Dealing with Obnoxious Drunks at Bar Gigs
Interesting gig last night. We had a great crowd from the opening set. A number of people who came out to listen to, and dance to, our music. Thought it was going to be a good night. Unfortunately, there was also one really obnoxious drunk there that really killed the night, not only for the band, but for also for the entire crowd. This guy was heckling us before we even started playing. He was going out on the dance floor acting like an idiot, fake strip dancing, and it just killed our dance floor. He would be shouting out requests between every song, and sometimes during our songs. He would come up to the stage and just get right in our faces. It was distracting for the band, but also really annoying for the other patrons who were watching this happen.
We were able to fill some requests for him, giving him a Beatles tune and some Johnny Cash, but we did not know any Buck Owens (come on - we're called Rockhouse for a reason!) and that pissed him off. So he would be calling as a s%*t band for not playing his Buck Owens at one moment but then when we played a song he liked, he would come up to the stage and bow before us in submission with his hands out in front of him. It was a truely bizzaro night and his behavior was distracting for the band, but more importantly, it was driving other patrons out of the venue.
If that was not bad enough, towards the end of the evening, some drunk lady comes up to the stage in front of me during a song and wants to talk to me. Hey lady...I can't hear a word you are saying...get a clue.... So she reaches up to my mic stand and turns it away from me points it into our speakers. Oh yeah, I hear the feedback building. I lose my place in the song momentarily as I try to get control of the mic before we have massive feedback. Fortunatley, a male friend of her's sees what she is doing, comes up to the stage and escourts her out of the bar. I get back into the song (actually a 3 song medley) and finish it off.
Well, the other drunk is still there heckling us all night and by the fourth set, the other patrons were heckling him back - before they got up and left the bar. Oh yeah, no management there last night to handle this situation. So I blame them for not having someone take care of that patron. The house lost money because of that one obnoxious drunk, the band had a tough night, and what looked like to be a very promising night for the band and patrons, was lost.
That's my story.
We were able to fill some requests for him, giving him a Beatles tune and some Johnny Cash, but we did not know any Buck Owens (come on - we're called Rockhouse for a reason!) and that pissed him off. So he would be calling as a s%*t band for not playing his Buck Owens at one moment but then when we played a song he liked, he would come up to the stage and bow before us in submission with his hands out in front of him. It was a truely bizzaro night and his behavior was distracting for the band, but more importantly, it was driving other patrons out of the venue.
If that was not bad enough, towards the end of the evening, some drunk lady comes up to the stage in front of me during a song and wants to talk to me. Hey lady...I can't hear a word you are saying...get a clue.... So she reaches up to my mic stand and turns it away from me points it into our speakers. Oh yeah, I hear the feedback building. I lose my place in the song momentarily as I try to get control of the mic before we have massive feedback. Fortunatley, a male friend of her's sees what she is doing, comes up to the stage and escourts her out of the bar. I get back into the song (actually a 3 song medley) and finish it off.
Well, the other drunk is still there heckling us all night and by the fourth set, the other patrons were heckling him back - before they got up and left the bar. Oh yeah, no management there last night to handle this situation. So I blame them for not having someone take care of that patron. The house lost money because of that one obnoxious drunk, the band had a tough night, and what looked like to be a very promising night for the band and patrons, was lost.
That's my story.
Comments
Love hearing how other guys would handle obnoxious drunks, without causing a fight....
When it starts getting that bad, I give the drunk my axe, go out in the parking lot, for my own special brand of refreshment, and wait for management to summon me...
Somehow, I don't think you would be handing your axe over to a drunk and then leaving the stage and going out to the parking lot. And, like I said, management was absent there that night and we had to deal with the problem the best we could by ourselves.
Yes, we know people come to bars to drink. We have had to deal with drunks many times. This was the first time we ever had to deal with someone like that all night. Usually management will step in and take care of the problem when they see the drunk driving out paying patrons. But, like I said, management was gone this last gig.
Nobody got hurt, nobody got arrested, so on that level we were successful. But it was a very promising night that was lost mainly because of one character. Lost for the band, lost for the other patrons.
We did the best we could under the circumstances. And we thought it would have made matters even worse if we started heckling him back. So we did not. On nights like that, you start watching the clock and just \"work\" for the money.
Ah the memories!!!
There's a reason I don't play bars anymore..
I do miss the trips to the parking lot..
Oh yeah..And the guy that was so smashed on PCP, got on stage, grabbed the mic, and began to, what I think was sing..Back to the parking lot..
And then the time..
If you only learn one Buck Owens tune, I would suggest \"Crying Time\". It's so appropriate, for so many occasions...
At our Christmas show, lots of people were drunk (open bar for two hours). This one guy kept trying to talk to me. What makes matters worse is, for several songs we go off stage into the crowd, so that gives everyone a great excuse to start a conversation. Finally, I understood what he wanted - there was a PRS guitar raffled off earlier in the night, and he wanted to see it. Just to get him off my case, I went back on stage and announced in the mic: \"We have a request from the audience, would the person who won the PRS guitar please come up on stage and play it?\" He did come up to me after and complimented our set, so no hard feeling there - just annoying.
At the same show, we had two \"exotic dancers\" on stage with us in Santa outfits:
And this one drunk chick (initially we thought she was with them but didn't have a costume) came up on stage and was hitting on the two of them and our singer. Reports had it that sometime during the set, while walking off stage, she ran into a wall and knocked herself out. Problem solved.
A few weeks ago, we played a cancer benefit, and there was this drunk girl who kept trying to dance with us - and failing - whenever one of us would come off stage. She was completely wasted. During the next band's first song, she came up to me and said, \"hey... do you play music?\" Did you not see me 20 minutes ago, lady? Later on in the night, I convinced her that my name is Gandi (she was Indian) and her response was, \"For real, I have good knees, I'll get on the ground!\" The lead guitarist from the other band later told her that he was the first person to sign Metallica. It turned from annoying to entertaining.
We played a local event called Midnight Madness, which is a tree lighting ceremony and shopping night they do every beginning of December. During our last set, some drunk dude showed up, and kept asking us to play Sweet Home Alabama - very loudly, and in-between songs. Before our last song, I caved: played the first two bars of the intro riff. The song we were about to play is called Things (I Don't Wanna See) which lists a number of humorous things that, well, you don't want to see. The conversation went like this:
Cast: Brian (male vox), Sandra (female vox), Me (guitar), Drunk Guy
Sandra: You know, there are some things that you really just don't wanna see...
Drunk Guy: PLAY SWEET HOME!!!
Me: (plays riff and stops)
Drunk Guy: Awww, come on!!!
Brian: There's one thing you don't wanna see - a teaser like that!
Drunk Guy: Play it again!!!
(I did not hear the last comment, so I'm waiting for Sandra to start the song)
Sandra, to me: He wants you to do it again
Me, to Sandra: Well forget him I don't give a crap!
(Apparently the whole room heard that last comment, which was not my intention at all. When I looked back at Drunk Guy, he was grimacing an \"ouch, man\" expression on his face.)
Brian: Okay, there's another thing you don't wanna see!
(Song starts)
Not a very nice way to handle it, but we didn't hear from the guy for the rest of the night.
Anyway, those are some ideas for you.
Love hearing all these bar stories. I guess we got off pretty easy in comparison to some of you. It's rare that we have to deal with obnoxious drunks. But it does remind you of where you are playing sometimes. Most of the time we have fun. Some nights it's more like work. I'm still having fun, so it's all good for now.
The key is to entertain them but don't let them be the focal point of your show. If they make off requests you say \"we have others we have to do before we can do yours\".. and that usually works. next couple songs on your set you can say \"by request\".. and then play it. Nobody knows if it was requested or not. Drunk person usually goes away at that point.
Don't point them out to make them the butt of a joke! I've seen that happen and it ends up bad every time. Try to persuade them you will take care of them later in the set after you fulfill other requests etc.
If they start up again, they'll usually realize it isn't working and nobody is paying attention to their behavior. They might even leave. Do what you can to appease them, just don't give them a reason to get even worse.
On days when they have a bouncer on staff, our front man prepares the bouncers with a high sign. All he does is give the high sign, gestures at which person needs to be removed and it's all done peacefully. Usually the bouncer will tell the guy to stay away from the stage and keep quiet or he will just escort them out of the venue.
We had an incident with a former vocalist and a guy who was high on something. Our vocalist went to get a drink. As he was there this woman says \"hey nice pipes\" and he says thanks. Two seconds later this other dude sucker punched him. Caught off guard and now angry, our singer decides this guy is in for a fight. Next thing you know bar stools are in the air, people are screaming and leaving.
We had the place to capacity and it emptied fast when one of this dudes friends pulls a gun. Luckily cooler heads prevailed, but damn you just never know and that is why you calmly do what you can to appease these situations and not ever excite anyone. BTW, we fired our singer. You never attack a patron like that in the club even for self defense. There are peole there to manage those situations. Good thing we did too because the next gig, that same idiot had more friends there looking for our former singer.
I have probably hundreds of stories I can tell, but as I acquired more experience gigging, you just learn to never bring excitement to a situation where people are intoxicated like that.
Fortunately our band has never been in a bar fight. I'm sure the band would lose return gigs whether or not it was our fault. Most of the time people are just out for a good time, and not a fight. Good that you guys fired your lead singer before the next gig. That could have been really band for your band.
Worked out for us because this guy was not the most punctual, became more of a pita, and our level of patience with him was thin as it was. Two months later we had a front man that was more to our liking, and understood the business aspect, unlike our other guy who thought he was a rock god covering songs in bars.