Your First Gig

i fell off stage and fell on the gym teacher.and my stupid friend farted super loud in the microphone and got us kicked out.

:P:P:P:P

Well, not quite so drastic, but try closing "Wish You Were Here" with a semi-showy ending, whilst your leg's shaking like a pneumatic drill. Darned impossible. Nearly dropped my pick. Then to be confronted with somebody saying "I know that song!". Well...you ought to. It's a classic, right?

I was like 10 or 11 in a Middle School talent show. I remember the students yelling so loud I could hardly hear whay we was playing.  That was a cool moment.  A week later we played a gong show style talent show and got gonged. lol  But 30 years later Im still tring to avoid the gong!

Playing GUITAR, the first time I did it in front of people was last August at a fishing camp. I had been playing for about nine months of self-teaching time.  It was around the campfire and a few of the guys had brought their guitars.  I was used to playing on a nylon classical and was handed a steel string folk guitar.  I liked it, but I wasn't used to it, and they insisted on my playing a few songs.  I do not have songs memorized well, so I tried to use my book, but there was no place to rest it and my vision was a little weak in the twilight to read it from where it was.  I got out "My Heroes Have Always Been Cowboys" with the singing help of one of the real musicians, then someone asked me to play "Forever and Ever Amen" that he had seen in my songbook earlier in the day.  So I gave it as passable a go as I could, and had a fellow who sings very well say "Well, Hoss, that ain't a bad rendition, but why don't you play it again and I'll sing it the way Randy done."  So I did, and it sounded way better and we were both smiling at the end, and I guess that's the point.  I was nervous as heck and ready to give up the guitar to its rightful owner, but he said, "Oh, you've got at least one more song in you. Keep going."  So sitting in West Virginia beside her second most famous river, I couldn't help but play, "Take Me Home Country Roads."  A couple of the wives or girlfriends of some of the guys that were already at the campfire showed up and recognized it right off somehow and the three of us sang it.  They harmonized real pretty and it actually got an ovation.  This just goes to show that a poor state of guitar playing can be overcome by attractive women who know how to sing. 

- Zurf

First gig was in '69-'70. We had 6pc band. Played a 'BATTLE OF THE BANDS' type at a 'BOYSCOUT JAMBOREE'. There was 4 bands including us. Each got to play 3 songs. It took longer for each to set up than perform. I think the shaking of my hands improved my guitar riff's immensely!!! I'm happy to say we took 1st place. Not that we were better than the others, but we were the only band with a keyboard, and we played 'Light My Fire' by the doors, which was one of the hottest tunes at that time. I still have the plaque on my wall, and my keyboard friend still takes the credit for it! Well deserved I guess?? Did I fail to mention we were all 14 yrs of age?  I don't ever want to grow up. We don't  stop playing because we're old, we get old from not playing!!!