An odd thing happened at a gig Tuesday night...

Ian Rossiter

So, I'm playing at this weekly Open mic at a coffee shop here in town. I'm doin a set with a local Mandolinist who really digs GJ and we're backin up this older gentleman who plays harmonica. We're doin old standards and havin a great old time, Pompe'n up old tunes. the crowd is into it and all is well. So, we're doing this old waltz, right?, nothing fancy ,(D6>G>Em>A7) and this guy comes in with his gig bag. He pulls up a chair about 10 ft away from us and starts to play...kinda. We finish the tune , and go into the next one. About halfway through he glares at me and bellows out "Why can't you play some chords we ALL know?!?!" about 4 bars later, he gets up, announces to the crowd that this "isn't his scene" packs up his Guitar and while standing for a moment waiting for someone to beg him to stay, he stormed out!!!
Now, this is a real cool gig; Poets,Electronica',Folkies,Reggae,even the occasional Belly Dancers. A really nice group of people who are really ,really receptive to whomever is playing. Even the coffee is good!! It's too bad some folks gotta be idiots!!!

pinkgary

I've got a complete opposite story..

I was playing this open mic night, doing some bottleneck delta blues a few years ago, & in walks this bloke (Nikki Flood i later find out, good bloke, sorely missed), trombone already in his mouth as he's walking into the pub, jamming along with me. He carried on playing as he walked onto the stage, did a completely blistering solo, then walked out again, still playing along.

One of those moments when you want to ask other people if that really just happened, but don't just in case they give the wrong answer.

Tele295

Ian Rossiter wrote:

So, I'm playing at this weekly Open mic at a coffee shop here in town. I'm doin a set with a local Mandolinist who really digs GJ and we're backin up this older gentleman who plays harmonica. We're doin old standards and havin a great old time, Pompe'n up old tunes. the crowd is into it and all is well. So, we're doing this old waltz, right?, nothing fancy ,(D6>G>Em>A7) and this guy comes in with his gig bag. He pulls up a chair about 10 ft away from us and starts to play...kinda. We finish the tune , and go into the next one. About halfway through he glares at me and bellows out "Why can't you play some chords we ALL know?!?!" about 4 bars later, he gets up, announces to the crowd that this "isn't his scene" packs up his Guitar and while standing for a moment waiting for someone to beg him to stay, he stormed out!!!

Color me reactionary, but I believe there is a difference between and "Open Mic" and an "Open Jam." If you want to play, sign the list, and don't interrupt other people's part of the show. I think that's terribly rude. I would have stopped playing, and refused to continue the show until the interloper put his guitar away and/or left.

Boy, I'm turning into a grumpy old man, huh?