Wild gig last night--new firsts for me....

[shallbe]

We landed this exclusive party. It is at a huge house, with a pool and multi-level back yard. The fellow is a Dr. from Louisiana that loves to have a good time. This was the ninth year of the party, and it is a big deal, and we felt fortunate to get a chance at the gig. If we proved ourselves, it is ours each year. It pays well.

Cooked on site--over 600 lbs. of crawfish, 300 lbs. of huge shrimp, sausage, corn, etc. All the free beer and shots the large invite-only crowd can drink. The shots are courtesy of an ice sculpture luge you put your mouth at the bottom of! Free taxi service home if you can't drive.

We got there at 5:15 for a gig that started at 7:30 and was to end at 12:30. Set up was literally in front of the pool. Two feet behind my guitars and my Matchless was the L-shaped pool. After we set up and sound checked, people started coming in droves. Beautiful women everywhere. Real stunners. However, no one is allowed in the pool, thankfully, due to where we have to set up.

I grabbed some quick boiled shrimp and crawfish just to get a little to eat before the long night. When I finished, there was 10 minutes until gig time. I went behind my amp & cab, changed my sweaty shirt, and reached my hands in the pool to wash them quickly, turned around reached for a small towel. I heard a strange hum.

I looked at the back of my amp. I saw one water drop vaporize on my EL34L and then the hum got louder and fireworks went off inside the tube. I quickly shut the amp down. The tube was cracked and toast! Crap! I could not have done that if I tried!

I grabbed my spare set of output tubes only find they weren't the new ones I thought were in my bag, but an old pair of el34's---not the L's. I pulled the back off the amp, unscrewed the tube clamps, and the tube shattered in my hand. Another reason I was glad I was using a rag, besides the heat. I replaced the tubes and left the back off the amp, with my bandmates waiting patiently. Fired up the amp--sonds good, less headroom, volume and chime, but the volume knob and cut control fixed that.

Now we're five minutes late and the leader is very antsy. I figure I will use my comfort guitar all night (Suhr T with humbucker in neck) to calm me down as well.

We start playing, and it all works. The crowd loves the band, and after the second set are given the gig for next year. Also after the second set, every keg was floating---all nine of them. People were really having a great time, lots of dancing, singing and laughs.

A beer truck is there in five minutes and brings in a huge shipment of canned beer. A little later, Dr. Host says someone wants to sit in with us. Ugh--OK, whats he play? The spoons.

Yep--the spoons. And he is the beer truck guy, hammered, spoons in hand. We get him a chair, a mic, and he actually did a pretty good job jamming with us on two tunes.

When we finished, they had put food aside for us. At 2:00 AM, we were eating crawfish, shrimp, sausage and corn. We sweated a lot, but left there more excited and energized than tired. What a wild night and great gig.

It made me really appreciate the durability and simplicity of my amp, the ability of my Burt cab to deliver great sound in any environment, and the benefit of having a guitar that never lets you down.

[Texas_Blues]

Awesome

[LavaMan]

What a cool gig!

[bluesjuke]

Glad to hear all went and ended well.
Next year post some pics of those "stunners".

[Drifting]

So you guys got home okay after you left my place?

:rotflmao

That's awesome man, glad you were able to work past the tube problems, and the gig went well.

I'm having a hard time imagining a 'spoon jam', though.

[hawkeyeinexile]

xlnt. what's the set list look like?

:cool:

[archtopjazz]

Sounds like a great gig.

[defcrew]

good times...thank god for the filthy rich

[GuitarsFromMars]

Great story. Good deal on the gig and the amp. Time to buy an expensive matched pair of tubes...

[jmecale72]

Sounds like a great gig!

[Jazzydave]

xlnt. what's the set list look like?

:cool:

+1 - that'd give us an idea of what was going on!

Isn't it amazing when gigs like this happen? It reminds me of playing on the big "houseboats" down in TN of 4th of July. They'd tie together 5-6 HUGE houseboats in the middle of the lake and I'd play on the middle one. Great food, people, fireworks, and so much fun.

THIS is what its all about brother...thanks for sharing!

[cbguy]

xlnt. what's the set list look like?

:cool:

a tribute to Barbra Streisand...

[cbguy]

Actually I, too, am glad the gig worked out well. I would've been sweating it with blown tubes. Sounds like a gig I would like to have in my memory banks.

[guzman]

kinda the dream gig ! I'd like to know the setlist too !

[2 Loud 4 You]

Sounds like a good gig! So did you splash your amp when you were washing your hands or what? It's a good thing you had spare tubes.

A friend of mine called me up about their gig last Friday. Jello wrestling at a bar. Ummm, turned into naked girls going far beyond wrestling. The problem is he had gotten his 18 yr old brother in. That kid got an eye full!

[Gas-man]

Good story.

Private parties have been very hit or hit for me.

I can think of quite a few where people just stand there and look at you.

Unless the "crowd" is drinking enough, they can be some boring gigs.

[TNJ]

Sounds good, Steve.

Man...you seem to be in a dream band.

I'm still up here struggling to gig with a band of level headed guys with skill. :facepalm

It's just been way hit or miss...that said, we do have a gig a week from friday with the funk/fusion band...first one (for this band) in over a year and a half.
Again... :facepalm

I second the observation that you were thinking ahead when you packed the replacement power tubes.
(which I never do...I just bring my Crate PowerBlock. Havent had to use it...yet)

Anyways...gotta love it when you stick with the game plan through adversity to end up on top! A true pro finds a way.

S.
j

ps Now let us look at your setlist! :D

[shallbe]

xlnt. what's the set list look like?

:cool:

Thanks for all the responses. We know a lot of songs, and the strength of the band is the grooving rhythm section, and the three part harmonies. There are only four of us, and I don't sing well----the other three guys sing like birds. The leader is the drummer, and he calls the tunes. He did a good job that night. Off the top of my head, here are some artists we covered that evening:

Stevie Wonder, James Brown, Marvin Gaye, Steely Dan, Maroon 5, Rob Thomas, Badfinger, Free, Van Morrison, John Mellencamp, Free, Bad Company, BTO, Wilson Pickett, King Floyd, the Commodores, Hall and Oates, LeRoux, 38 Special, Don Henley, the Eagles, Kid Rock, Jason Mraz, Dobie Gray, Lenny Kravits, the Stones, Keith Urban, Bill Withers and a few more.

We don't have keys, just acoustic, electric, bass and drums, so we have to do our own arrangements on many tunes. Some times it works, some times not.

[shallbe]

[QUOTE=2 Loud 4 You;6184909]Sounds like a good gig! So did you splash your amp when you were washing your hands or what? It's a good thing you had spare tubes.
QUOTE]

I did not splash the amp exactly. What happened was, when I pulled my wet hands out of the pool, I quickly turned around and reached for a towel I brought and had on my guitar stand. That stand was directly behind my amp.

When reaching for the towel quickly, on drop of water flew off my finger and straight onto the power tube. The amp was not on standby, and really cooking. The cold water drop immediately threw the tube out of bias, (hum) violent flashes, loud pops, crack in the glass. People saw it on the other side of the pool!

I'm really thankful that old set was still strong enough and matched well enough to make it through the gig. I will be ordering tubes from Bob (Eurotubes) this morning. In my bag I had a spare rectifier and ef86 as well. Thankfully, the rectifier was missed by the water (its a Mullard).

[shallbe]

Sounds good, Steve.

Man...you seem to be in a dream band.

I'm still up here struggling to gig with a band of level headed guys with skill. :facepalm

It's just been way hit or miss...that said, we do have a gig a week from friday with the funk/fusion band...first one (for this band) in over a year and a half.
Again... :facepalm

I second the observation that you were thinking ahead when you packed the replacement power tubes.
(which I never do...I just bring my Crate PowerBlock. Havent had to use it...yet)

Anyways...gotta love it when you stick with the game plan through adversity to end up on top! A true pro finds a way.

S.
j

ps Now let us look at your setlist! :D

Jato,

I feel really fortunate. I've been with these guys for 10 years, and we have never had any drama or ego issues. Everyone is a former full-timer, but now we are just old married dads having fun on the weekends, but we take it seriously.

I knew how good these guys were 15 years ago, and was a big fan. When their guitarist left, I really worked to get the audition. Thankfully, I've been there ever since. I know it will be over one day, as at 48 I'm the second youngest guy in the band. When that day comes, I will be really bumed, as this has been a great period of my life.

Prior to these guys, I had a spell of 6 month, 9 month and 1 year bands that really didn't do much, and the focus/priorities were all wrong (getting messed up or getting picked up seemed to be the goal instead of playing music in a professional manner).

Hang in there, buddy. I hope something satisfying comes together for you soon.

[Jahn]

now that's a tribute to using a Matchless as a workinman's amp! who cares if it has those intimidating tube clamps on there - grab em, swap em, keep the jam going, nice!

[aps]

Sounds like fun!

Reminds me of The Great Gatsby!

[shallbe]

now that's a tribute to using a Matchless as a workinman's amp! who cares if it has those intimidating tube clamps on there - grab em, swap em, keep the jam going, nice!

You have to use a phillips screwdriver to take the back off, and you can probably use the same screwdiver to loosen the tube clamps. Pretty quick actually. I think Matchless (to me) really defines what a workingman's amp should be. Built like a tank, superb consisitent sond from venue to venue. In three years, zero issues, regardless of temperature/humidity/whatever.

I just love cathode-biased amps like Matchless. You don't have to worry about biasing---just have a matched set of power tubes and you are good to go. This wa a quick fix, but just a little nervewracking due to so close to start time.

[pdks]

Cool under pressure, m'man ...well done and great story!

[m@2]

dang, sounds like a great gig!

a drop of water can take out a tube like that??? yikes

[SUBmariner]

I second the observation that you were thinking ahead when you packed the replacement power tubes.
(which I never do...I just bring my Crate PowerBlock. Havent had to use it...yet)



Yup. One time my Splawn wasn't getting along with the dicey power in this particular dive, so I had to go to PowerBlock. Put a Tubescreamer in front of it and you won't have "tone to die for" but you'll get through the gig OK.

[Guitar55]

Need a roadie for next year? :drool

[gennation]

Eventful evenings make for great stories! Sounds like a hell of a night.

[shallbe]

dang, sounds like a great gig!

a drop of water can take out a tube like that??? yikes

Yes it can. Hot glass does not take to quick temperature changes, it just cracks/shatters, and that is what happened. Even thick, hot Pyrex glass cookware will shatter if you put cold water on it too quick, which is exactly what I did for the tube.

[shallbe]

Eventful evenings make for great stories! Sounds like a hell of a night.

It really was, and I keep hearing stories about that night two weeks later from people that attended. In addition to the 9 kegs and many other cases of beer that were consumed, they also served 65 gallons of Margaritas and a large unknown amount of shots down the luge.

The owner contacted us and said it was his best party ever. I am looking forward to next year, and we may also get a raise.

I just got two pairs of EL34L's from Eurotubes to make sure I have backups again.

Our gigs this weekend will be fun, but will probably pale compared to that shindig.

[plexistack]

Great thread, thanks for sharing.

[TrickinSid]

Thanks for sharing your dream gig (jealous..ha)......agree, pics next year please.

P.S. Do you need an opening act....?!

[JamesT]

congratullations! I suffer in the DC area, but grew up down there around Mobile, Orange Beach, Gulf Shores, Meterie and Pascagoula... I miss down there...