You’d think that it would be virtually impossible to forget your instrument when heading off for a concert, yet many musicians have found themselves halfway to a gig when their eyes suddenly widen and they whirl around in the car, breath catching in their throat, wondering if they really remembered to put their violin, clarinet, oboe, or bass (yes, bass–I know people who’ve done this….not me, of course!) in the back seat.
I was recently playing a concert in a resort location quite distant from any major metropolitan area. Arriving at the gig, I was unpacking my bass and going through my pre-concert routine when I noticed our trumpet player on the phone, speaking in hushed tones with a very concerned look on his face.
It’s in the car….right?
About ten minutes before the concert was to begin, an unfamiliar man carrying a large sack appeared through the side door backstage. The trumpet player shook his hand and the man began pulling assorted trumpets out of the bag, handing them to our trumpet player for him to try out.
This seemed like a rather odd thing to be doing only moments before a concert, but I shrugged it off and continued warming up. The concert began and we shuffled onstage, where our trumpet player proceeded to nail the part with his usual grace and mastery.
As it turns out, our trumpet player had driven up from Chicago that day and had forgotten to put his trumpet in the car. He didn’t realize this until about 5:30 p.m. (our concert was to start at 7:30 p.m.), and he found himself in the uncomfortable position of being hundreds of miles from home in an unfamiliar area with no contacts and no major city for almost 100 miles.
He began calling everyone he could think of (the musical network can often work wonders in critical pinches), and through a series of referrals got hooked up with a person with a supply of trumpets (music store owner? not sure….).
Unfortunately, this guy was also a good 100 miles away, but he took off to meet our trumpet player at the concert. Incidentally, this concert was in a very off-the-beaten path location, several turns off any major highway with fairly questionable signage. The guy made it, however–amazing!
The “trumpet rescue squad” guy stayed for the first art of the concert (no doubt to take the trumpet back after the piece was done), and after we took our bow, we all gave him a bow as well! He certainly deserved it!
Call me Captain Forgetful
Though I’ve never actually forgotten my instrument, I have managed to lose or misplace just abut every other item in my arsenal, including:
- my bow
- my music
- my white shirt
- my belt
- my shoes
- my black socks
- my music stand
- my directions to the gig
- my tie
I’ve also worn the wrong outfit, gotten the rehearsal/concert time wrong, and probably simply left my brain at home on more than one occasion. I don’t think that I’m an especially forgetful person (though the above list makes me wonder!), but playing different music in a different location at different times of day while wearing different outfits increases the odds that one of these things will get bungled.
What have you forgotten?
Have you ever left your instrument at home? Headed to the wrong venue? Brought only white socks? Leave a comment and let me know. I think that just about everyone has a good “oops!” story or two in their mental archives.
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I just played a concert yesterday that was held at a high school about 1/2 hour from where I live. I decided not to use the directions provided on the group’s website, because I had my trusty ADC map for that county! I drove to where the high school was according to my map, and there was a school there all right, just not the one I needed! I drove up and down that road 3 times, took side streets to search, all to no avail. I finally stopped at a gas station to ask for directions, and found that just two years ago a huge new high school had been built about 5 miles outside town, and the old school rebuilt into a new middle school. My map was about 5 years old and of course didn’t show it. The high school was in the middle of nowhere; I would never have found it on my own. I hated that panicky feeling driving around thinking, “What’s going to happen if I just plain can’t find this place?” Thank goodness I always leave myself plenty of time to get places for just this reason!
Another story is just this past weekend; my quintet is rehearsing for a wedding next week and I left a critical piece of music behind. I live an hour away from the house where we rehearse. Fortunately, I could call my daughter at home and get her to scan the music and e-mail it to me, so we could print the music right there. I have also forgotten music and had to get my husband to drive it to me, which did not make him very happy.
😯 I’ll admit it, once I did forget my trombone on the way to a gig! I had just moved, and I was so concerned about getting the extra boxes out of my car that I didn’t think to put the trombone in. Fortunately, one of my good friends (also a trombonist) was playing as well, and the gig was in her hometown. I called her in a panic, and she laughed and brought two trombones to the show.
I also knew a guy who was going on a European concert tour, who in the process of transferring his trombone into a travel case somehow forgot to pack his slide. Imagine his horror as he opened his case before the first concert to find only a bell and a mouthpiece! He had to search several music stores (and quickly learn how to speak a new language) to find a slide that fit his bell. Because of him, I always check to make sure I have my slide!
I decided to get a bite to eat at an Evanston restaurant before heading into Chicago for my gig. I had my bass guitar with me. When I got downtown, no bass! I called the restaurant, no bass there. I then called the Evanston police and they had it! A lady in a house across the street from where I was parked saw me lean the bass against my car, open and close the trunk, and get in my car and drive off without putting the bass in. The bass fell in the street, she went out and got it and turned it in. What a relief. I found a quick sub and she got a reward.
Possibly the most embarrassing occasion was when I turned up at a theatre gig having left my suit hanging on the back of my bedroom door. I only realised this as I was unloading my bass and amp. I wound up doing the show in my jeans and trainers with a luminous green linen shirt borrowed from one of the backing singers. Not really the right look when the rest of the band are in black suits…
I did also mix up my diary once and drove over 180 miles into the deep north for a gig that wasn’t until the following day. Could have been worse if I’d have been sat at home having a cup of tea, receiving that dreaded “Are you nearly here yet? We’re about to go on” phone call from the singer. That happened a couple of months ago, but luckily the gig wasn’t too far away….
A note for all of you forgetfull jazz players:
I packed (what I thought was) everything into my truck & left Chicago for a random “Elk-Park-River-Village-Forest-Grove-Heights-Burg-Ridge” wedding cocktail hour. As I unloded into the venue, I went down the list:
double bass: check
formal attire/heels: check
books: check
amp stand: check
40 lb cabinet: check
amp head: ummmm….. ummmmm….. boo.
Now, I suppose I could have re-set my bridge super-ultra-high, and taken my chances on projecting… Nope – I have played with this drummer before, and I needed to act fast.
Luckily I remembered a certain national-guitar-superchain’s supposed “no-questions-asked” return policy. I flew to a nearby store, hoping not only that they would have something in stock that might not sound like two pieces of wet amplified fish slapping together repeatedly, but that there was also enough room on the only credit card in my purse for the transaction.
Ran in, grabbed the first (what I thought would be workable) high-end amp & ran to the counter. I made it back perilously close to the downbeat.
It didn’t sound good, but it was just fine for this event… and it SAVED my butt!
Note: The return wasn’t as smooth & no-questions-asked as it could have been. Perhaps I will chalk it up to the lack of exposure to upright bass, but they simply didn’t understand how this top of the line amplifier could possibly have sounded bad. It also took almost 2 weeks for the credit to be applied, but if you find yourself in a similar situation, I highly reccommend this work-around.
See you on the bandstand.
First of all, I have just become familiar with your blog and it is great. Thank you so much for doing this.
I have had a few gigs where I have forgotten things and I must second the idea of having every cell number stored in your phone that may be handy.
I had a gig about 2 hours from my home and I got everything unpacked and realized I had forgotten my bass guitar. It was a 50/50 gig and I really didn’t want to cover the rock stuff on my double bass.
So, I called a friend from college who I knew had a teaching job about 15 minutes from where I was and he dropped what he was doing to bring me his bass.
I know that if that phone ever rings from me to help out someone I will come running…