was doing a karaoke yesterday and unbeknown to me a regular, who is a bit of a pillock, went behind one of my active speakers and rammed the volume up to maximum on just one side.

i didnt notice straight away as i busy doing other stuff, but i got horrendous feedback from the singer and couldnt control it effectively.
it took me about 2 mins to realise what he'd done.

i went ballistic, got him on cctv doing it and told everyone the gig was over and why. didnt name names but said that this is my living and i am not prepared to have people doing and pulling strokes like this.

i wouldnt burgal your house so dont bust up my gear.

checked the cab and it seems ok.

landlady barred him and i have a payrise from it and an extra gig a week. weird eh.

but to be honest i do not want to do the venue now as i also got a rake of abuse from a ***head who went mad cos my sunfly wooden heart wasnt in german.

i told him to go to berlin not south manchester and just enjoy the song.

getting out of dj ing i think, cheap beer + drunk punters = not woth the agg.

fancy not having the german version of wooden heart,go and stand in the corner you let us all down.
sorry to hear your expirience wendy take a step back and take a deep breath before doing anything rash and don't let a few prats ruin things for you.good luck andy

When things start to get on top of you and you stop enjoying it, it is time to take a step back and consider if you want to carry on doing it.

Any public display of aggression towards the punters is not a good idea as it can open a can of worms with others joining in to make your life difficult.

I would of tried to manage the situation more discretely and had a word with the landlady to get the person banned if necessary but would of tried to continue with the show. Doesn't seem fair to me to make everyone suffer because of the actions of one person.

I've only had a similar situation happen once at a 21st birthday when someone came behind the stand and started tapping on the laptop keys while a track was playing from it. I was worried that if he hit the wrong key, it would stop the music. I asked him a little forcibly to "go away" and then asked the host to keep him under control (he was a little worst for drink). He was fine afterwards.

Sounds like my parting experiences of doing Karaoke. At first (circa 1989?) it was a novelty and a bit of harmless fun. Then over time, a few regulars developed a sense of humour failure, started taking it reaaally seriously and often getting stroppy/abusive at you/audience/themselves/microphone/PA, instantly spoiling it for everyone.

How about putting up a big smiley logo sign up front subtitled, "FFS! Singing is meant to be fun!"

Hi Wendy I think I agree with your actions to a degree.. We are there to entertain people yes? but not to be abused. As you have said, equipment is expensive and if this guy had damaged your speaker how much would it have cost you to have it repaired... I feel sorry for the other punters but at the end of the day you have to look out for No one and the tools you make a living with..

Its OK for some people to say the show must go on and shame you let the others down, but how far do we let people walk over us untill we say enough is enough.. I dont think I would have packed up on this one incident but It would have pushed me nearer to doing so. I would have asked the boss to have the individual removed, then carried on... But we are not party to all the facts I guess and your state of mind at the time.

We are people just like the audience what gives them the right to abuse us and our equipment... Even the NHS staff are fighting back at abuse and so it should be...

As said above though take a step back think of all the positive times and I bet they out weigh the bad...

Take care

Nik

Good advice so far. If you are hired to work in a public venue, you can always inform the hirer of the ground rules. When the 'rules' are broken, you make it clear what the alternative is.
In this case, you have stuck to a 'ground rule' but this may cause upset if the hirer was not aware of such rules!

You really shouldn't be expected to babysit the audience, so Tony is right, discretion all the time.
However, there may not be an appropriate moment to exercise such discretion. Ending up in a confrontational situation is pants!

OK, if this is a one off incident, then put it down to an experience and be prepared for the next time. However, if this happens all the time or more often than desired, you are wise to make a decision sooner than later. Is it getting you down to the point you want to give up 'your living', or would you prefer alternative clients and venues?
Why not have a look around at some other venues. Network with some fellow DJ and Karaoke service providers.

Most of all, be positive, and I hope you don't make a decision you'll regret.

This subject really pees me off.

If the guy was a plumber and you started playing with his tools " just for a laugh " I am sure he would have something to say about it.

As far as I am concerned .... It's one warning, ( speak to organiser ) then thankyou and goodnight if it happens again.

One of my pet hates is idiotic drunk people.......... which sometimes makes me wonder why I do this job. :-)

its all true we are not there to be abused and shouldn't put up with it
i think if the hirer does not do something to fix the situation then calling it a day is the only action to take

wendy i would not rush in to quitting but as said before take a step back and look at the pros and cons
you are obviously good for the landlady to give you a raise and another gig so make your position clear and try to stick it out for a while and then have a think about it

best of luck and keep on trucking

tip - get into the corporate functions at hotels. They pay more, and leave the pubs behind. They tend to be more trouble and less money.

In full support of what you done, dont let people walk all over you, but dont give up because of one a:cense:hole in this line of work it is getting worse
Its even better if you can embaress them in front of everyone make them feel small, unclever & unwanted
I am lucky in my residency as i have a doorman next to me all night so if i get a problem (only once in 3 years) he sorts it out
The only problem with people messing with kit is they start going through my cd collection when i ask can i have your wallet or purse to nose through they soon get the message

I find a Plastic Baseball Bat onto the crown of the head is suffice........or take out your false teeth and drop it in their drink.....................I just must be getting too old for all the abuse from punters and simply "nip it in the bud" STRAIGHT AWAY.
I remember a DJ in a Glasgow pub used to keep a "Live" wire straight out of the 240volt socket....and if someone started to touch his gear he would simply "Run" the end of the cable over their grubby little mits.
Their wasnt a dry pair of pants in the house......................oh and i have a sick sense of humour i suppose.

I have just wet myself

Had experience with drunk punter at karaoke gig.
Idiot shook a bottle of fizzy cheap bubbly and decided to squirt it over the dance floor and gues where most of it landed over me and my gear.
Stopped everything immediately and put main lights on, politely told him that liquid and electric did not mix and that I was not prepared to risk my own life or my gear for one idiot so party was over. Went over to bar to explain to manager what had happened who was in agreement with me.
Checked out my gear to see how much bubbly actually landed on gear luckily not half as bad as I'd thought so wiped it down.
Total silence in room mummerings asking what's going to happen now
Idiot concerened came up to applogise saying rally sorry only ment to be a joke had no intention of squirting my gear would I go back on.
Luckily I don't bear grudges so came back on to an instant applause and ended up having a great night.
End of night came and again the idiot in question came up and aplologised and thanked me for coming back on to finish the night.
So not every idoit is as bad as we think sometimes it's just someone taking action without thinking first of the consequences, let's all face it we've probably all done it The evils of drink !

I agree with Tony's points. If you try & punish everyone by stopping the function because of the actions of an individual then it's not the best way to get other people to see it from your side. You could also lose other work from recommendations by adopting this attitude.

It's up to the organiser to control the 'guests' (should be in your contract) so if one steps out of line then it's best to leave them to deal with that person. If they fail to deal with it then you have grounds to refuse to continue if you feel there is a danger either to your personal safety of your equipment (again in your contract).

My own modus operandi is that I'm there to entertain. Problems such as this are the responsibility of the organiser, the venue staff, best man at a wedding etc. I tell them what the problem is and leave them to deal with it whilst I do the job I was hired for.

I have two simple rules....you don't hang on the front of my stand (or lean on it)....and you don't come behind the stand!

We are usually two anyway, so one of us is always eyes front!!!

all decent replies but thought out over time so to speak.

i had seconds to react and get to my cabs before they blew. i had to weigh up the d:cense:kheadedness of the punter and the ones who thought it would be funny to see the gear go BANG! against the fact that i will not under any circumstances put up with punters messing with my stuff.
to do nothing and just play on sets a precedent that you are an easy target.

we are dealing with pi..ed up sunday boozers here not a nice wedding or party.

to my mind idiots like that do not deserve my time or effort.

under the circumstances and the time constraints i regard my actions as right and proper.

if i messed your car about you would throw me out of it.

if i was in a taxi, a plane, a bus etc messing about i would be asked to leave.

i have the absolute to protect my gear as i see fit and if that means pulling down and packing it away.........so be it.

at least it is still working and i am able to carry on gigging if i want to.

but i really am thinking of just packing it all in and selling up.

go to butlins and use their gear or summat. or sod off to spain.

I think this is the crux to be honest. Don't sell up and pack up just because of that. In my experience, Sunday nights can be the worst for 'seasoned-drinking-idiots'.

Another way of looking at it is the probability factor. You've only had this happen, to this serious a degree in x amount of years, it shouldn't happen again for x amount of years :)

Go on pee off to spain and I'll do your gigs
Only joking, as as already been said don't let one bad gig put you off.

Jim

we all know pubs can be more hassel than private gigs with any old bum and trouble maker walking off the streets and up to you. Might be worth having a little help or someone to watch yr gear wile you take a break get a drink or nip to the loo, prob loads of punters if your bought a drink would help out, ,just last week i got the same in a pub although a private gig the pub drunk hadnt left and basically hassled me, then gave me 5 seconds to leave for no reason, ,on 3 he was buried into the sofa with arm lock by my mate roadie, not nice though as i dont need the hassel and do try to avoid pubs too, at least the landlord supported you, use some of the extra cash to bribe new friends/helpers/security. whatever you want to call it so you dont feel on your own.

I agree that in the heat of the moment you probably did the right thing....

One concern....

If in a plane and they asked you to leave, would they supply a parachute??!




This is another reason for a contract, in mine it states that if i feel threatened, harrassed or feel that I or my equipment are at risk at any time then I can end the gig without offering any form of refund. I leave my clients in charge of security.

I know a guy who works for a nightclub, he has a roadie, and two bouncers either side of him, and hes up in a box above people. If he gets abuse in any form it is dealt with, and if there is any trouble its the nightclubs kit so he doesnt worry.

If I was in a pub i would be concerned if there was a fight and my speakers got ravaged, but my contract would put the fault in the hands of the landlord, and I would arrange for my new speakers to be charged to the landlord, or claim from my insurance.

I think I'll use your suppliers if they give you gear and will charge somebody else for them.

Jim

There's not a lot you can do...I had something similar last week when I was doing my singing residency...some git came up trying to sing along down my £400 vocal mike...big bloke as well...I just stopped everything and made him look stupid. I went over to him at half time and asked him what he did for a living and he said plasterer...I just said that singing was my job, and that if he was plastering he wouldn't like it if I came over and started sticking plaster on the walls....amazingly he got the message