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2015: Weirdest & fun all in a single gig. Did a Pub Crawl in Durham, NC with the Bulltown Strutters street band. The crawl was led by a wildman in a Yeti suit. Helping the Great Divide Brewing Co. celebrate the release of a couple of nice Stouts.

The strangeness is not the gig, but the non-sequitur of the reaction. Prologue: when I can, I volunteer to play for an hour for a Salvation Army kettle if the weather is not too cold for my blood clotting condition. Yes over the years, many have thanked me. One year I received a letter from the Major thanking me for my hour filling the kettle with the most donations. Seeing parents give their children a coin to put in the kettle as I play Frosty the Snowman is a wonderful experience. And so on. I encourage everyone to volunteer an hour if possible.

The strange one was one year I was playing in front of a major chain drugstore. Everything was going as you would imagine it does: people in-and-out, a few donations, repeating a tune here and there as the crowd turned over. Then a lady in a business suit, late model car, etc., dashes into the parking lot and parks, runs in to get her one item, as from appearances, late to her next appointment. I continue to play, of course. After a few minutes, she comes running back out towards her car. She abruptly stops, turns around, and comes back to me. She announces loudly, "This sure beats the hell out of those damn bells!" and proceeds to shove multiple greenbacks into the kettle! I paused, thanked her, and went back to playing.

Major entertainment complex.
Big hotel with lodge theme.
Quartet.
Christmas holiday music. 3 hours. 3 sets.
Lots of kids and families.
Whole hotel extravagantly but traditionally decked out.

Costume: We were issued “off hours lumberjack duds”.
Work boots, washed out longjohns, and a coonskin cap a la Daniel Boone.
Nothing else.

Standing up set. But at least not strolling.
Our personal geography “below the belt” were clearly outlined.
I could feel a draft from the flap even with drawers on.

People could not look at us. Kids did not come and talk to us.

So embarrassing.

Once I played in a tuba quartet at a Christmas party for a country bar. They were line dancing to four tubas!

The strangest gig (and most dangerous) for me was back at Mannes. I was hired to play tuba in a german band for the fraternal order of Police in Manhattan, NYC. 300 heavy drinking police officers. The scary part was that they were all very upset as two of their own had been murdered that morning. There was a tremendous amount of anger in the room and several officers got on the microphones to let their bretheren know what was going to happen next. I was only 17 and rather scared as a newbie in NYC.

This past summer (and only one of the two gigs I've ever had) saw me playing tuba with what you could call a folk singer (at least, that's the closest genre to what this guy played). As is usual with "local music", he had a basic idea of what he wanted me and the other guy (a bari sax/clarinet doubler) to play. We had two performances - one in a toy store (that actually filled up pretty well), and one in one of those party halls - of which we had two people in the audience.

I remember in college, having to play Stars & Stripes at dental product convention. One of the toothpaste companies was unveiling a new toothpaste called "Stripes", and the product announcement speech from the CEO was in the style of a military general talking to his troops; he had even rented the actual costume worn by George C. Scott in the movie Patton.

The speech fell flat, there was mild applause, and it was quiet when we left. It was bizarre. I never did see "Stripes" toothpaste.

Okay, I'll bite. When I was stationed in Germany, we were going to be on a Frankfurt TV station, playing backup to Chubby Checker. The only catch was, they pre-recorded the band to get the levels right, and wanted us to dance around on stage with Chubby while they were filming. Needless to say, we had sax players "playing" sousaphones during filming, trumpet players "playing clarinet, etc. All of us holding the instruments backwards, improperly (of course) and trying to control our laughter throughout the shoot. I don't think anyone but Chubby and us knew what was going on . . . but we sure looked like we were having a great time!

For a number of years my wife and I have played as part of a brass quintet for the home tour in Marshall Michigan. Part of the gig was to climb up into the bell tower of the Episcopal church and play around the bell. Sound got out fine due to all the openings in the tower. Horns were brought up on a rope and you followed on the ladder. Ladder was designed for someone about 6'6" as the rungs are about 20+" apart. Not fun for 5"3" me. Last couple years we have stopped climbing as they altered the tower openings so the sound did not get out as well, and we are all older and don't like the climb. I did get paid and we got a great lunch so it was worth it.
ScottM
PS: Tower room was too small for a trombone slide so used two trumpets, two horns and tuba. Played traditional tower music by Pezel.

the gigs that weird me out the most are those very-general business gigs that pay well, but have an uncaring audience.

the electroacoustic free improvisation gigs that are actually weird are the ones that are the most fun for me.

ronr wrote:New flag pole installed at a strip mall. Brass quintet played patriotic music; mostly Sousa.

That bit of oddness sounds like actual fun.

Maybe not the strangest gig, but awkward.

I played a gig at a nice “social club” type place. Fancy for the area. They had just raised a bunch of money for nothing important & were enjoying themselves & having a party. Everyone was super friendly & there was an open bar. Drinks, including alcoholic drinks, were offered to the band as we played. I politely declined. I think one of the guys had an iced tea or ginger ale or something) At the end, the group was very appreciative & we were even approached & offered more $ to play a little longer and hired back for the next year. It was a great gig.

The next year, the same venue: the announcer for our group asked at the bar if he could have a some water before the set started: “we have instructions: absolutely nothing for the band”. I can’t get a glass of water? “No”

They were dead serious.

Was it Bob’s Country Bunker??

Three Valves wrote:Was it Bob’s Country Bunker??

We've got both kinds of music!

bort wrote:

Three Valves wrote:Was it Bob’s Country Bunker??

We've got both kinds of music!

Be grateful for that chicken wire!

Some of my friends and I recently finished up doing a series of parade gigs for a Peruvian catholic marching band in New England... Im Jewish

cktuba wrote:https://videos.files.wordpress.com/QvbU ... 07_dvd.mp4" target="_blank

In a truck on a truck.... it was actually pretty fun... at one point I was handed a Shiner Bock... good gig.

That is awesome!

Did they let you use a ladder to get in? Or did they roll the upper truck forward, giving you room to stand behind it, so it was like loading into a truck... de capo?

Still pondering what might be strangest for me.

Which might be difficult to pinpoint, as i might accused of bringing the strangeness with me. At least at some level i hope to aspire to that.

cktuba wrote:

Thanks!

cktuba wrote:at one point I was handed a Shiner Bock...

...by a person with very, very long arms