5:54 The time I was threatened with a gun after a gig story. 😮😮😮

I had to load in through a crowd once. Fortunately, all three of them saw me and stepped aside.

Having never played a gig, but having attended many...even when I was drunk I got annoyed by drunks. Now I look back and I am so glad I don't drink anymore!

Gigging was an adventure. The best drug in the world is performing to a good crowd.

I don't miss playing live!! I LOVED it in my 20's. Nothing sadder than being middle-aged and hitting the bar/club circuit. Writing & recording is where it's at, if you get a great offer to play live once in a while, that's a bonus!

Few things as deflating as realizing people would rather hear some tired cover than that original you were so proud of. When everything's right, playing live is the best high. But it's mostly unpaid loading, unloading, drunk-guy management, and like the man said: playing when your audience would rather you not. On the other hand, I've really learned to respect the ones who succeed. When you see a band fire up a huge audience just in the intro of one of their big songs, you understand how rare a talent that is.

If someone yelled play free bird at church, I'd probably crack up laughing.

My first gig was at the local “school for the deaf” it was called. They loved us and I have to say it took a lot of pressure to be perfect away. We got 3 pizzas and $150. There were 4 of us and it was the 80s. We were happy. Peace

I once saw kim shattuck (rip) opening a show. Someone yelled “free bird!” and she answered “what this one? 🖕 .” I’ve used that one a number of times now.

I can so relate to all of your recollections. 4-45 min. sets, loading out at 2 A.M., and the singer thinks packing his mic in a case was the end of his responsibility. (As he sat at the the bar zooming the girls.) Drunks approaching me at closing to tell me how great we were, then throwing up on my shoes. (A mixed message at best...) I was the spokesperson with club management and felt the responsibility weighed more heavily with me. Band members that would show minutes before we were to go on were a pet peeve. The end of band practice was often signaled by the drummer falling backwards off the throne after downing a 12-pack, so of course that behavior didn't abate for gigs. In that day, bars gave the band free booze. For obvious reasons, I finally had to ask the bars to not give us booze until after we'd played. In terms of practice, which was everyone's valuable time, if the band stopped to work out a part, etc., our second guitar player would just keep noodling through a cranked Marshall stack, making it impossible to communicate. Our singer would run upstairs every 15 minutes for a line of coke. In later years, when working in the "pro" side of the industry, producing, managing, etc., I found the very same problems at that level, but the stakes were far higher and more nerve-wracking. All of that said, I wouldn't have missed any of it. The first time I heard the sound of my Hiwatt stack bouncing off the club's rear wall and back to me, that "bark" only cranked power tubes and speakers pushing air provides, the wooden stage floor vibrating under my feet... priceless.

I once shouted Freebird ironically when Soulhat was playing at a lame tech conference here in Austin and they actually played it. It was awesome. I’m pretty sure they had never played it before and it was a little rough at the beginning but they rocked it anyway and I gave them an E for effort. Amazingly, this conference had free beer, free tacos, robot fighting, and f-ing Soulhat playing Bonecrusher live and nobody was there because they didn’t advertise it that way. I even saw a killer robot go haywire and destroy an air conditioning unit. That was one of the best days of my life.

"I didnt want to play in 55 degrees thats so cold." "Im from minnesota"

Pet peeve on playing out: Worrying about people stealing gear. I've had stuff go missing, particularly after shows. ALWAYS have someone guarding the gear while loading and unloading.

Stopped playing live a couple years before the pandemic situation happened, haven't missed it at all. Ironically, being in a band was actually preventing me from making any progress with music, due to drama and all of the other issues that occur when you're attempting to get multiple people to focus on one goal. Working alone has been much more fulfilling and I've had more time and money since I don't have to drive to rehearsals/gigs, as well as less stress from not having to deal with band members.

I'm currently 15 and I really wish I could play live :( I'm from India and doing such a thing isn't really as common I don't even have a band to jam with. Plus it's hard to find people with a similar taste in music, I like old rock songs obviously but most people like modern pop music

I was in a band in high school - we played a few talent shows and stuff - and that's the extent of my gigging life. But that brief experience taught me that being in a band involves all kinds of extraneous annoyances. Getting everyone to stop noodling with their instruments so we can hear each other talk while we're trying to work out arrangements and parts, people bringing friends or other distractions to rehearsals so nothing gets done, showing up at rehearsal to see that someone unilaterally invited a third guitarist to join the band, etc. It's a major challenge just to keep a band going beyond a few weeks - it requires dedication and seriousness.

Best thing about post-covid band life is shows are typically 7-11 or 8-12. No more trying to get home before the sun comes up. Glorious!

Personal reason. Can't even find a bandmate who has something in common.

Nostalgia always paints things in a positive light. I have lots of fond memories of playing out but your video makes me happy they're only memories and not my current situation.

As a Japanese American from NW Wisconsin, I love these anecdotes. Also, watch out for deer!

This is an enjoyable channel. Straight to the point. No background music or soundtrack... Like a real conversation 😮

Totally relate. After the pandemic started I knew it was pretty much time to call it a day. I didn't miss gigging at all. Dumbass bandmates and managers, the travel and grind on my vehicle. The unhealthy, late night eating on the way home. Bandmates drunk girlfriends and friends. Playing crappy little pubs with no stage or very little stage. The prep work, the load ins and outs. The setups. Ugh! People bumping my mic while I'm singing on their way to the bathroom. Playing the same songs over and over. Crappy pay. Gas goes up, everything goes up, but musicians have been getting paid the same money on average since the 60's. I did end up joining a new cover band that had potential to be really good after things were getting back to normal. Did one gig and pretty much hated everything about doing the gig. So I quit the next day. I'm over it. I'm quite a bit older than you, 54 next month, and have been gigging pretty solid since 1988, so I have loads of great memories and road stories. I could go on and on about what I don't miss, but ya. I'm pretty much done. I have committed to a gig in June, but it's a 90 min, just bring one guitar and a combo amp type gig and decent money. And been playing with those guys on and off for years so we play a ton of classic rock and then it's see ya at the next one, whenever that is!

We’ve gone from a full band to doing acoustic duos now. Still get the kick of playing on stage, but way less hassle with gear. Plus a lot of venues prefer it these days.

Brother, I was nodding along so hard with this video that I thought my head might fall off! The commentary about being an introvert in a wedding band hit HARD- I did that gig for several years and having to plaster the smile on (along with the terrible white tuxedo tails) and muster enthusiasm for the same played-to-death tunes every night definitely led me to adopt some bad coping strategies. Once I got a gig outside of music which put food on the table, I felt so much more fulfilled in my musical pursuits- I didn't feel obligated to take bad gigs or play bad music just to make ends meet. The thrill of playing music for the enjoyment of others is impossible to duplicate, but it's no mean feat to make it happen!

i'm 15, from philippines :) got my guitar finally last month, watching your vids helps me so much! i'll definitely won't stop watching, luv what you do!

Me and my friend always shout one more song at the end of a gig for an encore. However, if the band is terrible, we shout it after their first song.

I can relate to all of it. Even the "having asthma" and "being an introvert" part. Funny enough, even though I'm introverted, I enjoyed being in front of a crowd. As long as I didn't have to socialize with them afterward.

Ah, drunk people; a joy forever. I once quit drinking for about a year and played designated driver for my buddies - I then realized they were almost all assholes. I have other friends now ;)

The second time on a highway coming home at 3:00am seeing a drunks headlights on the wrong side of the road was the last straw for me. Drunks in the bars, drunks on the road, loading/unloading gear, thieves, trouble makers and other wonders of modern chemistry.... I’m happy now just playing in my home studio and with a select few musicians. Maybe playing the occasional party if its people I know. Very relatable list!

Ah memories. Even with all the hassles it sounds like you had some fun. Would you change it if you could?

Those cowboys coats are called dusters and I’ve never met somebody I’ve wanted to hang out with that chooses to wear a duster. Lol

Like we use to say, we play for free, they pay us to move the equipment.

I completely relate to everything you’re saying. I play in a cover band on the side. Bringing gear to and from the gig is a massive pain. At the end of the day, it’s a labour of love. Our band gets along great and we love the reaction we get from the patrons of the venues. But I gotta say, I love our rehearsals more than the actual gigs in some ways.

Thanks for the flashbacks. I related to SOOOOO much of this talk. This stuff is a real issue at small venues especially being in a cover band. Really tells the tale of paying your dues. Interviewing for gigs and selling original content to venues is another weird scene. Did that in the Village and around north jersey as a kid. Man I swear I have PTSD from that shit to this day.

I've had more experience playing gigs as a trumpet player than guitar, and some of your stories i can definitely relate to. Like playing in someone's living room, at a barn, outside in cold weather (that seemed to happen the most for me). But when i started getting (back) into guitar and played some church gigs, I didn't have a car, so i grabbed my guitar and my amp (and a back pack) and hoofed it to the bus stop. I was nervous about the people on the bus. Made me miss my trumpet.

Talking about loading and unloading, don't forget some gigs needing to move gear for sound check, move gear so someone else can sound check, move gear again to play, then either move gear to go home load, or move gear, and move gear again after gig for the home move. It can be like 6 to 8 gear moves for one gig, those times from the 90s won't be forgotten by me.

Ah, yes!! The clip of Keef laying someone out cold with his Tele is legendary! He just carried on playing and didn’t miss a beat lol

We played a morning show in Arizona about 2 1/2 hours from where I live in basically the middle of nowhere. The dude said it was going to be a biker festival. It was 50 degrees and windy in the desert, and there was no-f'ckin-body at the place except the owner of the land and one other band. We played anyway because the scenery was truly beautiful and it sounded so great to play out in the middle of the desert. But we ended up leaving right after our set, even though we brought all our camping gear for the "festival."

Your bases took a bass slap to a whole other level

Omg you’re giving me bad flashbacks to my old gigging days. Without a doubt the absolute #1 most hated aspect of playing live is the load I and load out. Not only is it stressful enough physically carrying all that heavy stuff. But you also have to do it in record time. So you’re frantically lugging equipment and making cable connections, finding a decent power supply/outlets, etc.. then a quick sound check, tuning, making sure you’ve got enough space (always a problem for lower level bands). By the time I would actually start playing I was already sweating! No matter how zen like of a state I put myself into before a show, I’d still be frazzled by the time the 4 stick clicks began. Then, after the gig, assuming you weren’t headlining, you had to disassemble your gear and get it out of the way in the same short timeframe. You’re stressing out about keeping tabs on all your stuff, because by now the club is packed, you’re being approached by people to talk to you about your band or your gear, etc. getting distracted. And there’s never good parking or loading zones for clubs and bars. So it’s a mile hike in the cold while still wet from sweating. Hell, one of the biggest reasons I wanted to “make it” was just to get a roadie and a tech for the load in/out.

Loading: respect the commitment of the drummer. Moving all that kit then playing a set. Absolutely knackering. Good Times!

Hey! Dave from The Bass Channel here - one of our other hosts is a working bassist here in Vegas, and LOTS of his gigs are those 4-set, 9pm-1am jobs, so yeah, it seems it's still like that.

There really is a lot more to just "going on stage" then people think. Years of lugging the gear and dealing with uneasy crowds and all the different ups and downs. But i wouldnt trade one show for anything. why is the dealing with drunk people so damn true. The pedal board and beer part,man i got so pissed cause a women did exactly that and spilled her beer all over and through my vox wah pedal and it never sounded the same again

There's always one band member who'll forget one important piece of gear and dad has to drive back home to pick it up.

It's been years since I've played live and have been getting the itch lately. Thank you for reminding me why I stopped!

I played in Los Angeles, from the Sunset Strip to dive bars, and there were a few things about it that I do not miss. One of them was horrible and one was bad, yet hopeful. The horrible thing was that the people running the sound board simply did not care, one bit. It was so bad that my girlfriend, who had become my drum roadie for setup/tear-down, learned how to run a sound board and would do it for my band's shows. Others involved also seemed to not care. My old band WHIPLADS was playing at The Joint one night, Tuesday or Thursday night, for a Songwriter Showcase night. It's where people play original music and nobody gives a shit. As we took the stage, I saw a HUGE crowd of people, which was uncommon. These people all had long, black hair, dressed all in black and leather. I didn't know what was going on, until the sound man introduced us as WHIPLASH. I tell him we are WHIPLADS. He says, "WHIPLADS, WHIPLASH, what's the difference?" That's when I figure it out, so I get on the mic and tell everyone that we ARE NOT the Metallica tribute band, and that they can go to the box office for refunds. Scary night. The hopeful thing, which sprang from an LA annoyance, was something that I figured out over time. That is, the FARTHER away from Los Angeles you get, the better the pay gets, and the more excited the audience. I think both of these problems in LA, and there are many more, are caused by people who are hyper-jaded by the whole thing. These days, there is absolutely no reason for a musician to move to Los Angeles. It's a creative wasteland.

Great points!! A few comments: 1. Yup, every 3-4 hour gig is about 8 hours of work. 2. Competing with a local sports team is indeed terrible... but, at one of our gigs we started right after the Chargers won a big playoff game and we inherited a very psyched enthusiastic crowd. Worked out well for us! 3. So true about the bad food. Either at the bar where you play or fast food on the way home at 2 in the morning, not good for you either way. 4. Loading in through a crowd is tough and so is loading out through a crowd. We warmed up for a much bigger band one time and basically played to an almost empty place and as we're loading out the crowd for the headliner was pouring in and it was tough getting around them. Doesn't help when the venue moves your guitar and pedalboard cases on you. :/ 5. Finally, I never had to defend myself with my guitar but one of the bands I was in somehow ended played parties for an outlaw biker gang. I look pretty conservative and someone associated with the gang liked my playing. After the gig he said (very drunk) "I was looking at you setting up and I was wondering who's this effing guy and then you started playing and I thought hey he's good!" I said "Maybe I should work on my rock appearance!" He said "No stay like you are man, it's like you're a sleeper, it's cooooool!" OK, will do. :)

Dude, you nailed it! I have experienced every single one of those things except for allergy issues. I haven't played live for a few years because I was too burned out.

Love this, thanks for sharing. I love gig horror stories, ive shared many of the reasons you stated, but the one with guy with a gun … yikes, that is scary stuff. Glad you survived unscathed.

Such a great video...The story about the dust and not being able to see just gave me flashbacks of a gig we did in San Antonio. They had a small stage setup in the middle of a rodeo area. You know where they ride the bulls and horses. So when started to play, the crowed began to mosh and the dust just engulfed the whole area. Was a great show, but at the end we were wiping down all of our gear..

As a gigging musician, I've gotta say this vid was absolutely spot on on every point!

It’s a long way to the top if you wanna rock n roll

I miss playing live with my band so much.

I read a book once about tribute bands and cover bands. In one part of the book, it listed the five c’s, places that bands could play: Casinos College fraternity parties Carnivals and fairs Corporate events Clubs The first four are decent gigs because you usually get paid a good amount in advance. The last type of places (clubs and bars) are really to be avoided. The pay sucks, and even after you fulfill your obligation to play, the owner doesn’t want to pay what you originally agreed to play for.

I relate to the introvert one😭😭😭

Hi! Regards the load and unload part. I have a friend that was playing in U2 tribute band in Sweden. They were opening act for some other artist. The artist had actually some crew members that loaded the PA and boxes but they asked my friend if he could assist so they took huge box probably for some PA speaker or something dropped that huge heavy box down stairs to some small area and the crew members said yeah thanks for helping but that box is actually empty and should not bring to the stage. haha

Hey, what about making a video about how to get gigs as a musician? Like the process, where to find people etc

My older brother plays both guitar and piano. At one point he had a weekly gig at a club and I used to help him load and unload his Rhodes piano when I was like 13. Not fun. That got him into the habit of just plugging into the venues PA and use a small amp on stage as a monitor. He used a Roland KC for his keys and not only is that incredibly heavy but other than the handle, there’s like nothing to hold on to for two people carrying it. We would wheel it and just do stairs one at a time. He did get a hand truck eventually but it didn’t make that much of a difference.

- It’s been 25 years since I performed live and I do not miss it one bit. My last band was so dysfunctional with egotistical lead singer and lead guitar player that made it very difficult to have a friendly relationship with either of them. It was all business and nothing else. I would have anxiety before every gig, I needed happiness in my life and I found after I walked away from the music scene and devoted myself to my family and nothing else.

Once I saw your shirt in this video, I immediately clicked the bell.

played in a classic rock bar band for 18 years. most of the time we booked friday and saturday at the same place, i haven't play live since 2005 i'm sure alot has changed.. i miss it tbh.

I did lighting for about 6 years so I know exactly what your talking about. Fortunately we worked with a few bands that we were friends with so we acted as security for each other. I dont miss it either.

You hit every nail on the head. You rock, man!

This is a video I can really relate to! My old band Jupiter Falls played o2 Academies around the UK, and went on tour around Europe with Jake E Lee's Red Dragon Cartel... albeit was fun, but away from the stage was more fun than playing the shows! I'd much rather sit in my flat, recording with my own rules, at my own pace etc.... Thank-you for putting this video out. It's reassuring to know I'm not the only one who feels like this!

Dude, I've also experienced all this same stuff gigging lol. I'm from WI so I've also had to play in front of a big screen with the Packer Game on and they don't give you any attention. Or having people slam into your mic stand and you get a mouth full of microphone lol. Drinks spilled or people falling into your space. Everything you said was something I think alot of gigging musicians experience. Still miss it though. Good video man

Awesome video! I'd love to see the opposite list soon too!

I’m not a live player yet, but I understand about playing and practicing a song so much you grow to not want to play it at all after learning it. It’s the blessing in disguise though. By that, I mean, there are hundreds of other songs to learn, so it’s easy to take a break from the ones you don’t like playing. It is imperative to embrace the learning process, and like it too! It’s all about the journey!

Always always ALWAYS unload when you get home. It was a loooong night, I had just moved in and thought it was a "safe" neighborhood and left some gear in my van. The next morning my back window is smashed and my cymbal bag is gone...

Ah yes, playing for fuel and drink tickets, with plus 1 guest list. Also in Minnesota, went to gig around Farmington, oops, it was at Serum's in Anoka!! Only about 6-8 inches of snow, and counting, hour drive, then the steel grate stairs at Serum's. Humping bass bins up flights. About 2007 -ish, the publishers( BMI,ASCAP ) crack down on bars need license to have cover bands playing copy write music. Pay took a nose dive, big time. Ah, the good old days!! Thanks for sharing. ♫

6:35 that did sound scary, I'm glad you made it out of that ok

Damn Bro, it sounds like we've played in the same bands. This video brought back a lot of memories. Even with all the bull shit I still miss playing live sometimes. Nothing is better than having a good night on stage.

That gun story was scary. Glad we don't have that here. People can go nuts when drunk, it gets exponentially worse for (number of drunks) > 1

Imagine being Ian Anderson and how many times he's played Aqualung!!! Almost every gig I've done has been 3 hr gigs, allway's 3 set's except for special multi band deals like a concert in the park thing. I'm almost 70 and still enjoy playing for people, my biggest issue was allway's inner band stuff. And tho my gear is lighter it seems heavier. My buddy asked me why I was playing "that" guitar, I said it's lite! We now have an extra band member, the sound girl, so all I bring is my guitar small 20w head 1x12 cab. If I need louder a 50w and 2x12 or just mic it. Good and bad, music for me was not my profession so money just needed to cover gas, any more was was nice.

Still remember playing a club with my band where the crowd was, at best, tolerating us until intermission where "Come on ride that train, choo choo ride" would come on and the dance floor came alive. Being intermission for the DJ is definitely a kick to the balls.

I've been playing guitar for 43 years and haven't played out in at least 16 years. I was in a cover band and we played a club in Richmond RI called Tumbleweeds and there was a girl on the bar with her legs spread and a guy was yodeling in the Valley.

Man that list nailed it. I echo every point you made there.

Wow. Pretty crazy. I don't think there was a single thing on your list I didn't bump into playing in Nebraska/South Dakota area.

The wonderful "crowd load"... that's even better at the end of a gig 🙄. My cover band has been using less gear with each passing year, lighter stuff whenever possible - We don't even bring amps. It's all about 😆

I too played a bar that had the TV projecting a sports ball game above the stage behind the band. It took me a moment to realize the random cheers in the middle of a verse had nothing to do with us. The back of that stage had the door to the only bathroom in the bar and the folks that walked up to the stage weren’t there to great the band but had to shimmy past the guitar player to pee.

Very nice to hear about the grind playing live can be. I love to hear about "the olden days" cheers!

Was hired to play a local Veterans Lodge for their Valentines Ball. We arrive to play our party band set with lots of current pop (female singer, think Katy Perry) and 80s rock and realize the average age of audience is about 70. We were clearly not their thing. We rocked out as best we could but gramma and grandpa just sneered at us. Eventually everyone left except for a group of about 20 people in their 30s and 40s who loved us and stayed on the dance floor for the rest of the night. Evidently the younger members were sick of oldies and polka bands and hired us to make a statement.

I miss concerts.

Ha! Tell me about it. I have experienced all this. But: "Live performance is the ritual humiliation musicians have to put themselves through to fulfil their ambition to be a musician". For me, there is NOTHING like the thrill of playing with other musicians in front of a crowd. I'm 69, have ailments, run the PA and my own gear and, being a trio I'm the one that sings, plays rhythm, lead, and has to try and establish some kind of rapport with the audience. But I am NOT going to stop until they carry me off. The money is piss, some crowds are indifferent, it's hard work and I'm fit for nothing the next day. But . . . the buzz! I agree with all you say (and why do they all congregate at the exit at the end of the night?). But you have left some stuff out. You didn't mention the cost of parking which in my town centre is limited to one hour close by or eighteen pounds sterling in a multi for the duration of the gig! What??? You didn't mention having to deal with the twats in the band who think that turning up for a rehearsal or gig is an option. you didn't mention having to deal with the twats in the band who think that "being in a band" is enough and they don't have to learn their bit, in their own time: "How does this one go?" How does this start?" " What key is this in?" I have a slipped disc, plantar fasciitis and the onset of arthritis in my fretting hand. Despite my gear getting ever-lighter and more stripped-down, it's still a hassle. I think, the trick is just to play the nice venues and that's pretty much what we do. I implore you to rethink. You're famous now! You would be an asset to any band, and treated accordingly. Better still, form your own band and do just the nice gigs. I think it would be a different scene. Anyway keep up the good work, I like your stuff, it's good, amongst the best I'd say.

OMG...!!!!, except for the allergy thing, I've had all those crazy events. Mostly hate loading in the rain. The weirdest one was playing in a machine shop, they have wall plugs with a thing called a "stinger lead", it 140 volts for starting motors. Well, you probably guessed it, I plugged my equipment into that, the rest is a smokin history..

we played a Christmas light on thing in a town and it rained hard, amazingly the audience stayed outside to listen.

Great video! I have a "goal" to play a real gig some day. But until then I'm not really missing anything. Jammin at a BBQ and posting the occasional KZfaq video will have to scratch that itch

Thx for sharing!! Good points to think about.

excellent video -- I've played in bands since I was a teenager and yeah the nightmare stories start to add up

I am watching this after playing a gig in 3 consecutive nights and driving almost 1000km eating and drinking crap sleeping where ever only couple of hours. Luckily I still have two weeks my holiday left so I can hopefully recover.

sad. i love pre show:backline.soundcheck,lights,and i love to play. ive been doin shows 30 years now.

Hey, I’m from Minnesota too!

I remember we used to play shows when we were 18-19, and our singer and bass player were over 21 so they would book us these giant bars which was awesome but me and the drummer would have to wait outside for like 2-3 hours until our set came up. And sometimes our set would be like 30 minutes.. so we would have wait outside, sometimes in really shady area we didn't know just to play lol. I don't miss those days..

I'll be joining in a session band in my rock school soon so for excitment I'm watching this till then

Great video! I wanna hear more of your experiences.

One time I had to play a gig for our rhythm guitarist's sister's graduation party. And 95% of the crowd was old people that did not want us there (some of which even covering their ears), and we had to play 3 sets. It took alot of beer to get through that gig.

All of my gigging was in the 80s and 90s. Many times we played from 9 to 3. We had a massive set list but after 5 hours still started playing some songs twice at the end. I'm an introvert by nature but about 30% extrovert which I saved for gig nights. I didn't mind engaging with the public, even the drunks since they were paying our bill. I never had anyone get overly aggressive and that's good because I played a Peavey bass and if I hit anyone with that I would have killed them. We had a TON of equipment and it took 2+ hours to set up and another 2 hours to tear down which is not fun at 3 am. People offered to carry our amps and since we had Marshall cabinets and massive PA bass bins, hey bust a nut if you want to carry one. They're not going to steal it because it's too big and heavy. I don't miss smelling of smoke and beer but I didn't gig to make money, I had a day job. It was only for fun. An expensive hobby but I decided early on I had no desire to be a full-time pro as I enjoyed eating every day and sleeping in my own house. But I always enjoyed performing as I would run out into the crowd and play in front of tables or in some cases on top of people's tables, and they always loved it. I was a Steve Harris-type of player in a mostly 80s metal band so it was fun. I've heard the "Play Free Bird!" (we didn't) but we did play "Stairway to Heaven" which I freakin' HATED. I've also been in other types of bands where we played anything from Heart or Benatar to the Doors (which I freakin' HATED), so I learned that if I ever get into a band again, I will never play music I don't like. I'd rather play in my living room to a record than do that again. I also learned drinking and gigging doesn't work for me, after just two drinks I forget how a song goes. Not a good look on stage. One before a gig to take off the edge and that was it. I was only a bit nerved before the first song, after that I looked like I'd been doing it for 100 years. I know a lot of major pros were like that even years later. I also found it was harder to play to 5 people than 500.

Love your channel, man. Definitely one of my favorites of all the youtubers. This was a great vid… ive experienced pretty much all of that… fun stuff. Ha

I feel the lugging gear one. Especially when you are playing a shorter set. I've been very lucky with the drunk people. That gun story was fucking scary man.

I can relate to your stories man,let me share mine,we had a gig at this bar where theres tv everywhere for the horse racing,in the middle of the sets ,when the horse started running,we have to stop in the middle of the song,imagine if you are doing eruption at that time🤣,and this one time,a drunk guy went up on stage and tried to take my guitar out of me hands,so we wrestled back n forth almost broke my guitar..and this one,horrors of horrors,we are playing overtime already and i said last song,and these guy pulled out a gun and said keep on playing! So scared shit at that time…but even though,i still love playing live,these experiences i think will make you a better musician…i love your contents man,especially this,reminisced a lot of memories..rock on🤟

Everything you said mirrors my experiences as a mobile DJ. I've been at it for 25 years and have the wobble about 10 million times.