Disco Stu
Senior Member
I've just come off a very poor performance last night, and it has me thinking about leaving my band. There were some things that made it a bit challenging: I was playing an unfamiliar kit (from the previous band), and I accidentally cut my hand yesterday and had it all taped up. These things might have thrown my game off a little, but they were not the main problem.
What really affected my performance last night was the singer. This person is very domineering and can be difficult to work with. She has a habit yelling at the rest of us band members during performances. The first time it happened to me, she reeled around and yelled "You're too f-ing loud!" or some such thing. For the record, I have never been a "loud" drummer, especially compared to many of the drummers I've seen perform live. Nevertheless, the volume issue has been brought up often, so I have adjusted my levels accordingly.
But last night, after we finished the first song, she turned around and yelled, "Watch the tempo!" Now, this can be a valid complaint. But it wasn't just that she said it. It was how she said it: loudly and angrily. Plus, I have been practicing this song all week, so I know what the tempo is. IF the tempo was fast, it was not by much. Certainly not enough to warrant an outburst like that. To make matters worse, the acoustics of the room were such that everything was very LOUD. I was playing quite softly, especially compared to the drummers that performed before me (who were seriously wailing on their kits), but it still sounded loud. As a result of all this, I was totally on edge, which resulted in a poor performance, which resulted in embarrassment and no fun at all.
This is all the more frustrating because of something that happened about a year ago. I once had a group of friends at a show, and I asked for their input afterwards. One of them mentioned they would like see the singer engage the audience a little more. Pretty benign comment if you ask me, but I mentioned this to her in an email and she freaked out, and went into this tirade about how that's not how she performs and she's not going to be somebody she's not, etc. etc. In other words, she has no problem dictating how the rest of us perform, but she reacts with hostility to suggestions about her own performance.
I know you are only getting my side of the story, but I am seriously trying to make an honest assessment here. I guess I needed to vent more than anything, but I welcome your comments, especially if you think there is something I should be doing differently, or if you think I should still be able to play well under such circumstances.
What really affected my performance last night was the singer. This person is very domineering and can be difficult to work with. She has a habit yelling at the rest of us band members during performances. The first time it happened to me, she reeled around and yelled "You're too f-ing loud!" or some such thing. For the record, I have never been a "loud" drummer, especially compared to many of the drummers I've seen perform live. Nevertheless, the volume issue has been brought up often, so I have adjusted my levels accordingly.
But last night, after we finished the first song, she turned around and yelled, "Watch the tempo!" Now, this can be a valid complaint. But it wasn't just that she said it. It was how she said it: loudly and angrily. Plus, I have been practicing this song all week, so I know what the tempo is. IF the tempo was fast, it was not by much. Certainly not enough to warrant an outburst like that. To make matters worse, the acoustics of the room were such that everything was very LOUD. I was playing quite softly, especially compared to the drummers that performed before me (who were seriously wailing on their kits), but it still sounded loud. As a result of all this, I was totally on edge, which resulted in a poor performance, which resulted in embarrassment and no fun at all.
This is all the more frustrating because of something that happened about a year ago. I once had a group of friends at a show, and I asked for their input afterwards. One of them mentioned they would like see the singer engage the audience a little more. Pretty benign comment if you ask me, but I mentioned this to her in an email and she freaked out, and went into this tirade about how that's not how she performs and she's not going to be somebody she's not, etc. etc. In other words, she has no problem dictating how the rest of us perform, but she reacts with hostility to suggestions about her own performance.
I know you are only getting my side of the story, but I am seriously trying to make an honest assessment here. I guess I needed to vent more than anything, but I welcome your comments, especially if you think there is something I should be doing differently, or if you think I should still be able to play well under such circumstances.