jade3•17d ago

I finally snapped a guitar string mid-song at an open mic in Portland

I was at this tiny cafe on Hawthorne last Tuesday, playing a cover I've done a hundred times, and my high E string just pinged off during the chorus. The whole room went quiet for a second, so I just laughed and pulled out my phone to show the audience a picture of my cat wearing a tiny hat while I swapped strings. Took me like 4 minutes to restring, and someone actually came up after and said it was the most honest performance they'd seen in months. Has anyone else had a total gear fail at the worst moment and just rolled with it?

2 comments

2 Comments

rubyreed17d ago

the most honest performance" - that part got me. It's so true though. I had my amp die completely halfway through a set at a house show in Denver. Not even a pop or a hum, just silence. I just sat there for a second, then started doing mouth noises and beatboxing into the mic while my buddy ran to his car for his backup. By the time he got back I had the whole crowd doing vocal percussion with me. Someone yelled "best acoustic set ever" and I think they meant it. Gear failures suck in the moment but they always make for the best stories.

sarahhart17d ago

And honestly, keep a spare cable and a small multi-tool in your gig bag at all times. I've saved two shows just by tightening a loose jack connection or swapping out a fried 1/4 inch cable mid-song. That vocal save was legendary, but having a simple backup plan means less panic and more time to actually be creative when things go sideways.