The Steel Guitar Forum

I'll start. I think I have most of you beat.? When I was an accountant for a new car dealer, my boss was always looking for a catchy gimmick to draw people in. We had bear wrestling etc. But he wanted our band to play on the dealership's front roof! He got a fork-lift to place our sound equipment and band gear on the roof. The bad used a ladder to climb up on it and we picked to the passing cars. Weird? Quite different. But it paid good. And we played on a porch for Evil Knevil's birthday party. Not too strange.

Played in the back of a military truck in Germany, at 6 am in 1971. We were doing a post commander birthday greetings.

Played in the house backup band for an Elvis impersonator convention. Surreal.

Eric, years ago, I worked the first Elvis impersonator. He picked us up in a big LImo and carried our gear into the Tv station where we did a benefit show. If you log on to UTube and hit my name -search,I played where the stage rose up from the floor into high levels. I almost got dizzy. The drummer was a higher level than me. And by the way on that UTube, my good friend and pro bassman is Reggie Brown. He did a concert with Buddy Emmons when he came to Tex and Reg played for Ray Price for 2 years and Hank Thompson for 7 yrs. I had to be on my toes.

10 stepping in shorts and cowboy boots...gay country bar in san francisco.

Bo's Tavern, Hermitage, TN. Biker bar...'nuff said. First time I ever tried to play steel in public, too. Man, did I suck at it! One guy said I sounded like a dying cat, and I thanked him, because I didn't think I sounded that good! I also decided it would be the last time we would play there when these two old gals were dancing together, and then started smooching. Freaked me out! I also played the VFW in Russelville, KY one night with Nick Reed...this old gal there told me I was kinda cute, and so I thanked her and got up and walked off...

Once played WAY up in the mountains, for a Christmas party, in a converted school house, built out on a hillside, partially over a fairly steep ravine. Once we got to playin' rowdy, the crowd started jumping up and down. These were BIG people, and I thought for sure we'd end up somewhere in the creek below, the building was swaying, really. Another time, we played on a trailer, and the lead singer took a step to the left. That's all it took for that teeter totter to dip, we all ended up on top of each other, just like the time we were in a parade and the driver slammed on the brakes, he thought it was funny watching everyone fall. We kicked his ass.

chris ivey wrote:10 stepping in shorts and cowboy boots...gay country bar in san francisco.

Did you have to post this. I can't get that out of my mind now.

Played a club in Richmond where while setting up, I noticed the obvious absence of men. (in other words, every dance was to be a "lady's choice"!) As you can well imagine,an all male band was not looked upon with favor.

one time we played in an army barrack for a private party. They just finished their 'boot camp' intial duty. They hired a stripper and she kept trying to sit with me on my pack seat.She picked on me all night. I was too dumb and shy to enjoy it.

On the roof of a public toilet, playing background music for an off-road car competition. Where do I collect my prize ?

San Quentin State Prison with a lock down during the performance, Bobby Black was on the show too, it was interesting to say the least

On top of a dairy cooler at a Stew Leonards with a six piece band in Danbury CT.

Olli, at least you didn't have far to 'go'. I had to climb down a ladder from a roof top to 'go'. I think we're neck & neck.

Nudist colony, Gay bar, AA Party, Lakeside Hotel in San Diego, where the crowd was made up of Bikers, RedNecks and Indians, always a lively night.

Ray,Alaska is the only state where AA has a two drink minimum!

I am not sure if this could be classed as weired or just very difficult.

In 1988 our band played at the funeral of a long time band member and wonderful friend. He was suffering with the final stages of brain cancer when he made us promise to play at his funeral and even went so far as to pick out five instrumentals and one vocal for us to play. For two of us it was about the toughest gig we have ever played because we were very close friends with the fellow who we were playing for and controlling our emotions was a terrible battle.

Come on Ted,cars,that far back?

I guess Fred Flintsone was a customer.

Greenock Jail. Jamming with some of the inmates for the rest of them. Some good pickers there....as I found out when I checked me pockets! Seriously though, it was good fun.

Arch.

A gay bar in the Oak Lawn section of Dallas in the mid-70's. The band leader had twice as many musicians as needed to cover for the ones electing not to play. I did not play since it was not my cup of tea.

Way back in the mountains above Milano, Italy was one of them...we played one set and took a 2-hour break, which was highlighted by some very old man walking slowly inside a circle of presumably armed bodyguards as he was smiling and waving at everyone, who nervously smiled and waved back, quietly cheering as he walked by.

Coon dog field trials on a fall night in South Eastern Iowa, on a flat bed trailer. After the dog owners had been drinking lots of beer and some home made stuff, you couldn't tell who was howling the loudest, the dogs or the owners.

Had a weekend gig outside in a strip mall for Poway Days in Poway Calif. $10.00 a head to get in and dance and party. Saturday night everyone was parking any where they could, including in peoples driveways and even on lawns. The police told folks to move their cars or they were going shut down the dance. They didn't move, and the cops shut us down. The drunks were so mad they broke out most of the windows in the store fronts, smashed up anything they could find, and then decided the band was to blame and started to throw beer bottles at us.

Ray Harrison:
I also played at the Lakeside Hotel, in Lakeside Calif., about twenty miles east of San Diego. Played there for a year or so. Sounds like the same crowd, must be the same place, huh? I saw two of the worst bar fights I ever saw in my life there. Eveyone in the place was fighting, including the women.

Back around ’82 during the Urban Cowboy craze, I got a call. “Is this Mike the steel player?” “Yes” “Well my name is (I forget) and I’m with the band Pegasus and we have 4 gigs lined up for this coming weekend, 2 in the afternoons at one club and 2 at night at another, and we need a steel player, are you available?” “Yes.” “I have to tell you, we’re all gay and we’ll be playing in gay bars. Is that a problem for you?” “No but you realize I’m straight. Will that be a problem?” “Oh no. Not at all. The first gig is at 2 PM. Could you come by at noon and go over the tunes with us?”

So I get to the guys house, and it’s him and 2 other guys. The guy who called me played the piano, neither of the other 2 played any instrument, and none of them had ever performed in public before. Of course I knew it was going to be a disaster, but the guys assured me that there were 2 other musicians, a bass player and drummer, who were experienced professionals, who would be joining them (us) at the gigs.

So, expecting the worst, I showed up, and as the guys said, two more musicians, a bassist and drummer showed up. Lesbians. But the guys were right. The girls were experienced pros. The bass player immediately sized up the situation and took over fronting the gig, and she did a good job, while the guys stood in the background, not knowing what to do. (One of them played a tambourine.)

To my relief the first set went quite well. But then during the break, the bass player started drinking. I went over to the bar to get a soda and the bass player told me she liked my playing and offered me a spot in her band. I told her that I would gladly play for her but that I free-lanced around town playing for whoever had a gig. Her response was that if I couldn’t pull my own weight she didn’t want me. I got my coke and went back to the bandstand to tweak my tuning or something.

After the 2nd set (the afternoon gigs were just 2 sets) I packed up my gear and headed over to the other club.

Downbeat at the 2nd club was 8PM. I got there early and was set up and ready to play by 7:30. At which time the guys walked in, but not the girls.

7:45, no girls, I’m starting to get nervous. 7:50, still no girls. Now I’m getting VERY nervous. 7:55, Now I’m past nervous and convinced the evening is going to be the total disaster I envisioned earlier in the day.

7:59- the girls walk in. The bass player is now completely drunk. Amazingly, this does not seem to affect her performance. However the alcohol has made her mean and abusive, barking orders at the guys, who are completely cowed by the situation. At this point all I want to do is get through the gig with as little hassle as possible, so I don’t talk to her. She calls out the tunes and keys, and I play them.

In between the 2nd and 3rd sets, I overheard her screaming at the club owner. “This is MY gig now, and you pay ME!!!” I went up to the guy who originally called me and told him that she was correct in that it was her gig now, but he was still the contractor, and he had better make sure that the club owner pay him, and that he pay me. (Which is what did in fact happen.)

During the 4th set, the bass player called out “Me and Bobby McGhee.” I asked if she was going to do it the Janis Joplin way or the Kris Kristofferson way. Her answer was “Shit up and play.”

I walked off the stage. This was only time I ever did this, but under the same circumstances, I’d do it again. We did not play the 2 gigs the following day.

BTW, the drummer was cool. She did not get drunk, or act inappropriately in any way. I wound up doing another gig with her a few months later.

Back in the 80's I was in a rock band that played a yacht club party on some island in Lake Worth, just outside of Fort Worth. They loaded all our stuff on some boats and ferried us out there. The keyboard player had a B-3 and a Leslie, and they just manhandled those things onto a ski-boat. I was afraid the boat was going to capsize.

Sidebar: they had generator power out on the island and the B-3 guy would lean on a big chord and the voltage would sag and the B-3 would detune. (tone wheel slowing down I guess??) He wasn't a happy camper.

It was the Cabbage Town Day parade near down town Atlanta. We had a generator strapped to the front of a pickup truck. There was a drum kit, and a belly dancer in the bed of the pickup. The speakers were attached to top of the pickup as I recall. The pickup towed a utility trailer with three more of us musicians, the sound system, a girl singer, and a couple of mic. stands. We were all in some kind of costume. I think I had a clown suit on.