Dealing with enthusiastic punters ?

Clarky

my encounters with drunk audience are usually after the gig..
even if they are a bit annoying I still try to be polite and try to avoid them dominating my time, cos if you're not careful they'll prevent you from being able to chat with anyone else..
a little excuse like 'I need a piss' / 'need to quickly pop backstage' followed by 'thanks for coming, it's been nice chatting' etc works

hotpickups

We get asked to play this and play that etc. All I say is yeah that's a great song and we'll learn it just for you at our next gig. We don't of course but then I'm pretty sure they won't be there either as the pubs we play at are usually passing trade etc. Makes them feel important and heard though so everyone's happy

Danny1969

I often get asked to "play something you know"  ....  I'm not sure who did that one, never heard it !

If someone asks to have a go on my guitar I tell em it's not my guitar, because it isn't. Loads of people like to have their photo taken with it though because of the Stella graphics ....locally the guitars way more famous than I am 

@hotpickups .... that's the exact same ruse I use .... get excited about their song request, "What a great song, lets do that the next time we play here"  .... been caught out a few times but not many

jpfamps

I have general policy in life of always asking politely twice, just in case they didn't hear the first time.

Emp_Fab

What ? - You mean;

"Excuse me, is there any chance I could have a go on your guitar please ?"
- Fuck Off - 
"Excuse me, is there any chance I could have a go on your guitar please ?"
- Whack in the balls with a mic stand -

Seems an odd policy.

FarleyUK

"Can I have a go on your guitar?"

"Sure, if I can have a go on your wife".

That usually works (plus being 6ft5 might help with the delivery of it).

FarleyUK

Emp_Fab said:

Specifically, what do you say to someone who approaches you and nicely says "Can I have a go on your guitar mate ?"

You can't really reply "Fuck off" can you ?  How do you explain that if he was sober and someone you trusted, it wouldn't be a problem but for all you know he could be a twat who might damage it and/or refuse to give it back until he'd finished the entire list of songs he can't actually play ?

How do you say "No" in a way that is likely to get them to fuck off without any hassle or bad feeling ?

"I'm really sorry, but it's only insured if I'm playing it - and obviously being a gigging musician, I wouldn't want to take the risk".

maltingsaudio

Do all your gigs on Lundy ..... ?

Luminous

Generally I wouldn't even try to be polite....

Roland

If using IEMs I point to them, indicating that I can’t hear. “Can I play ...” is countered with “sorry, but our insurance doesn’t allow that”. For “Can you play ...” we say “if we can fit it in” (which we never can) or “sorry, we don’t know it”.

David5150

In the early days of gigging we'd try and reason with enthusiastic (drunk) punters doing all of the above but now we just tend to completely ignore them and get on with the job in hand.

midlifecrisis

we tell them any requests are best written on a £20 or £50 note and given to the singer.   or we just say, yes, that ones coming up later.
only once had someone ask to have a go on my guitar and i just said sorry mate, its not in standard tuning, left them to think about it

Trude

What annoys me the most is when people try to engage me in conversation (drunken or otherwise) whilst I'm actually playing.  I'm a good multi-tasker, but it baffles me that punters think it's possible to walk up and chat to a musician IN THE MIDDLE OF A SONG. 

I think a lot of punters (and clients too sometimes) just don't appreciate the difference between a DJ and a musician. 

Dominic

I just look at them very menacingly and say " I don't speak English ok "

Hoof

Glass first, ask questions later.

JayGee

Trude said:

What annoys me the most is when people try to engage me in conversation (drunken or otherwise) whilst I'm actually playing.  I'm a good multi-tasker, but it baffles me that punters think it's possible to walk up and chat to a musician IN THE MIDDLE OF A SONG. 

I once had quite a long conversation with a pianist in a bar in Croatia while he worked his way through a bunch of blues and Rock’n’Roll classics. He started chatting to my wife and I during an interval, I happened to mention that I played in a covers band back home and he just carried on wanting to know about where we played, what kinds of venue, what songs we liked doing, etc, etc never missing a beat of either the conversation or the song he was playing. Kind of weird but impressive!

Emp_Fab

I saw that guy in Tunisia.  He stopped to take a drink and the piano kept on playing.  The least he could have done was to not put the MIDI sequencer on top of the piano.

Fretwired

Emp_Fab said:

Specifically, what do you say to someone who approaches you and nicely says "Can I have a go on your guitar mate ?"

Just say 'No problem. Can I have a go on your wife/girlfriend/daughter first (delete as appropriate)' .. just be firm and say nobody plays my guitar but me or 'elf and safety mate - I'm insured - your not'

uncledick

vasselmeyer said:

I always find "I'll let you have a go on my guitar if I can have a go on your girlfriend" puts them off.

Not a good tactic in Newton Abbot

oktorockto

Emp_Fab said:

Specifically, what do you say to someone who approaches you and nicely says "Can I have a go on your guitar mate ?"

You can't really reply "Fuck off" can you ?  How do you explain that if he was sober and someone you trusted, it wouldn't be a problem but for all you know he could be a twat who might damage it and/or refuse to give it back until he'd finished the entire list of songs he can't actually play ?

How do you say "No" in a way that is likely to get them to fuck off without any hassle or bad feeling ?

Once had a guy ask this in the break on a Sunday afternoon duo gig, acoustic - he was pulling pints behind the bar earlier so assumed he worked there. Turns out he was actually a genuine psychopath criminal who was mates with the landlord. After politely saying I didn't let anyone use my guitar he just walked over and picked it up. Guitar was on my brand new guitar stand. I went over to try and talk to him and asked him to give it to me whereby he swung around and smashed it over my shoulder, followed by full Pete Townhend style destruction of it on the floor. I was in shock, he then punched me in the jaw, nearly breaking it and it was only when he was picking up a table to throw at me that other punters bustled him out. In the end I managed to claim off of pubs insurance arguing he was a volunteer staff member. I was too naive to realise I could have taken them to town but I was only in my early twenties. I did the next days gig with a borrowed guitar with a half inch action and could barely sing through swollen mouth/jaw. It was very horrible time and I purposefully made myself get out again gigging as soon as possible. In later years in other bands I realised it is usually people jealous of your talents or upset that women are interested in you (or men in women, or women in women, men in men etc to keep it equal)

You simply can't plan for those situations but now I always keep guitars in cases unless they are being played and always look for the nearest bottle/bar stool I can throw at someone in emergency!