Tied For Last

Second band of a two-band night.

This was our first show of the new year and our first gig at Desmond's. We were supposed to play for about double the length of a typical set, so we were VERY psyched. I wasn't expecting a crowd, but was pleasantly surprised when I showed up and saw a lot of friends who hadn't come in awhile, and quite a few first-timers mixed in with the awesome regulars.

We had planned on a 20 song set, but were ready with additional standbys if there was time. Things were going well when we saw that we could set up early. We actually had all our gear set up by about 10:50 (we were scheduled to go at 11pm), so we decided to do a soundcheck. We soundchecked with "Burning Love" which wasn't on the official setlist, but it was two days before Elvis' birthday, so it only seemed right. It was a little sloppy because we hadn't rehearsed it for the set, but it was good enough to get levels.

Then the show started.

We opened officially with "Stay Up and Talk to Me," and it got a great reception. The audience was clearly in a good mood and that bode very well for us. Two songs later, during our cover of Bowie's "Ziggy Stardust," many in the audience were singing right along which was damn cool.

Each of the songs was going over well, and the crowd seemed to be right there with us. Early on, we settled in for a fun night as it was looking as if this gig was going to match some of our best shows at The (now-defunct) Orange Bear. Sadly, it wasn't to last.

Often, we play at clubs where all of our instruments are miked, and the sound guy controls everything. Sometimes, the venue is set up so that only the vocals are miked and mixed by the sound guy, and the rest of the sound comes directly from our amplifiers and drums. A lot of bands hate this setup because it means more work for them, but we don't mind because we can generally get a good sound this way, so long as the vocals are mixed well.

At some point, during "Beautiful In Black," and even more during "Superstar," we realized that we couldn’t hear our vocals onstage. This meant that there was a problem with the on-stage vocal speakers (monitors). We noticed that, at different points, the audience was clearly having a problem hearing the vocals as well.

Calls to the sound guy went unanswered when we were told that he was outside smoking a cigarette. Someone got him back in, and he was fiddling with the sound while we played "Take Janine Away." About halfway through the song, we realized that there was just no vocal coming out of any speakers in the joint, so I stood at the lip of the stage and shouted the last chorus sans microphone so that at least those nearest the stage could hear.

All the while, the audience was very receptive, quite understanding, and seemed to still be having a great time. Most of all, they weren't holding us responsible, so we weren't too concerned.

We were assured by the soundguy that all was fixed, so we started to play "Jessie's Girl." We've only played this cover song once previously, so it's a TFL ultra-rarity. By about the second verse though, the vocals were gone again, and by the bridge, we had to actually stop the song. Though the audience was telling us they couldn't hear the vocals, the sound guy was saying that they were coming through in the house. Either way, they were NOT coming through the monitors.

While the soundguy continued to fiddle, I decided that I would sing a song from the audience so that I could see for myself how much of the vocals were being heard. I chose "Achiever" because I don't play guitar on that one. It started well, and I could hear myself sing, so I sat down and serenaded a couple of lovely ladies. Poor Tommy was stuck onstage, and he couldn't hear himself or me, but he was wailing away (and sounding great) nonetheless.

By the second verse, though, the vocals were dropping out completely again, and by the third verse, they were totally gone. We decided to stop that song, take a break, and let the soundguy have full access to the stage so that he could fix all this.

I was still standing in the audience and the guys were putting down their instruments when the stage speakers let loose with the most ungodly loud and screeching feedback that filled the room. It went on for about 15 seconds until the soundguy finally cut the power. From where I was, the sound was actually painful. It had to be so much worse for Tom, John and John, and for Rev. Caroline who was right at the side of the stage when it happened.

We milled around for about five minutes, band and audience both, recovering from the shock to our ears. Meanwhile the sound guy was on the phone with someone.

After another five minutes, I went to the soundguy to find out when we could take the stage again, and I was told that the PA (speaker system) was now out of commission, and the gig was over. Because the speakers weren't working, I couldn't even make a general announcement, so I tried to let as many people as I could know that the show was now over.

Weak.

On Sunday morning, Rev. Caroline contacted the booker for Desmond's, to find out what the story was. We were told that the PA was fine, that they will definitely book us again, and that they should have a new sound guy by that time.

Set List:
BURNING LOVE (sound check)
STAY UP AND TALK TO ME
SHE WAS JUST A GIRL
ZIGGY STARDUST
WE'RE ALRIGHT
BEAUTIFUL IN BLACK
SUPERSTAR
TAKE JANINE AWAY
JESSIE'S GIRL (cut short)
ACHIEVER (cut short)