Alvin Lee Message & Discussion Board
Thanks for joining in the conversation!
So let me get this straight, NO ONE HERE HAS EVER HAD A BAD TIME AT A GIG! EVEN ONE OF YOU PERFORMERS, RONNIE, PIETER, BRIAN, ETC.????? Who"d you guys play for, Lawrence Welk?.....
Re: BAD GIG EXPERIENCES FROM THE AUDIENCE, OR STAGE, OR BACKSTAGE
EMBARASSED, HUH???? Got no good stories about the road, backstage, front stage, on stage, stage coaches, 3rd. Stage, The Actor's Stage, Stagecoach
the movie? I wuz hopin Ronnie shot six varmints, missed one, and wounded one, getting his name 601.
And you fans! Nobody spilled a beer down your braless shirt, offering lame apologies, because he wanted a 3.50 wet t-shirt contest? And dudes, I heard this one on the road so many times they should put it on EVERY ROCKER'S grave..."DUDE! YOU GUYS ROCKED! YOU GUYS KILLED IT!!!! I'M SO WASTED!!!!!!!
Dave, my girlfriends and I were invited backstage at almost every concert we attended. Some of my friends went. Not me. I was too scared to go back there. I had the idea that accepting the invite was the same thing as saying "yes" to a bunch of strangers. The very idea still gives me the shudders.
That is my backstage story for what it's worth. 
Actually, you would have been just fine back there. There was always security, always wives, girlfriends, who would take you in their pen, that is, if you weren't trying to have your way with one of theirs! Here's the sick part, say if you wanted say, the drummer, and he was unattached, they would introduce you and tell you what to say to seal the deal!
Not that you would have to say hardly anything except " Hi! "
Ok , well, maybe part of me wasn't sure I could depend on myself to say "no". 
Did you receive an e-mail from me? Not sure
Okay, okay, I give...
Audience: Sitting up on the back of a folding chair up close at a Blind Faith show (Madison Square Garden) when some fools decided they needed to rush the stage. In the ensuing close-to-riot, I got pushed down into the chair, which then closed on me. Got a gash on my leg and broke a rib. Great concert mementos.
Worst almost audience: Outdoor venue somewhere in a NY suburb to see Iron Butterfly (yes, yes, I could stop right now), smoked a little weed on the way that I learned later was liberally laced with angel dust. Got on line to enter the venue, realized we forgot our smoke in the car and went back to get it. Next thing I remember, I was back at the venue and the show was already over. 2 1/2 hours completely lost with zero recollection of what I might have done. On the plus side, though, I didn't have to hear In a Gadda Da Vida.
Stage: Considering I have zero talent, you sure as heck are never going to see me on stage
Backstage: Maybe an Eagles gig in Hershey PA. Never knew what the back story was, but a girl went a little whacky on one of the roadies and started to hit him (well, tried to hit him). She kept trying, he kept holding her off, and finally he just lifted her off her feet, carried her to the door and pushed her out. It was kind of funny at the time. I know, not earthshaking but it's the best I could come up with. I'm trying Dave.
Most of my bad gig experience centered around slime-ball promotors and equipment problems and neither are very interesting. My musicians' union reps were undoubtedly "connected" to guys named Guido and Vito - one phone call usually solved promotor problems pronto. Sure, they were probably skimming off the union funds, but in my opinion, they were worth every penny of it.
There was one gig for a big biker party out in the middle of nowhere where one group of bikers threatened to not let us leave and make us play all night. Luckily we had gotten wind of this from other bikers who were friends and whom came along as protection. Our biker friends were more bad@ss than the other group, so after a bit of negotiation we were allowed to go (with our motorcycle escort) after the folks who tried to intimidate us loaded our gear.
Like any other band, there was the usual trying to round up and sober up drunk band members, late arrivals, vehicle breakdowns, screwed-up hotel reservations, drama with wives, girlfriends, hangers-on, etc. - pretty typical stuff.
So many memories, so little brain. Some can be told, most are best forgotten..
1977, had just invested in a rusty old "tour van", packed it full with our equipment and off we went. First little bump in the road killed the overloaded suspension and the entire thing crashlanded like a drunken elephant on ice. Managed to get another transport, reload everything to it and get there in time, but never before been more tired BEFORE a gig.
Once had a gig in the basement part of a club. A girl came running to the stage, screaming "FIRE!". I laughed and replied, "yeah babe, we're on fire tonight" and played on. Then came a couple of sturdy firemen running down the stairs and yelled that we all had to leave the building at once. It was a massive fire going on upstairs, but luckily, everyone got out in time and the firemen managed to save the basement part where all our gear was. I sure felt like an idiot, having replied like I did to the girl..
At a boring Christmas gig, a drunken idiot screamed an insult to our drummer and he happily replied by rushing off stage, chasing the guy through the crowd and then a huge fight started on the floor. There was blood and broken noses, police came, people were arrested and our drummer was lost for the rest of the night. Everything went from boring to quite entertaining rather quickly there, I must say..