General Music Chat

Tonights gig was punctuated by numerous fights. I don't understand why people fight all the time. Isn't there enough violence in the world without adding to it? A big fight happened between the first and second set, half the bar cleared out, then twenty minutes later it's full again, then another fight after the third set, the place clears out, then fills back up and ANOTHER fight as we're loading. Then the next night everybody hugs and makes up and the whole process starts all over again. Something about alcohol I don't understand. There's mellow drunks who are congenial as hell and then there's the irritable drunks who just want to fight. I'm a lover, not a fighter. I'm not there to fight, I'm there to play music and chill out. It's too bad they can't make a device that detects angry drunks beforehand and ejects them from the bar...

Lots of ppl are on edge right now. The economy is hurting a lot of us.

Ppl still need to get out & mingle, but they can't afford it. They're on edge with worry & add guilt to that mix, now, cuz they don't even feel right about going out to have fun when they're hurting so bad financially.

Anger results. It could be the most innocent of phrase that causes it. Staunch loyalty to one party or another combined with the slightest political remark. A guy looks at a woman a little too long. An innocent bump as one walks from the bar. It doesn't take much in times of trouble to spark an outburst.

We see it in here all the time, too. Ppl are right upset at the way things are going, & we have all of these dire threats predicted, too. It's tough to keep a cool head under these circumstances. Once that 1st punch is swung, things are bound to snowball.

That's my take on it, anyway, not knowing all the specifics you're experiencing.

We had three peaceful gigs here before, this night was different. Everybody WAS on edge seems like. You could cut the tension with a knife. I guess two old enemies were at the place tonight and people knew sh*t was going to happen. When somebody fights it's infectious. When some people get drunk they get macho, think they're bigger and stronger than they really are. I heard a while back some little dumbass picked a fight with Charles Barkley and Charles threw him through a window. A word of advice, if you see somebody as big as Charles Barkley don't pick a fight with him, he's going to kick your ass. Drunks don't have any concept of size and strength. Especially when there's women involved. These two idiots were fighting over women. No woman is worth fighting over. For some reason our music makes people want to hump. Women start bumping and grinding on the dance floor and their drunk boyfriends (or husbands) start getting agitated. I guess it's the curse of the blues glands. Overdeveloped blues glands lead to anti-social behavior sometimes, especially when there's alcohol and women involved...And despite all this the bar made money and they want us back. We're playing February 6 again, I hope it's more peaceful...

There used to be a lot more fights around here, but then clubs came up with the phrase "Barred For Life" and enforced it, and it cut down on the rednecking immediately by clearing out the worst ones first, and scaring the others into minding their P's and Q's. I had a friend who loved hanging out at the bars and wasn't really a bad person, but when he got to drinking, he'd get into it with someone. After getting barred for life from his favorite spots, he settled down so that he could still go to the bars he wasn't barred from. Funny, he always blamed the fights on being drunk, but now he still gets just as drunk, but somehow remembers not to fight.

Sign at this bar says "Anybody who fights will be banned." One of the instigators was banned for about an hour, came back later and started drinking again. If The Hideout banned fighters for life they would go out of business...

I,m a lover of fighting, the art of that is. I don't understand why people want to cause an uncontrolled disturbance in public like that. Makes no sense to me.
I,m too old and out of shape to play with fools. And I,m pretty sure the out come would not be pleasant for me or the instigator.
Besides eye ball jelly would make my pick slippery.
And who needs that?

You don't?
It's just a minimalised (Not a word), extension of what goes on big time out there in the real world.

So is this why people prefer to sit at home in the Studio?

I don't understand why people want to cause an uncontrolled disturbance in public like that.

The bar close to home here used to have the same problem, & they actually did start that "barred for life" program. After barring the first 5 ppl, & refusing to allow them to return, the problem virtually disappeared. It really does work, bob.

She did finally cave & allow one guy to return, though....after 18 years! He's been as good as gold, too!

The bar close to home here used to have the same problem, & they actually did start that "barred for life" program. After barring the first 5 ppl, & refusing to allow them to return, the problem virtually disappeared. It really does work, bob.

She did finally cave & allow one guy to return, though....after 18 years! He's been as good as gold, too!

Could it be ,... he is now too old to fight ?

Ya think?

Yeah, I've been dragged kicking and screaming back into playing bars. And the handful of gigs so far confirms what I've always felt...I HATE bars!

... I lost my brother at the age of 21 in one of those bar fights! ....over such a trivial reason... Now Years later, I've got a gentleman threatening my life if we ever meet up in the same club... again... over something super trivial... I gotta always be prepared for the worse and will always keep a clear head and end it quickly should that day arrive.... Don't need my family to lose their last son/brother/father/husband....

Wotcha Crip.
That is just too bloody sad and uncalled for. I'm really sorry to hear that
Reading what I am reading here is starting to sink in.

Sorry Crip. Sure he would be proud of you.

... I lost my brother at the age of 21 in one of those bar fights! ....over such a trivial reason... Now Years later, I've got a gentleman threatening my life if we ever meet up in the same club... again... over something super trivial... I gotta always be prepared for the worse and will always keep a clear head and end it quickly should that day arrive.... Don't need my family to lose their last son/brother/father/husband....

Watch yourself Crip

Last year I had a guy sit in on one of my acoustic gigs. He was really drunk. While I was playing he was hitting on my gf to boot. He wanted to play again and started retuning one of my guitars. I said look buddy you been hitting on my gal, then you come up here and start retuning my guitar, along with some other bullshit. I said Ive had just about enough of this. Like I said he was drunk. He took a swing at me and I just smacked him with my beer bottle. Knocked him out cold. And I just went on playing, he finally came around and the owner of the place tossed him.

If you play in bars things will happen, it just goes with the territory, So be prepared and plan ahead what you will do.

The crzy thing aobut the above story is that there are 5-6 bars in that area and when I go in one they have heard about that, and these days most people are really cool to me and dont start anything. Just a couple of weeks ago my gal and I were dancing and this blockhead kept wanting to cut in. She knows a lot of people from up there from growing up in the area and I thought he was one of those. Finally I asked her if she knew him from school or something. She said no and that he was getting on her nerves. I was going to the restroom and I guess he saw me leaving her and headed in her direction. I cut him off and said look dude, thats my gal and shes not interested in you. He sadi well thats up to her to decide. I said have you ever had a broken nose? He says no. I said well I have and it hurts like hell, and if you dont back on up now one of us is going to have one and I dont plan on it being me. He got all bowed up and I thought it was going to happen, but his buddy grabs him and said thats the dude that knocked that dude out down the street. I guess he was there, the guy apologizes and left us alone.

Like I said if you are going to paly in bars, at soem point or another you will run into someting unpleasant, it jsut goes with the gig.

I decided years ago that I won't play in any bar where my wife can't defend me.

So far it's kept me out of trouble.