bassmonkey
Well-known member
Hi,
I recently posted about joining a new band and my forthcoming first gig with them. A few of you asked for pics and a report, so here it is.
It was a Sunday evening gig in a town called Sunderland, just south of where I live. It has the reputation for being a bit rough. I have only been with the band about 3 weeks and we had a total of 2 rehearsals prior to the gig, and I haven't performed live for about 15 years. I had to learn 22 songs in that time.
Well, I arrived at the venue a little late, due to not being sure of where it was, but had given myself plenty of time, so no great sweat. The other band members where a little disgruntled, because it is a really small pub and we had to squeeze into a really tight corner.
Our first set started at 8:30, so by 8:00 I was really nervous. It was obvious to the other guys in the band and I think they were quite concerned for me. Anyway, the time came to start, and off we went. People wandered in and out of the bar all through the performance. I made a lot of mistakes, but nothing major. We got polite applause after each number. Throughout that first set I really couldn't shake my nervousness and it really spoilt things for me. I kept thinking what a fraud I was, what made me think I was good enough to play in public. Stupid thoughts, I know. However, before I knew it we were onto the last number.
After a 30 minute break, we were back on again for the second set. I was a little more relaxed now, and there were some more upbeat numbers in this one, including "You Ought To Know", which I know I play pretty well. I felt a little bit better by the end of the set. The audience remained indifferent.
The rest of the band were very complimentary and said I had done really well for a first gig, and not to worry because the audience weren't great. I'm not sure if they really meant this or were just being kind, but they didn't sack me.
The Musicman basses performed really well, and my new GK rig really put out a lot of volume. With this bass/rig combination it really cuts through. One thing though, I like things quite trebly, however, on my usual settings with the other instruments in the mix, my trebly tone sounded quite bassy. I'll need to sort that at the next gig, I was too flustered to fiddle around with tone controls. So, a big thumbs up to my gear choice.
I have another gig this coming Saturday. I'll do a bit more practice over the next few days and hopefully it will go better. Enjoy the photos, and that miserable look on my face is actually a look of nervousness.
I recently posted about joining a new band and my forthcoming first gig with them. A few of you asked for pics and a report, so here it is.
It was a Sunday evening gig in a town called Sunderland, just south of where I live. It has the reputation for being a bit rough. I have only been with the band about 3 weeks and we had a total of 2 rehearsals prior to the gig, and I haven't performed live for about 15 years. I had to learn 22 songs in that time.
Well, I arrived at the venue a little late, due to not being sure of where it was, but had given myself plenty of time, so no great sweat. The other band members where a little disgruntled, because it is a really small pub and we had to squeeze into a really tight corner.
Our first set started at 8:30, so by 8:00 I was really nervous. It was obvious to the other guys in the band and I think they were quite concerned for me. Anyway, the time came to start, and off we went. People wandered in and out of the bar all through the performance. I made a lot of mistakes, but nothing major. We got polite applause after each number. Throughout that first set I really couldn't shake my nervousness and it really spoilt things for me. I kept thinking what a fraud I was, what made me think I was good enough to play in public. Stupid thoughts, I know. However, before I knew it we were onto the last number.
After a 30 minute break, we were back on again for the second set. I was a little more relaxed now, and there were some more upbeat numbers in this one, including "You Ought To Know", which I know I play pretty well. I felt a little bit better by the end of the set. The audience remained indifferent.
The rest of the band were very complimentary and said I had done really well for a first gig, and not to worry because the audience weren't great. I'm not sure if they really meant this or were just being kind, but they didn't sack me.
The Musicman basses performed really well, and my new GK rig really put out a lot of volume. With this bass/rig combination it really cuts through. One thing though, I like things quite trebly, however, on my usual settings with the other instruments in the mix, my trebly tone sounded quite bassy. I'll need to sort that at the next gig, I was too flustered to fiddle around with tone controls. So, a big thumbs up to my gear choice.
I have another gig this coming Saturday. I'll do a bit more practice over the next few days and hopefully it will go better. Enjoy the photos, and that miserable look on my face is actually a look of nervousness.
