Your most embarrasing band moment

[backrowbloke]

So what is your most embarrasing moment playing?

I'm going to be brave and start off..

Several years ago I was with my band heading a mayors parade through the town centre in Walsall. Anyone who has done this march will know that it is a treacherous route through the market to the the church.
Anyway, on the return journey I had successfully negotiated the carefully placed deposits of the mounted police and then noticed a guy about 5 feet away with a video camera - time for a good show I thought. Unfortunately, I didn't notice at the same time the 4 foot bollard in front of me and marched straght into it, much to the delight of the rest of the band and the local military unit right behind us. Nearly caused a switch to soprano...... :shock:

No serious damage other than pride - guess that will teach me not to be vain.....

Over to tMP friends now. What are your most embarrasing moments
(Bottyburp - are you going to confess about the national? )

 

[The Cornet King]

Well I have a rather embarassing moment.

I went on a tour with my old band, Clifton and Lightcliffe to Switzerland.
We were playing in Montreaux on the lakeside, beautiful surroundings (was 40 degrees though!! Blooming hot)
Anyway the band walked on stage, and as i was principle cornet i walked on last. As i sat down, i didnt realise that one of the legs of the chair was dangling off the edge of the stage!!!
I sat down, and along with the chair and with the whole of the audience and band watching I fell straight off the stage with a huge thud

The whole audience gasped, and in true fashion the whole band laughed their asses off :x Damn painful it was though!
The first words of comfort i received from the conductor were "Is the cornet alright?" Thanks very much!!

 

[Mike Saville]

I left my slide at home for the Areas a couple of years ago - doh! :shock:

I play lots of different instruments and have several cases - looked in hi one on a Sunday morning saw the bell and presumed the slide was also present!!!

 

[lynchie]

Just after our set at the French nationals I stood up and started walking off, only to kick my mute off the stage into the lap of a person on the front row of the audience. Had to go out there after to ask to have it back!

 

[Fishsta]

My embarassing moment is fairly tame.

I was due to play my first ever Trombone solo, in front of a home crowd on Rememberance Sunday in the club just underneath the band room.

Before the concert, I took the time to pass water in the facilities within the club. Once finished, I did the usual thing of zipping up the fly... disaster!

The fly simply exploded. Teeth from it went everywhere, and the zip was quite honestly knackered.

I got some help from the secretary (I was only young at the time!), who took me up to the bandroom and got out several spare pairs of trousers, which ranged from "Headache-inducingly tight" to "Enough room for three of me", and none inbetween.

Eventually, a pair was found that didn't look too daft, but still took some holding up (Clothes pegs are wonderful inventions... so many uses!), and the day was saved.

 

[BottyBurp]

Not being one to turn down a challenge...

The first time my band ever qualified for the National Finals at the RAH (circa 1992), I parked my car at the planned meeting point and got my gear out. Got on the coach and duly arrived in London. Booked into the hotel and settled down to watch TV with my then girlfriend (now wife). The time for our rehearsal came. It was then that I realised that I had forgotten my cornet :roll: . Oh ****! OH S***!

After a phone call from the bandmaster when I had to own up and lots of panicking, I phoned my wife's father (who is a magistrate) and asked him to go and break into my car, retrieve my cornet and drive it down to London. Prospective Father-in-law did what was asked, arrived in hotel lobby circa 11.30pm with my cornet. The band went on stage the next day, played a blinder ( :shock: ) and came last...

Strangely enough, people I know STILL haven't forgotten this... (thanks backrowbloke)...

Part of life's rich tapestry etc...

 

[stephen2001]

Playing in the Albert Hall (Nottingham), I'd played a blinder of a first half on Trombone for the County Concert Band. So much so, the amount of praise I got from the break was embarrasing .
Anyway, there was one piece in the second half which required mutes, and you guessed it! it fell out :!: Now, it maybe wouldn't have been so bad if I hadn't have been on the 5th or 6th step of the stage .
After that, I just lost all concentration and at the end of the day, just wanted the world to open up in front of me :? .

 

[Railybobs]

Whilst doing an East Anglia tour with the Central North Youth Band Of The Salvation Army I decided to sort out some tuning probelms with a brand new yammy Bb cornet. the slides were stuck fast.

So out came the yellow duster. It was wrapped around the slide and with a euph player pulling on the bell, we felt a slight movement in the instrument. So we carried on pullind. Needless to say once the brackets had given way all that it could be described as is a fanfare trumpet.

Only cost £350 quid at Mcqueens to fix.

And it wasn't mine. I'd borrowed it for the tour.

 

[floral_dance]

Well I have a rather embarassing moment.

Anyway the band walked on stage, and as i was principle cornet i walked on last. As i sat down, i didnt realise that one of the legs of the chair was dangling off the edge of the stage!!!
I sat down, and along with the chair and with the whole of the audience and band watching I fell straight off the stage with a huge thud

Thanks very much!!

You poor sod

 

[lynchie]

that reminds me of a story my old music teacher told me. He was playing in an orchestra, sat above the bassoon section, and the guy sitting on the end of trombone section shuffled his chair about a bit and slipped off the edge. landed right next to one of the bassoons, giving him the scare of his life!!!

 

[The Cornet King]

Well I have a rather embarassing moment.

Anyway the band walked on stage, and as i was principle cornet i walked on last. As i sat down, i didnt realise that one of the legs of the chair was dangling off the edge of the stage!!!
I sat down, and along with the chair and with the whole of the audience and band watching I fell straight off the stage with a huge thud

Thanks very much!!

You poor sod

Thank you very much Floral Dance. Nice to see that someone is sympathetic to my cause. I shall not forget this

 

[BRASSBANDGIRL]

Yesterday my band did our annual Littlehampton Bonfire Society Carnival March our only march we do thankfully

After we finished the march which seems like a marathon its a quick drink and then time to do a short concert.
This starts off well and our lips seem to be holding up we get to the finial piece Hootananny I remined our 2nd baritones when to stand. So we are playing our way through it getting closer to our turn then i forget the repeat before it and stand up to early followed by our 2nd bari's
I sat down again very quickly and was then to embarassed to stand up at the correct time
At least I gave the rest of the band somthing to laugh at :lol:

 

[backrowbloke]

I left my slide at home for the Areas a couple of years ago - doh! :shock:

I play lots of different instruments and have several cases - looked in hi one on a Sunday morning saw the bell and presumed the slide was also present!!!

not me this time I knew of a BBb bass player who on opening his case at a contest realised with horror he'd left the actual instrument at home :roll:

A tleast with a trom slide you can be excused by not noticing the weight missing. Now a BBb.......

 

[I bang AND Blow!]

2 years ago at Rhyl Entertainment contest, I'd had a bit to drink!!! I decided it would be a great acheivement if I could walk the full length of the prom right up to the sun centre with my eyes closed! I told someone that I was going to attempt this and to keep an eye out in case I was to bump into any1 etc...
Next thing, I felt myself bump into somebody, opened my eyes and found myself apologizing to a lamp post. Then I noticed the inside of my mouth tasted a bit salty, opened it and about a litre a blood came gushing out. I promptly burst into tears, swore never to speak to my lookout again (who apparently hadn't heard me telling him to look out for me) and spent the whole afternoon holding ice on my busted lip. Then once the pain subsided, I ran around the venue turning my lip inside out showing everyone! Strangely enough, it did manage to get the attention of a certain bloke who obviously likes to live dangerously and without that incident we'd probably never end up getting together-which probably says more about him than what it does about me!!! And two years later here we are!
Another one...
Last year at tameside contest my band found out two days before the contest that we couldn't play the piece we'd been rehearsing as we'd played it the year before and won. So, rather than withdraw, we whipped up a piece in two days-not an easy one either! On the morning of the contest, I said "If we win this contest, I'll show my a***" Needless to say, we won the contest, and I did! In the star pub! 3 times! And I have the pictures to prove it! What a lady!!!

 

[PeterBale]

This has been posted before, but my most embarassing moment came when playing EEb bass with Cambridge Heath Band. For some reason, the instrument I was playing on was very sharp, and all the slides were out almost as far as they could go.

We were playing Edward Gregson's "Variations on Laudate Dominum", and right in the middle of the two-bar feature in the slow section, the tuning slide acted according to its name, sliding out completely and ending up on the floor :shock:

 

[andyp]

Probably my worst was while helping another local band out (always seems to be the way - you can get away with more in your own band!), almost their entire front row was on holiday or ill, so I ended up playing top man and filling in the odd sop bit transposed off the copy. I can't remember the name of the piece, but it was a cartoon theme selection type thing, which finished up with the usual fast bit and a typical Looney Tunes last bar. Which I misread totally, due to brain being totally occupied with transposing (that's enough to cause overload, g is c, er......), and hit a cracking top C.........a whole 2 beats after the band had finished. As we were in a church, it rang around the rafters for a long time. Cue sheepish look.

There's never a trapdoor under you when you need one..........

 

[andyp]

Just remembered my favorite Whit Friday moment from a few years ago. Playing Viva Birkenshaw, at Lees (I think, there was a raised stone stage there anyway), our bass trom lost track and went for a third repeat of the bass solo, right over the start of the quiet trio. Four (beltingly loud) notes in he stopped, said "oh, ****" and carried on from the correct place.
Huge round of applause as he left the stage and "Nice one trom!" in the remarks!

 

[Cantonian]

My most embarassing moment is not a band moment. At Cardiff Canton, as well as playing in the band I am the Songster (choir) leader. In a particularly tricky song, whilst rehearsing I practiced the bass part followed by the tenor part. I then rehearsed the altos, middles and sopranos. Once satisfied that everybody knew what they were singing, I said " Right ladies and gentlemen, put all your parts together"!

 

[aimee_euph]

mine isnt that embrassing but here goes!

Last year at Fleetwood, i was scared i couldn't read the music (im longsighted) so i decided it would be best to wear my spectacles, which magnify everything so they are, well, massive. So i went to walk up the steps at the side, where the entrance thing is before the hall, and misjudged the step and fell flat on my face. Worst of all i had my brand new euph in hand, and fell on my face, onto my euph, give a huuuuge big dint in the front and it was just before i went on stage to play...

 

[Okiedokie of Oz]

I have to admit, that if I haven't been involved in, or witnessed similar events, I'd swear some of this stuff was darn funny!!

The chair off the stage....painful, but it's always the cornet player.
Marching - Swerved to avoid one...but landed in another
:mrgreen:

My all-time favourite was when I was playing in a street march in Rockhampton, the Beef Capital of Australia. A bull apparently broke away from it's handler and took charge right at us. A new command for drum majors everywhere -
Band RUN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!