Ever go to a job and forget to take your keyboard or leave some critical wires at home? I know some of you (nameless) have. As silly and impossible as it seems, we all have made mistakes we don't want to repeat.

A couple of mine:
1. Was hired for a wedding and went to the wrong venue. (After sweating bullets and driving like a mad man, I was only 15 minutes late for the reception.)

2. Had two jobs on the books for a yacht club. One was the formal Commodores Installation Banquet. The other, an informal Carribean Party. I got them mixed up and played the formal banquet in a tropical shirt and white pants.

How 'bout you. Any you care to admit?



Eddie

NOPE!

Gary



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Travlin' Easy

Last summer I booked two jobs the same night, forgot to put one on my calendar. The people called at starting time, 6:00, wondering where I was. I got there at 7:00, called the other place and told them I'd be there at 10:00. I cut both jobs short an hour. I told both of them they didn't own me anything, but they both insisted on paying.
I also went to a nursing home and forgot my keyboard! I hooked up the laptop and did karaoke. They loved it.
DonM

I got to a job and discovered that I had no keyboard stand. Another time I got to a job and had forgotten the wall wart for my Roland PK5 pedals. The PK5s will run on 6 "D" cells that I bought at a nearby gas station. I improvised on the missing stand using a couple of chairs.

Tom

Left my early job at 10:00 and headed to the second one (playing bass). About 12:30, went to the car, and my Solton MS 60 wasn't in the back seat.

After freaking out a little, I went back to the first job, and the keyboard was sitting out in the grass next to where I had parked.
Thanks goodness for the black case! It sat there for over 4 hours!

Russ

Just recently, July 1st, we were to be playing in front of the Legislature (Victoria is the capital of B.C.), July 1st is Canada Day.
Anyhoo...gig was for 9:00am, I'm ready to go by 8:30, 20 minutes to relax, regroup and warm up the pipes, but I can't find the strap for my Tele. It's a pushbutton/lock, so a normal guitar strap won't do, basically all that's on the Tele are two brass lined inset holes. Got Cathy on my cell phone, she drove the 15 miles into town, I've got to stand down by the intersection where they've blocked off the traffic 'cos I know she's gonna get messed up when she hits the downtown core. 5 minutes to go, she drives up with the strap for my "Rick"(different type of connection).....auuuuhg!! Ended up having to cradle the Tele, whenever I had to play guitar.
Nigel...can you relate???
Fortunately, I've never forgotten my keys or any snakes.

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...shboom

Had an anniversary party booked on my calendar for a Sat night...
On Friday night I am expected to meet my wife at her sister and brother - in- law's for dinner ... I decide to go home first to work on a special request for Saturday night, when the phone rings ... It's the client asking "where are you" ?? ... the party was on FRIDAY !!! ... fortunately it was being held at a nearby country club ... I called my wife and asked her to pick up my tux which was at the cleaners, and meet me at the cc ... I started about 45 min late, but played straight thru to make up for it ... Thank God I wanted to go over that song a little more ... I can't imagine how I would have felt if I had gone straight to dinner and returned home to find that message on my answering machine ...
t.

I got to a job in a small town in North Louisiana and couldn't find the power cord for my Tyros. Fortunately the local Radio Shack had one. When I got home that night I found the original. I had it all along but it was in a "different" place so I overlooked it.
DonM

You know what some professional arrangers do in that case ? They will either buy the disposable arranger keyboard that Scott Yee posted a while back or the Casio WK3100 if the nearest Walmart carries it.....(in jest of course).

The girl, that sings with me occasionally, decided to help me pack up after a gig. The next night I set up for a single and couldn't find my mic.

There was a music store nearby. I rushed in, bought an SM58 and ran back to do the job.

When packing up, I found the original mic tucked into a little zippered compartment in one of my gig bags. She later told me it looked like the only place to put it.

And then there was the bus boy at a hotel I was playing that carted my road case down to the underground garage after a job. The keyboard was still upstairs.

I'll do my own packing. No help need. Thanks anyway.

Eddie

[This message has been edited by btweengigs (edited 07-25-2005).]