What was your first gig?

[meenahga]

My first paying gig was my high school winter carnival dance. I was 16 at the time, back in 1982, playing in a classic rock trio called Fusion. I remember being so nervous that I totally forgot how to play the first song (Cream's Sunshine of Your Love). I finally remembered after about 4 or 5 bars into it. After that it was smooth sailing. I got paid $85. for the gig and went right out and bought a wah wah pedal.

 

[Larry]

High school talent show champion right here. It was a senior year we won $100. Split that 4 ways. Thats $25 a person not to bad right?

 

[robelinda2]

first gig was in 1994 at school, it was an awards night or some crap, i cant remember as i was TERRIFIED!!! We played Little Wing, and i couldnt play god enough to stand up, so i sat down on a little chair, like the ones from primary school!!! Also played Dreams, by the Cranberries.

First paid gig is another story.....

 

[jongitarz]

My first real gig was my 6th grade graduation ceremony. The other guitarist in the band was Michael Mann, later to by known by the name of Hollywood Fats (RIP Mike) You blues guys may have heard of him. He was amazing.

We had to submit a list of lyrics(this was in 1966) They told us we couldn't do Satisfaction because it mentioned smoking. Guess what we opened with?

\m/ \m/

 

[candid_x]

A standing weekly Boy's Club dance gig and Jr. High dances. I was 14 and playing horn, not guitar. That was about 1958. The rocker of the night was "walk don't run" by the Ventures.

 

[ivanmihaljevic]

My first gig was actually as a singer only! We played Led Zeppelin's "Black Dog".
I didn't get payed for that

 

[Axilla]

First gig aged 14 in a school band in front of about 700 people at a local theater in the town where I was living back then. Had just converted from classical to electric guitar for about 4 month then and was absolutely intimidated by the big audience...
Terrible first gig but got better time after time before stopping it all years later...

 

[Phrat]

My first gig was back at school when i was about 11 or 12. We used to have a "music evening" every year and i got together a small band and we did a version of Marvin Gaye's "Wherever I lay my hat" (no idea why i chose that song). It was really embarrassing cos my music teacher got me to stand up at the end for a round of applause...suprised i didnt get the s**t kicked out of me next day at school! Good memories though

 

[the24thfret]

My first real gig was my 6th grade graduation ceremony. The other guitarist in the band was Michael Mann, later to by known by the name of Hollywood Fats (RIP Mike) You blues guys may have heard of him. He was amazing.

We had to submit a list of lyrics(this was in 1966) They told us we couldn't do Satisfaction because it mentioned smoking. Guess what we opened with?

\m/ \m/

Uhm, you opened with Satisfaction anyway???

A standing weekly Boy's Club dance gig and Jr. High dances. I was 14 and playing horn, not guitar. That was about 1958. The rocker of the night was "walk don't run" by the Ventures.

That's awesome!!

I played a bunch in school, but I think my first large size show was 8th grade playing in a 3 piece in the school band concert. The band teacher and my friend and I had started jamming Soundgarden and Metallica at 6am on mornings before band practice, so we decided to play "Pretty Noose" for the show. Band name was Fogey 'n' the Boyz, for obvious reasons. Tuning on that song is CGCGGE. Still have it on video. We rocked, if not only for the insane amount of distortion I had on the wah.

Fun thread!

 

[candid_x]

...suprised i didnt get the s**t kicked out of me next day at school! Good memories though

Yeah, the whole "band fag" routine earned me a couple of fat lips and black eyes too.

 

[greenwizard]

My first gig was playing the Star Spangled Banner in front of my high school (about 500 people) in my best Jimi Hendrix impression. But that was just for kicks.
I'd say my first real gig was last night and I talked about that in a couple other forums but basically it was AWESOME.
So awesome that I was recruited to play accompaniment in a choir concert tonight that I just got back from. I had just 24 hours to brush up on all my Bbmaj9add13 and Ebm7/G chords. Gigging is awesome!!!!

 

[Purple ASS]

1982...Tonbridge, Kent. An 18th birthday party. I played drums then in a 50's style Rock and Roll outfit. We got caught up in the riots in Tunbridge Wells (Kent) on the way home and had a motorcylce helmet smashed through the windscreen. A friend lent us an old Fender Quad Reverb to use as a PA . The fuse blew and we botched it up with a rusty nail as we had no spares

 

[Boy Oldigs]

My first gig was also in a school band in 1982. We've played a song from Santana. I guess it was "Oye como va". I used my Ibanez AS 200 and a Yamaha amp

 

[Spudmurphy]

First live show was in school in 1971 - played T Rex ride a white Swan.

Then went solo in a local church concert - wasn't planing on playing but was behind the scenes picked up the guitar played "Heart of Gold" and was asked to go on stage to play it.

First paid gig was at a local "Bowls" club, got paid £35 between 5 of us !!

 

[JMB27]

first gig? back in high-school for some pep-rally/spirit-week kind of thing .... tried to play Sweet Child by G'n'R ... bangin' away on my ol' Lake Plastic Blue F-nder Squi-r Str@t

first paid gig? still in high-school I played my acoustic at a local arts and crafts show .... seem to remember playing about the same 5 or 6 songs, several times and several different ways - made $25 for about an hours worth of sound

 

[Adwex]

1994, we were a "guest band" during my friend's band's gig. I was terrified, I actually hoped I would get into a car accident on the way. We did 2 songs, 2nd song was Bastille Day, the drummer missed a critical cue and for about 10 seconds (felt like an hour) all of us were off the beat.

 

[peterd79]

Mine was out at a local bar... I got a call from a friend who wanted me to sit in on a few songs... i only had a day or two to prepare... i just showed up played and left... I caught the DVD a few days later and it sounded really good!

 

[Tim O'Sullivan]

Was with the band 'Stud' at a Saturday open day at my school. Must have been 16 I suppose.

 

[paranoid70]

1986, Sophomore in High School. It was a carnival at a Catholic Church/School. We were a Thrash Metal band named Osiris. (Yes after the Egyptian god).

I had quit playing with the guys, but they asked me back for the gig. I was playing bass and I didn't really know 2 of the 5 songs we did that day. For those two songs, I kind of just made up some bass runs as we went along. Most people were hanging out at the carnival and didn't pay much attention to us anyway.

I heard a tape of our performance a few weeks later. Surprisingly, my bass licks weren't too bad. Our singer however was so bad that the rest of our mistakes paled in comparison.

The sad part about this story is that was also my LAST gig as well.

 

[guertzi]

1979 - we played at the grand opening of the new school hall. Actually we were the first rock group to ever play there

I was 13 years old back ten and I remember that we did Sweet Little Sixteen by Chuck berry, Baba O' Riley by The Who, Suzie Q (the CCR version) and some original songs, all being instrumentals. We did not even have a bass player, just two guitars and drums! BUT I had BIG SUNGLASSES that I wore, because at that time that was something you had to have if you wanted to look like rock star

For a long time I even had a recording of that gig on an old tape cassette, but it got lost somewhere unfortunately. Not that it was great musicianship, but it is something you will never have again in your life, if you know what I mean.

The equipment I had I do remember pretty well:
Fender Jazzmaster, olympic white, w/ matching headstock, date stamp at the bottom of the neck said "13 Mar 69"!!!
Novanex 20 Watt Solid State 1x12" Combo Amp w/ Reverb, I think that was a dutch brand
MXR Distortion +
Smallstone Phase shifter

That was my first gig EVER and I remember I was totally stage fright on that day!

Great thread, btw!!!