have you ever been that guy?

[MikeW]

Concert in the park, long ago. We were playing a couple of marches for warm up. Must have played the first eight, maybe more - got to wondering why it was so monotonous. Bass part, so it must be ok. Actually, bass drum part (never seen another one, before or since).

Hot day at the pool, shirt pulled loose at the waist to let some air in, also let in a yellow-jacket wasp. No way I'm pulling the tuba up to playing position with one of those crawling around in my navel. Missed an entry or two, and attracted a certain notoriety trying to discreetly dislodge the wasp.

[sousaphone68]

I have been that guy several times but the one that sticks in my mind is the following.
I was 16 and in a community youth band that had been asked to participate in a production of the Music Man.
We were the town kids that learn to play and then in the finale Mach through the theatre playing 76 Trombones ending up on the stage.
I missed the final dress rehearsal and on openIng night all went well until the finale marched through got to the stage but missed my mark and the curtain closed behind me, leaving me stage left playing by myself for about 3 bars until I noticed and then had to play hunt the opening to escape.
To make it worse there were classmates in the audience that night so my moment followed me to school the next day