Worst Weather!

[Jo Elson]

After playing in Wem carnival yesterday I just wondered what's the worst weather anyone has played in.
We had to play for 10-15mins on the carnival field after the day procession. Unfortunately for us it started to hail which not only hurt and got us soaked but made our music run as well as having to try and play whilst containing our laughter. However we did finish playing our short programme(which i might added sounded pretty good), but when it started thundering we decided to run for cover!!!

 

[ted]

A few years we played a concert outdoors underneath the shade of a giant tree and it was a typical sunny Queensland Day. About 5 minutes into the gig, one of the girls started screaming in agony (it was the most terrible scream I've ever heard.)

The gig was at a bird sanctuary and half of the band were drenched in a not so typical type of rain....

Ted

 

[tubatu]

About 15 years ago my band was in Ostend, on the way to Rastede, where we did a concert on the seafront. When we started playing it was a bit overcast, however, within about 10-15 mins, the heaven's opened and the wind started blowing.
We spent the rest of the afternoon recovering music that had blown off nearly every stand and then trying to dry it out!

 

[Keppler]

Despot should remember Féile na nGael in Waterford city a few years back.

125 mm of rain in 2 hours... I know, let's have a parade... :?

 

[IYOUNG]

my band has just returned from 3 days in Bournemouth playing anumber of concerts. Word was that on the friday morning they hadn't had any rain for 8 weeks, it absolutely tipped it down for the whole of the day !

 

[PeterBale]

Various combinations, all quite unpleasant:

Heat - outdoors: Doing the 1976 troop having got sunburnt falling asleep on Wandsworth common the day before!

Wet: Various incidents, including an Armistice Sunday march where we got absolutely drenched, but obviously had to continue as the veterans would not have abandoned it for anything.

Wind: We did a weekend in Peterborough, and were marching back from the Open Air on Sunday morning. We turned a corner in the road and were suddenly hit by terrific gusts of wind - the flag nearly went flying and it really took hold of my bass and swung it round.

Cold: We had to play for a Junor Leaders passing out parade in the middle of winter. I forget exactly where it was, but it was on the top of an exposed cliff, and everyone's fingers were frozen, despite wearing gloves and mittens, which played havoc with us woodwind players, as the gloves kept getting stuck on the keys!

Heat - indoors: We had an unusual event where we had to do a short concert, an armistice celebration and a marching display all in the same tiny hall. The stage was barely big enough to accommodate the band, and I ended up about a foot away from an arc light that seemed to have been designed to produce as much heat as possible - all of this in full ceremonial reds!

Lastly, following on from the report of the rain in Bournemouth, when we went to Jersey we were there for the only wet week they had all summer. In the end, they didn't even make us get changed, we just had to report at the appropriate time, and then our time was our own - suited me as I got to see most of the sites, but got expensive for those who spent their time in the bar or in the varous card schools.

 

[Mike Saville]

We're quite lucky as far as weather is concerned, our MD has a quite definate view on playing in rain etc. His view is that the music is far more valuable than the few hundred pounds we are being paid for that gig, so therefore we don't play when it's raining!

 

[Jo Elson]

Fortunately for rog he got out of this one because he was other wise engaged. Very lucky!

 

[Raspberry]

I must admit that Bestwood has been extremely lucky with the weather this year as we've had lovely sunshine at most of our jobs........mind you not sure about the weather forecast this Sunday and we're playing outside all day..................... 8)

 

[geordiecolin]

Memories of Chatsworth in a thunderstorm this summer, we could see it coming, the MD couldn't!! He did ALL repeats and DC's!!

Carolling round the streets when i was younger. V.v.v.v.v.v.v.cold!

 

[michellegarbutt]

I didn't actually play at this job but when we had the hottest day ever our band was playing 10 minutes from where I live only we didn't make it because we had freak rain, thunder ect. Within 15 minutes our street was under 3 foot of water and our car still hasn't dried out properly

 

[faerie]

Hmmm. For heat would have to be this summer on the hottest day ever recorded in my town, marching and playing on the carnical field in full sun, no shade in the slightest. It was awful! But i did beat my record for how many cider refresher ice lollies i could eat in one concert

As for more traditional bad weather, we played in a thunder storm a couple of years ago, but i dont think it was actually raining, just thundering loudly over head! And it cleared up for when brighouse and the fireworks came on later that night. Some people have all the luck.

Oh, and we were out caroling one year, and in the time it took for us to move between one area and another one of the trombone players' slides froze up. Im sure that should be counted as child cruelty!

 

[Despot]

Despot should remember Féile na nGael in Waterford city a few years back.

125 mm of rain in 2 hours... I know, let's have a parade... :?

I remember that, and when a local radio presenter went up to one of the bands and asked did they have anything to say to the people of Waterford, one of them piped up:
"Yeah, Sunny South East my arse!" :lol: :lol:

Nothing will ever compare though to the drenching we got a few years before at a St. Paddy's Day Parade. The rain was so bad I could hardly see with the running down forehead into my eyes...we won the best marching prize though....! :shock:

 

[weenie]

worst weather

Was it just us from Flowers , or did anybody else get caught in that awful weather on the Sunday of Pontins last year. We nearly died on the way to the contest!

 

[sparkling_quavers]

Re: worst weather

Was it just us from Flowers , or did anybody else get caught in that awful weather on the Sunday of Pontins last year. We nearly died on the way to the contest!

The weather is always bad at pontins.... it just wouldn't be pontins without rain!! I remember 2 years ago it rained so much that the mud was awful around all the chalets (especially the warm up ones!!) I seem to recall a bass player from my old band falling over and losing his glasses in the mud :shock: and it was fight for the path when trying to pass a band who was queuing at the warm-up chalets...

 

[Euph-Bari]

Re: worst weather

Was it just us from Flowers , or did anybody else get caught in that awful weather on the Sunday of Pontins last year. We nearly died on the way to the contest!

nah it wern't just you we had to get out of the bus a couple of times on the way there to move nearly full trees outta the way! was a near miss with a falling branch

 

[Cantonian]

Nowadays because of traffic problems we march very infrequently. As we are asked to lead the march at Cardiff Cenotaph each Remembrance Sunday we decided to prctice marching in a quiet(?)residential area the Sunday before. We got about 2/3 down the march and the Heavens opened. we carried on until suddenly one of the trombone players sprinted to his car. He said that he had a new coat and didn't want it to get wet.