How to Deal with Heckler's...One Man's View

[CandidPicker]

I prefer the term “mental midgets” but that one word is not a kind way to describe the altitude Impared. You can do the research.

This is true. Some previous open-mic hosts have played that when they were "resisting temptation of judging someone harshly." I still think we can always let 'em have it their way. They'll find out whether they can or not.

 

[Mark Ray]

On occasion I have responded to someone yelling "Freebird" by telling them we'll play it if you sing it. We've never had to play it.

 

[CandidPicker]

On occasion I have responded to someone yelling "Freebird" by telling them we'll play it if you sing it. We've never had to play it.

Words of wisdom. This works well for many venue partiers. Just beware the 3-sheets-to-the-wind guy who tries to make it to the stage. Oh, no way...

 

[jak3af3r]

Words of wisdom. This works well for many venue partiers. Just beware the 3-sheets-to-the-wind guy who tries to make it to the stage. Oh, no way...

We had a bad experience with "Wagon Wheel" in Oklahoma once... Only once.

 

[CandidPicker]

We had a bad experience with "Wagon Wheel" in Oklahoma once... Only once.

Invariably, there will be the exception.

My feeling is that some hecklers experience a sense of power when they feel they are in control. If they've overdone it a little with the alcohol, that control is somewhat lost. Trying to regain control manifests itself with abnormal speech or behavior. The heckler's outlet for his emotions is his confused or babbling speech.

I tend to think of it as someone speaking a foreign language. My response might be, "No sé," and let them mingle with the crowd.

 

[Screamingdaisy]

Telecaster to the face, Problem solved.

 

[CandidPicker]

Telecaster to the face, Problem solved.

Or set phasers to stun. Your choice.

 

[HANGAR18]

I have ZERO experience in this subject but I have wondered what I might do in a situation like this, and it went something like this....
"Hey everybody, THAT guy right there (pointing at the heckler) thinks we should play a Lynyrd Skynyrd song. What do YOU think?"
"Do YOU want to hear us play a Lynyrd Skynyrd song?"
a.) The audience yells Hell Yea!. Then PLAY a Lynyrd Skynyrd song. I would totally go for a cover of Simple Man.
b.) The audience yells NO! BOOO! Then the guy gets rebuked by the people surrounding him and not you.

 

[Deleted member 5962]

Telecaster to the face, Problem solved.

I already said that one! Well, sorta. See my El Kabong vid above.

 

[CandidPicker]

I have ZERO experience in this subject but I have wondered what I might do in a situation like this, and it went something like this....
"Hey everybody, THAT guy right there (pointing at the heckler) thinks we should play a Lynyrd Skynyrd song. What do YOU think?"
"Do YOU want to hear us play a Lynyrd Skynyrd song?"
a.) The audience yells Hell Yea!. Then PLAY a Lynyrd Skynyrd song. I would totally go for a cover of Simple Man.
b.) The audience yells NO! BOOO! Then the guy gets rebuked by the people surrounding him and not you.

This makes sense. I think it's relatively easy to play armchair quarterback from the comfort of my own living room while surfing channels with this type of question. I'm not particular whether the heckler gets his wish or not. Perhaps it's the connection with the audience that is more important. Simple Man has wide appeal, and would be a good choice instead of launching into "Free Bird."

 

[CandidPicker]

What I can tell you is that enjoying a gig should be only as good as the environment in which it's played. If you keep stepping out for fresh air, or to the hydration booth for clean water, or realizing that trash piles up despite best efforts to keep things clean, maybe this type of environment isn't for you. By contrast, if you're doing your part to help keep things clean, we might all benefit when we attend gigs.

PSA courtesy of my "Love Your Earth, Your Only Home" mindset. Not your "Greasy Kid Stuff" $1 tip of the week.

(Just doing my job.)

 

[Boogie]

Thinking back to the variety of colorful stages I’ve played over the decades, Bob’s comments of trash accumulation, hydration stations and clean air resonated…or didn’t. Big open stages were easy to fall victim to the new luxury of square footage. For a bar band, if you separate too much, you can’t communicate like normal.

This one is from the 8 Second Saloon in Indy. Nice place. Pro sound. No trash. No stage muck.

The Coachman gazebo was an exercise of compaction and ingenuity. I had about 6 square feet to move all night.

Then there’s Reds, complete with ridiculous stage shape, low ceiling, and superfluous crap that we couldn’t move…like a TV.

This is complete with crime scene-esque stains, unnatural aroma, and a 4 square foot space for me to get jiggy with it.

Outdoors at a swanky hipster eatery…LOUD!

Then indoors, LOUD, for those completely trashed holiday parties…

Then, there were the nearby hydration stations for the running marathon gigs…

 

[Boogie]

Server bug…

May in Speedway, Indiana at 6am ain’t warm…

 

[11top]

Hey Boogie! Hopefully Chris R will figured out how to handle two hecklers by Thursday.

 

[DISTORT6]

Hey Boogie! Hopefully Chris R will figured out how to handle two hecklers by Thursday.

 

[Boogie]

Freebird!! This show wasn’t free and I’m giving you the bird!

 

[Deleted member 5962]

What I can tell you is that enjoying a gig should be only as good as the environment in which it's played. If you keep stepping out for fresh air, or to the hydration booth for clean water, or realizing that trash piles up despite best efforts to keep things clean, maybe this type of environment isn't for you. By contrast, if you're doing your part to help keep things clean, we might all benefit when we attend gigs.

PSA courtesy of my "Love Your Earth, Your Only Home" mindset. Not your "Greasy Kid Stuff" $1 tip of the week.

(Just doing my job.)

I must be confused about your profession.

So seriously, CP, it's time we address this the way it has to be addressed. I have never been heckled while playing music. I have while playing sports but that's completely differently and how you handle it is different. So if this were to ever happen to me, I'd do what anyone here should know to do, and that is to ask yourself "WWSD?"

If I had his number, I'd call him for you and ask. But, think about it... "What would Sergio do?" I hope he answers himself, but I'd like to think he'd at least consider my El Kabong response. I mean, have you noticed how many SE's he has? Could be that you take the cores for playing at the gig, and the SE's for El Kabong if needed.

 

[Deleted member 5962]

Thinking back to the variety of colorful stages I’ve played over the decades,

We went to Nashville about 15 years ago, when my daughter was offered a music scholarship to a school there. While there, we were walking the strip after dinner and heard a really good band playing. We got closer, we could see that the stage literally was in the front window of the bar... so when you walked by on the sidewalk, you were 2 feet from the drummer. The stage was so small, I could see the top of a small combo amp behind the guitar player but couldn't identify it because it was pushed all the way up to the window/wall. He was playing a Tele and had two pedals in front of him, a Fulltone Fulldrive and some kind of delay. The cables in front of the pedals were hanging off the front of the stage. Between the amp and pedals, he had maybe 18" of space. He could barely move without kicking the amp or pedals. His left foot was hanging half way off the side of the stage. I mean, he couldn't move! That stage was tiny. They were rockin though.

 

[bodia]

I must be confused about your profession.

So seriously, CP, it's time we address this the way it has to be addressed. I have never been heckled while playing music. I have while playing sports but that's completely differently and how you handle it is different. So if this were to ever happen to me, I'd do what anyone here should know to do, and that is to ask yourself "WWSD?"

If I had his number, I'd call him for you and ask. But, think about it... "What would Sergio do?" I hope he answers himself, but I'd like to think he'd at least consider my El Kabong response. I mean, have you noticed how many SE's he has? Could be that you take the cores for playing at the gig, and the SE's for El Kabong if needed.

WWSD.......gold thong, of course!

 

[eliju]

On occasion I have responded to someone yelling "Freebird" by telling them we'll play it if you sing it. We've never had to play it.

We tell them if they pay us $500 cash we’ll learn it at setbreak and play it. No takers so far.

if anyone ever yells we suck or something the singer just says “yeah I know that’s why I told you at the start that the more you drink the better we sound.”