONT>

Ray Minich · Post by **Ray Minich** » 7 Jul 2006 2:29 pm

Patrick, it's really fun when at the first strum of the first tune of the nite string 3 goes flyin' across the room. Congrats!

Joe Casey · Post by **Joe Casey** » 11 Jul 2006 3:21 am

Patrick as you found out the first time is always the hardest. Sit back and enjoy it now, your in for quite a "ride".The first time I got up and sang with a band I almost left town the next day.But someone saw something and said something nice and it took them 30 years to make me quit.

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Florida:Where its not against the Law to get caught Steelin.

Tony Farr · Post by **Tony Farr** » 11 Jul 2006 4:00 am

Talking about short time to set up!! Well last weekend I played a gig in Vinegrove Ky.When i booked the gig, I forgot that they were an hour ahead of us and we got there 20 minutes before start time. We got everything unpacked and set up on stage and ready to go right on time, that's with setting up everything, PA, drums, amps, my steel and all. By break time we were ready for a rest and get something to eat. Good thing they were serving food.

Ken Yates · Post by **Ken Yates** » 11 Jul 2006 8:34 pm

Tony, you must have been playing right in my backdoor at the KC hall and I didn't even know you were there or I would have been there catching the show.
Ken

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GFI Ultra,S10 w/pad,,,Nashville 112,,,Nashville 400,,,Hilton,,,RV-3

Tony Farr · Post by **Tony Farr** » 12 Jul 2006 4:17 am

Ken, we left Madison,Tn ar 4:00 and the gig started at 8:00 their time. It took us at least 3 hours to drive the distance and we had to stop in Franklin and pick up the bass player. My wife does the driving, left up to me, I don't know where we'd end up at, she gets the directions and lets me know when we're leaving, but we both forgot about the time change that day. She had the PA set up before the rest of us guys could get our instruments set up and tuned up. I think she could do it in her sleep.

Bruce Blackburn · Post by **Bruce Blackburn** » 12 Jul 2006 7:53 am

Congrats ! We all can remember the first time we set the rig up to play in front of a crowd. It is what keeps us humble but also what keeps us doing it again! Good luck . From here forward it gets ( somewhat ) easier.

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Sho~ Bud Super Pro - X2 Dekley S14U
Session 500- 2 Nashville 112's Nashville 1000, Profex II

David Berry · Post by **David Berry** » 19 Jul 2006 11:38 am

Congrats on your first gig! I've played three so far. The last one was back in May at a little country bar. I got some nice compliments and the band I was sitting in with seemed to like what I was doing. I haven't been asked back, but that doesn't mean that I didn't do well. Nerves are all part of it and it takes awhile to build confidence. I'm sure it will take more years than I have left to get to where I want to be, but I'll have fun getting there!

Pete Young · Post by **Pete Young** » 19 Jul 2006 1:37 pm

Way to go Patrick
I remember my first and second and another one in my first month. The first I could hardly pick I was so scared. The second one A drunk threw a beer bottle at us which the guitar player caught and threw back and hit the guy on the head I thought Lord what am I getting into LOL. The third I was playing a jam and seven of the good steel players put chairs in front of the stage and just sat there. Then you know what sweat is lol. I would go thru it again in a min. Hope you have a ball like I did

Mark Edwards · Post by **Mark Edwards** » 21 Jul 2006 2:51 am

Patrick, I remember my first gig like it was yesterday! Wait a minute, it was yesterday, any way glad you got that out of the way, now it's about keepin on keepin on. Good luck.