The Boston Music Scene: Performance Mishaps
After hearing some horror stories from local musicians, you may develop a case of stage fright. In part six of our series The Boston Music Scene, Bradley Jay interviews performers about the time when something went wrong.
BOSTON (CBS) – The overwhelming number of live musical shows that take place in Boston every year ensures that this town sees more than its share of amusing–– and sometimes dangerous— performance mishaps. Even WBZ news anchor and guitar man Joe Mathieu has a story.
"To get on the main stage at the original Boston House Of Blues, you first had to play in "the dungeon" in the basement to prove your worth," says Mathieu. "It was so small that one night we were playing down there, and I was playing next to the bathroom. This girl with long curly hair walked by and got her hair caught in the machine heads of my guitar, which which doesn't work too well when you're playing a solo."
Kenny Highland experienced every musician's worst nightmare.
"Somebody pulled off my kilt pin, and then I was singing 'Midnight Rambler' with this band Slide. I got to the part where it goes, 'Talk about the midnight…' so I pulled off this belt I had, winged it on the floor, and the full kilt falls off! And I'm, like, drunk and oblivious," Highland cringed.
Local producer and guitar wiz Drew Townson almost ended up in the hospital.
"I was playing the WBCN Rock and Roll Rumble with this band the Derangers back in 1990, and during the soundcheck at the Paradise Rock Club––I had this very old Fender aplifier––the place wasn't grounded for my vintage old amp," Townson recalls.
"I stepped up to the mic and got a hundred-and-fifteen volt arc from the microphone into my teeth. I saw stars, flew back and collapsed onto my amplifier. Knocked over the amplifier, my guitar on the ground, me on the ground...it was a complete disaster."
No performer wants to be embarrassed on stage. But they sure love to tell the stories.
In the next part of The Boston Music Scene, Bradley Jay interviews Livingston Taylor on tips for successful performances.
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