Some gigs surprise you

[Jasaoke]

Private events are always kind of a nail-biter for me. Sure, somebody has seen or heard enough good things to want to hire you, but you're going to an unfamiliar location, you can't take your regulars, and if the crowd is not into you, it makes for a very long night.

But sometimes you get pleasantly surprised.

We just did a Tuesday night gig (Tuesday?!?) for a steak dinner (starts @ 6 ?!?) in a venue we've never played (poor acoustics) for a crowd who had never heard of us. I had prepared myself to dodge beer bottles, but the crowd was fantastic. A little slow at the start, but it turned out to be one of those nights when you look out and EVERYBODY (even the caterers and bartenders) seemed to be having a great time. We loaded out knowing that we had delivered (and had ourselves) a ton of fun and sent folks home happy.

So does anybody else have a story about a gig that has surprised you?

[moxham123]

We recently played for a wedding vow renewal party where the husband surprised his wife in front of about 100 of their family and friends. We were asked to play before, during, and after the meal as well as act as emcee. It was a listening and not dancing crowd. It was on a Saturday afternoon, we were paid well, fed well, and everybody loved us.

[moxham123]

We recently played for a wedding vow renewal party where the husband surprised his wife in front of about 100 of their family and friends. We were asked to play before, during, and after the meal as well as act as emcee. It was a listening and not dancing crowd. It was on a Saturday afternoon, we were paid well, fed well, and everybody loved us.

[AllHolLowsEVe]

Played at a little hole in the wall, out in the middle of nowhere a few months back. We are a primarily original band but do about 35% of our set as covers. Kind of expected no one but the local drunks to be there. Turned out it was wall to wall people with a majority of the crowd being our age (mid to late 20"s) and our original music got a good response. It was alot of fun!

[lonewolf]

I remember playing from 9pm-6am at a PA Mountain Cycles party at the Ebensburg Fairgrounds....i don't remember much though...just the titty contest and that our lead vocalist hid behind the PA cabs.

[bassist_25]

Last fall, some communication lines got crossed at Pelly's and we ended up doing a split-show with Johnny Danger. It was labor day. Pelly's was really struggling to get crowds in at that point in time, so nobody knew what was going to happen crowd-wise. However, people started filing in early in the night when Adam D was doing his one-man show. Johnny Danger played a great set, and I got to check out some of Greg's sweet self-built pedals. Then we set up. old sKool was having some personal stress in his life at the time, and, in playing together for almost nine years, he and I had our one and only argument on stage while setting up for our set. But we very quickly made amends and got positive about the situation. We then played to probably the largest and most receptive crowd we've ever played to in all of the years we've been playing at Pelly's.

[kayla]

the only surprising story i have (so far) is a few months ago, when we got a crap pile of snow up the mountain. and of course, we had a gig in cresson. the snow was ridiculous and setting up we didn't expect to see anyone there. it was about 10 or 15 mins before we started playing that people came out of no where and before we knew it the entire vfw was packed. it was standing room and we ended up playin til almost 2 a.m. We came home with more money in tips than we got paid for the entire gig. the ride home was a lil rough though

- kayla.

[StumbleFingers]

Last fall, some communication lines got crossed at Pelly's and we ended up doing a split-show with Johnny Danger. It was labor day. Pelly's was really struggling to get crowds in at that point in time, so nobody knew what was going to happen crowd-wise. However, people started filing in early in the night when Adam D was doing his one-man show. Johnny Danger played a great set, and I got to check out some of Greg's sweet self-built pedals. Then we set up. old sKool was having some personal stress in his life at the time, and, in playing together for almost nine years, he and I had our one and only argument on stage while setting up for our set. But we very quickly made amends and got positive about the situation. We then played to probably the largest and most receptive crowd we've ever played to in all of the years we've been playing at Pelly's.

There must have been a full moon that night, I think my one and only argument in Johnny Danger happened simultaneously.

The Sitch had an interesting gig at Flying Dog Brewery this year for a skateboarding event. We showed up and nobody at the brewery knew we were supposed to be there. We set up in a tent where we assumed we were playing and it stormed violently on us.

But it turned out to be a really fun show in the end. Everybody at Flying Dog was super cool and they gave us a hilarious, profanity-laced brewery tour. When we started playing, people came out to the tent and had a great time. We even gave our setlists to the audience and let them call out the songs.

[songsmith]

Thin Ice played the Huntigdon High School Auditorium in '91. We opened for pop singer Jimmy Harnen, and fully expected the crowd to chant for him, as they were just young kids. By the 2nd song, they were singing along, waving their arms, and basically going completely crazy. Two memories stand out: First, at one point during an original song, I stopped singing and let the audience finish the song. They knew every word, and sang enthusiastically... I was very moved by it, and had to choke back tears, because I wrote that song. I'll remember it for life. The other memory actually happened years later... Butch Woodward introduced himself to me, and told me that he started singing in bands after I stopped that show mid-set, and told the audience that I used to daydream about playing that stage. I told them that anything is possible, and to work towards their dream. He did. It was little Easter Egg that opened 20 years later, and was worth the wait.

Mama Corn played a celebration of 18 years' sober, attended by AA members. It was FANTASTIC. They actually listened, very closely, and we made alot of new fans that day. We recorded that show, and it's still among the best we ever played.

And both outdoor shows we played last weekend were very surprising. One would assume that nobody would show up in 100 degree temps and tropical humidity, but both shows were very well-attended, and the audiences were awesome!

[RobTheDrummer]

I always like the type of gigs where you stop mid song on a chorus and everyone is screaming the song at you....always gave me chills.

[Merge]

Thin Ice played the Huntigdon High School Auditorium in '91. We opened for pop singer Jimmy Harnen, and fully expected the crowd to chant for him, as they were just young kids. By the 2nd song, they were singing along, waving their arms, and basically going completely crazy. Two memories stand out: First, at one point during an original song, I stopped singing and let the audience finish the song. They knew every word, and sang enthusiastically... I was very moved by it, and had to choke back tears, because I wrote that song. I'll remember it for life. The other memory actually happened years later... Butch Woodward introduced himself to me, and told me that he started singing in bands after I stopped that show mid-set, and told the audience that I used to daydream about playing that stage. I told them that anything is possible, and to work towards their dream. He did. It was little Easter Egg that opened 20 years later, and was worth the wait.

Mama Corn played a celebration of 18 years' sober, attended by AA members. It was FANTASTIC. They actually listened, very closely, and we made alot of new fans that day. We recorded that show, and it's still among the best we ever played.

And both outdoor shows we played last weekend were very surprising. One would assume that nobody would show up in 100 degree temps and tropical humidity, but both shows were very well-attended, and the audiences were awesome!

My last band played 2 high school shows, one in 03 and one in 04. I wasn't sure what to expect at either show, I remember being in high school and disliking everything. Both shows were awesome.

[Jasaoke]

Yeah, non-alcoholic gigs always feel weird ar first. They shouldn't, but they do.

[ToonaRockGuy]

I've been fortunate to play in some great bands, but my best memory of a local show was with Gin-N-Juice during our first show ever at Four Dees.

Being a "jam" band, a lot of my musician and non-musician "friends" had told me in the beginning that we would never really do anything and just play at (back then) City Limits on Thursdays to tables and a few college hippie kids. Proud to say that through drive, determination, and hard work, we wound up playing Saturday nights at Four Dees, which were impossible to get unless you were an agency band.

I'll never forget my first show at The Dees. Rich Johnson ran sound for us, and did a great job. Dustin, Travis, Brian and I just "clicked" that night and everything was on. The best memory was looking out during our version of "Sand" by Phish and seeing 500 people all pogoing in perfect rhythm and noting the dance floor actually flexing. Just absolute heaven at that second, because that validated all the work that we had done, and proved all the naysayers wrong.