Most Peculiar Gigs

[Dingle]

I'm just wondering what stuff a band/artist has done live that just made you "mark out" at it's randomness. Hard to explain at this time in the morning, but stuff for me would be like this band round here switching positions constantly. The drummer would stop drumming and then just swap with the frontman or a guitarist. It was wacky but hilarious. There'll be better, but my gigging experience isn't too expansive.

[probablyoliver]

Jon Spencer Blues Explosion - during one song someone lobbed a shoe at the stage, and it knocked the drummer clean off his stool. The other two members turned to look and carried on playing, then the drummer got back up, blood pouring down his face and carried on drumming, whilst paramedics did their best to help him.

YETI - the entire power blew during their set and so they proceeded to sit on the edge of the stage and play acoustically for the rest of their set, lit by candlelight. It was the most beautiful gig experience ever.

be your own PET - me and a a couple friends ended up getting dragged on stage to sing along with Jemina. That was wonderful.

I think they've gotta be the three best ones. I'm sure I'm forgetting some stuff, mind.

Edit: Oooh, oooh, at a Babyshambles gig, Pete Doherty and Mick Jones leaned out of a balcony and spat on the guy in front of us. It landed on his back and he didn't realize. It was pretty gross.

Edited November 26, 2008 by Fire In CairOllie

[Tarheels.]

I went to a Girl Talk show back in August and my friends and I got to go on the stage. We were about 80% certain that we saw Greg Gillis do a line of coke off of his laptop.

[Skummy]

At the end of a SunnO))) gig I went to, Gregg Anderson punched Stephen O'Malley and threw him through a speaker stack. That's probably it.

Second time I saw Art Brut, Eddie Argos spent the whole gig constantly reminding us that the last time he was in Jersey someone stole his hat, so he was making sure to keep his shoes on for the first time at a gig ever.

Watching The Yeah Yeah Yeahs at Route Du Rock an age ago, before they got really big, Karen O dragged my friend on stage to sing a bit of "Pin" with her.

I think that's about all, though I'm sure I'll think of something else.

[GoGo Yubari]

Second time I saw Art Brut, Eddie Argos spent the whole gig constantly reminding us that the last time he was in Jersey someone stole his hat, so he was making sure to keep his shoes on for the first time at a gig ever.

God, Art Brut. I'll just start off with hilarious shit Eddie Argos did at the Art Brut show I was at in '07.

"So let's say that I'm hanging out with my good friend Jay-Z after this particularly bad breakup. And what would Jay-Z say to me? He'd say 'Eddie Argos,' because that's my name, I'm Eddie Argos, 'I've got ninety-nine problems but a bitch ain't one.' And then I'd say to him 'Jay-Z, I don't appreciate the misogynistic sentiments that that line promotes. But you're right.'"

"Our next song is called 'Jealous Guy.' It is not a cover. Go Art Brut."

The time he stopped a song (I can't remember which) to start ranting about how he wanted record shops to just sell records, and the time he stopped "Emily Kane" to say that he hated breakup songs/songs about old flames and didn't want to hear them ever again... and then continued Art Brut's song about an old flame.

The point at the end of a song ("Good Weekend," possibly?) where the whole band started doing that thing where they all hit one chord in a repeating staccato fashion, and Argos got into it by leading it by doing like this motion where he jerked forward and like headbanged, and they just. Kept doing it until suddenly it became a game of Argos testing the rest of the band to see if they'd do it perfectly in time with him, and at one point he did a fake-out... and the drummer fell for it. The crowd's disappointed "awwwwww" reaction was absolutely beautiful.

[Skummy]

God, I've seen Art Brut six or seven times, I could probably fill this thread with stories like that, they're pure class.

My favourite, though, was after they played a club over here, going to a different club for another hour or so, and they were there...I'd met them a couple of times before, at Route Du Rock and twice over here, and they get on really well with my mates' band that supported them a few times, so they tend to hang around with a lot of the Jersey music scene while they're over here.

Anyhow, I'm stood at the bar chatting to a couple of friends of mine, Colin and Carlo. Colin says that he's tired, just wants to go home and have the sausage roll that's in his fridge. Carlo, not realising that Eddie Argos is stood directly behind him, shouts "BANG! BANG! SAUSAGE ROLL!", and Eddie Argos just steps between them and says "Stay away, from the snacks!". The man's a genius.

In conclusion, Art Brut are fucking legendary. Oh, and starting "Modern Art" as "God Gave Modern Art To You" is pure genius.

[SRN]

Alestorm. They sing about pirates, drinking, their scottish pirate metal but just for some reason Christopher Bowes, their vocalist, had to shout on the top of his lungs "FINISH HIM!" just as Shaw began a guitar solo. And off course, because Bowes and Alestorm are awesome, he shouted "FATALITY!" once the solo was done. It was awesome, unexpected and so random that I was speechless. I will never forget that.

[Farmer Reil]

Bloodstock '07. Wolf are part way through their set when the (somewhat crappy) electrics fails (again), so after about 10 seconds of playing on anyway without realising nobody can hear them, they stop and bum around the stage for a while. As it becomes obvious it's not going to be magically fixed any time soon, Johannes goes backstage momentarily and comes back with several carrier bags, from which he produces several cans of lager and starts handing them out to his band-mates. And then starts chucking them into the crowd. After failing miserably to 'hit' (in the good sense) a good looking chick in the front row he dismounts the stage like Frankie Dettori and hands one to her, then starts smashing his can against random other peoples Stone Cold Style, showering most of the front row with beer.

Later, for reasons I can't remember (and after several failed attempts by Johannes to get back onto the stage, resulting in random roadies having to give him a leg-up), the crowd start chanting for Anders (who is... not a small chap) to take his shirt off. Again, must reiterate, I have no idea what started it. So he does, and there's a massive cheer. And then the electrics start working again and the rest of the (shortened) set continues with relatively little ado

This post reminds me... Wolf; the only band I can think of where the frontman isn't the singer...

[K]

This post reminds me... Wolf; the only band I can think of where the frontman isn't the singer...

Fall Out Boy

[Turbo Yannis]

The time I saw Reuben a few years back, Jamie had gotten food poisoning the night before and done the gig in his hospital gown.

Exciting and groundbeaking stuff.

[Iain76er]

Dillinger Escape Plan stopped midway through a song to eat pizza, then continue again from where they left off. I imagine they planned to do that.