# My biggest gig ever is on 9/11



## SpaceDock (Sep 2, 2009)

I am in a bit of a dilemma because the biggest gig of my life to date is coming up on 9/11. 

My band is sort of shock metal. I often yell "Thank you, Faggots!" at the audience and smash baby carriages with fake blood filled balloons in them with a sledge hammer. It's fairly tasteless and vulgar stuff. We even have some awesome rape songs, so our fans are expecting something over the top. 

So, I was wondering how you guys would respond if you saw a band perform on 9/11 and during the last song a paper mache twin towers was unveiled followed by a quick guitar change to guitars with model airplanes attatched to the headstock. I'm shure you know what follows.

The towers get pummeled.

I am serious so please don't ban me for this. Please no hate mail, I understand that people dying isn't funny, but shock is the only we get noticed in our shred ruled town.


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## TimSE (Sep 2, 2009)

personally.. id give that certain thing a miss just for that one day ... unless crossing that line (only just) is wat you want

i wouldnt but then im not in a SHOCK band


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## SpaceDock (Sep 2, 2009)

Agreed, what sucks is that we are very good musicians and are a super tight band, but in our town we have Allegeaon, Crow, and a bunch of other super shedder bands. There just doesn't seem to be anymore room for just "good musicianship." 

Thats we had to start shocking people. Seriously, two hand sweeping and 220 bpm solos does nothing in this town. 

If you guys have some awesome ideas for how to get the crowds attention let me know!


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## Metal Ken (Sep 2, 2009)

Having good music is the best attention getter, imo. Most of the times i see those shock bands, it just seems like they're trying too hard to get a reaction.


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## thedonutman (Sep 2, 2009)

I don't think it's a great idea to be honest, especially if somebody in the crowd knows someone who was killed and that's not cool. Even if there isn't you'll get a bunch of self righteous guys on your ass anyway.


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## ZXIIIT (Sep 2, 2009)

YOU SIR!!!!!

Have to play with us! as we are in the exact same "scene"


I am sure many, many people will be "offended" and "disgusted" by your stage act, we always deal with stuff like that (fan backlash) so just be prepared to deal with your actions.


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## SpaceDock (Sep 2, 2009)

Have to play with us! as we are in the exact same "scene"


I have seen some of your posts and that would be fun.

So, I'm seeing a lot of negative responses, but does anyone have anything more awesome but appropriate?

I fully agree that good music is the best attention getter, but a great stage show is necessary in my town for the reasons stated above.


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## Used666 (Sep 2, 2009)

Horrible idea.

Use your shock value on something pro american and I think it would be a hit


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## leftyguitarjoe (Sep 2, 2009)

Make a fake Osama and impale him in a guitar or something.


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## SpaceDock (Sep 2, 2009)

I like the Osama slaughter that would rock


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## Scar Symmetry (Sep 2, 2009)

SpaceDock said:


> we are very good musicians and are a super tight band



modest, too.


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## thebhef (Sep 2, 2009)

The twin towers thing might bring you national attention... Any publicity is good publicity, right?


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## BrainArt (Sep 2, 2009)

leftyguitarjoe said:


> Make a fake Obama and impale him in a guitar or something.



Fixed. 




























Whoops, I forgot, a lot of people aren't Fascist like I am.


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## Groff (Sep 2, 2009)

Whatever you plan on doing.... Take a video


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## Vstro (Sep 3, 2009)

SpaceDock said:


> Agreed, what sucks is that we are very good musicians and are a super tight band, but in our town we have Allegeaon, Crow, and a bunch of other super shedder bands. There just doesn't seem to be anymore room for just "good musicianship."
> 
> Thats we had to start shocking people. Seriously, two hand sweeping and 220 bpm solos does nothing in this town.
> 
> If you guys have some awesome ideas for how to get the crowds attention let me know!



Yeah i don't know about the twin tower idea. I would say your best bet would be to play as well as you can and move as much as you can too. It's always impressive seeing someone shred live but when they do it while going crazy throughout the stage.. well it doesn't get much better then that!


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## Andii (Sep 3, 2009)

SpaceDock said:


> Agreed, what sucks is that we are very good musicians and are a super tight band, but in our town we have Allegeaon, Crow, and a bunch of other super shedder bands. There just doesn't seem to be anymore room for just "good musicianship."
> 
> Thats we had to start shocking people. Seriously, two hand sweeping and 220 bpm solos does nothing in this town.
> 
> If you guys have some awesome ideas for how to get the crowds attention let me know!



Rock out with your cock out.


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## MF_Kitten (Sep 3, 2009)

definitely do the osama thing! it´s related to 9/11, but you get the audience on your side about it too, so everyone feels good when you guys smash his head with guitars or whatever


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## 777 (Sep 3, 2009)

+1 on fake Obama Slaughter


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## DiezelMonster (Sep 3, 2009)

Well coming from a guy that dressed up as a tower with a plane stuck in it for halloween, I say do it!

But don't stop there, make sure at least one of the guys in the band is dressed like osama and have a fake kidney dialysis machine there!

if you are going to shock, then shock them the best you can, or just rely on how well your band plays and get rid of the gimmick. it's your call, but don't go soft on one day of the year sitck up for your ideals.

just sayin...

C


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## skeletor88 (Sep 3, 2009)

I'm with ^^^^ 

GO FOR IT!!

The whole point of shock is to do stuff that is totally uncalled for and that no one would expect anyone to have the balls to do so.

I'm all for taking shit wayyyyyy to far.


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## SpaceDock (Sep 3, 2009)

So we started rehearsing the "America Fuck Yeah" song for the show. The song is mostly synth driven so a major rewrite is in order (we are a three piece), but I think it will do the trick


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## Marv Attaxx (Sep 3, 2009)

SpaceDock said:


> My band is sort of shock metal. I often yell "Thank you, Faggots!" at the audience and smash baby carriages with fake blood filled balloons in them with a sledge hammer. It's fairly tasteless and vulgar stuff. We even have some awesome rape songs, so our fans are expecting something over the top.


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## matty2fatty (Sep 3, 2009)

if you're a shock band, wouldn't most of the people that are coming out to see you going to be expecting over the top stuff? When I go to see gwar next month I'm not going to be surprised/complain when they start spewing fake blood all over me, I'll be standing there with my horns raised.

So give 'em what they came to see, and burn it down!


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## Joeywilson (Sep 3, 2009)

if you took a crap on the audience that'd be pretty shocking


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## vampiregenocide (Sep 3, 2009)

Shock rock singing about rape and shit is one thing, but if you're taking the piss out of an event where lots of innocent people died to get noticed, then thats a bit far in my book.


Come up with another idea that isn't true to life, that way if poeple do say 'you're fucking vulgar' you can simply respond by saying that you don't really behave like that and its just a joke, whereas real people dying is a bit more serious.


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## LABRATS (Sep 3, 2009)

if you don't do it then the terrorists have won


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## vampiregenocide (Sep 3, 2009)

LABRATS said:


> if you don't do it then the terrorists have won



How?


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## SpaceDock (Sep 3, 2009)

Because they have limited our available expressions and in turn our freedom which is what they wanted all along.


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## vampiregenocide (Sep 3, 2009)

SpaceDock said:


> Because they have limited our available expressions and in turn our freedom which is what they wanted all along.



So you want the freedom to take the piss out of innocent people who died for no reason at all? Personally, if the terrorists want that 'right' from me, they can have it. 

I don't midn shock rock, but it needs to stay out of the realms of reality or it loses its respect. Lack of empathy is the whole reason 9/11 happened in the first place, I don't wnat to become like them.


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## Sang-Drax (Sep 3, 2009)

thedonutman said:


> I don't think it's a great idea to be honest, especially if somebody in the crowd knows someone who was killed and that's not cool. Even if there isn't you'll get a bunch of self righteous guys on your ass anyway.



I agree. It's way too recent, bro.

OTOH, perhaps it would draw attention if you guys, despite being over the top, took at least _that event_ with a certain degree of respect.


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## MF_Kitten (Sep 3, 2009)

well, shock is shock, but when it becomes personally offensive in an unsensitive and downright tasteless way, it just isn´t all "shock" anymore. it´s just being a dick, ya know? if you slaughter "osama" on stage, you´ll have people with you on it, and supporting it, instead of having them feeling alienated by your insensitivity. i´d rather be shocking and have people supporting it than be shocking and have people leave with a negative feeling. as i said, people are usually "with you" on these shock band things, or they´re struck with the "can´t look away" syndrome. if you just turn them off by alienating everyone, you cross a line between "shocking" and "tasteless".


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## BrainArt (Sep 3, 2009)

MF_Kitten said:


> well, shock is shock, but when it becomes personally offensive in an unsensitive and downright tasteless way, it just isn´t all "shock" anymore. it´s just being a dick, ya know? if you slaughter "osama" on stage, you´ll have people with you on it, and supporting it, instead of having them feeling alienated by your insensitivity. i´d rather be shocking and have people supporting it than be shocking and have people leave with a negative feeling. as i said, people are usually "with you" on these shock band things, or they´re struck with the "can´t look away" syndrome. if you just turn them off by alienating everyone, you cross a line between "shocking" and "tasteless".



 Especially since he's in Fort Collins, Colorado. There's an airforce base there and they won't have a problem beating the shit out of him and his band, if there is any military there.


I say go with the Osama slaughter, or Kim Jong Il.


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## Scar Symmetry (Sep 3, 2009)

so basically you're the Sarah Silverman of metal right?


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## White Cluster (Sep 3, 2009)

Just play one song then spend the rest of the set trying to fellate yourselves.

But if you do decide to do the towers have each of you wear masks depicting the architects of the crime..Bush,Cheney and Rove


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## DiezelMonster (Sep 4, 2009)

LABRATS said:


> if you don't do it then the terrorists have won



This is utter truth, in fact, you know they already have won.....it's a sad day.
I'm so far removed from the whole situation that I would laugh....also since when are bankers and lawyers innocent people?


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## MF_Kitten (Sep 4, 2009)

i´d say go for it, if it weren´t for the fact that it´s still a genuine sore spot for most people. people might just simply not go for it, and just abandon it instead of going "oh shit, did they really go there? ". it´s something else than abortion, gays and jews (or a jewish gay abortion). depends on how well you know your crowd though. i´d say as long as you don´t make it feel like a "HAHA PEOPLE DIED ON 9/11 LOL" kinda thing, then it could work. there is a hugely popular comedy duo here in norway that did a piece on stage where they dressed up as the twin towers and had a guy with an aircraft costume run into them, and people just laughed. i haven´t seen the sketch though, so i don´t know the context.

i´ll just leave you off by saying tread carefully. sure, you might make it work, but you also might not.


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## SpaceDock (Sep 4, 2009)

Thanks a lot for all the responses guys it is appreciated.


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## cycloptopus (Sep 4, 2009)

DiezelMonster said:


> I'm so far removed from the whole situation


That's why you are responding like its no big deal. I know people who have been affected deeply by this. And since I could see the towers burning from the beach where I live (a good 70 miles south of NYC), and I could see the smoke stretching from NYC to the horizon, I feel much differently about this than you.



DiezelMonster said:


> ....also since when are bankers and lawyers innocent people?


Nobody deserved what happened that day. 


To the OP: don't do the towers thing. It's not worth it on a whole lot of levels.


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## CrashRG (Sep 4, 2009)

i don't know you, your band, your music or care for "shock" rock. my personal opinion is that if you do somehting like, you're being an insensitive prick. i don't care if you think that 9/11 was a concoction of our government or whatever some idiots believe. Turning a tragedy of that magnitude into a stage show is just flat out lame.

but what do i know. im not one of the well knowns or even favorite posters around here, i havent been in a band for almost 5 years now, im not a shredder, and im not super technical or even technical. I just know that if I went to a show and saw a band that ended their show with something like that, it would leave a bad taste for sure. but i guess in the end its what you want to present, and who would and wouldnt be disappointed with it.


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## liamh (Sep 4, 2009)

If the only way you can draw attention to yourselves is by re-enacting 9/11 and other vulgarities then you don't deserve the attention, imo.
It's a fucking stupid idea dude.


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## vampiregenocide (Sep 4, 2009)

liamh said:


> If the only way you can draw attention to yourselves is by re-enacting 9/11 and other vulgarities then you don't deserve the attention, imo.
> It's a fucking stupid idea dude.



This really  I couldn't carry on a musical career knowing I'd achieved my fame doing that.


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## SpaceDock (Sep 4, 2009)

I just think people should be over this by now. It's been 8 years. How long does it take? Can we not make jokes about other trajedies? 

BTW: I have decided not to do it in favor of possibly being strung up ,
but it seems like many of the responders failed to read the other replies that I have made on this tread. 

Seriously, shock is a desicion that we made as a band to elevate our status. There are a million shredtastic bands and very few who are willing to push the limits of acceptability. People like Marilyn Manson, Hendrix, Meshuggah, and even the Beatles would never have been famous had they not pushed the limits of both their music and performance. 

Thanks to all who contribute to the original value of rock and roll: rebellion


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## liamh (Sep 4, 2009)

What the bloody hell difference does it make if it was 8 years ago?
Many innocent people died, it could be equally as tragic if it was a bajillion years ago, but making jokes about it to promote yourself is just fucking ridiculous.


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## SpaceDock (Sep 4, 2009)

So by that logic any parody or satire of a tradegy is strictly off-limits, thats lame

So I can't make jokes about Lincoln or Waco anymore


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## liamh (Sep 4, 2009)

I know, maybe you can get attention with good music and charismatic stage presence which doesnt involve taking the piss out of 9/11


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## vampiregenocide (Sep 4, 2009)

SpaceDock said:


> I just think people should be over this by now. It's been 8 years. How long does it take? Can we not make jokes about other trajedies?



Tell the families to get over it man  


Telling jokes about events is one thing, but doing it public like that is more dicey and depends how its done.


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## lobee (Sep 4, 2009)

liamh said:


> What the bloody hell difference does it make if it was 8 years ago?
> Many innocent people died, it could be equally as tragic if it was a bajillion years ago, but making jokes about it to promote yourself is just fucking ridiculous.






SpaceDock said:


> So by that logic any parody or satire of a tradegy is strictly off-limits, thats lame
> 
> So I can't make jokes about Lincoln or Waco anymore


The main problem I see with destroying paper-mâché buildings with airplane-guitars is that it's just not that funny or entertaining. If you really want to do this I think you should go over the top and do it this way:

-Start out wearing Dubya masks and play some funny Bushism sound clips before some of your songs
-Have some people dress as Osama/terrorists for the next song and follow through with your first plan
-Learn to play Fuck Yeah! by Team America and kick the terrorists' asses on stage after the song
-Have the crowd chant "USA!" at the end of your set


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## SpaceDock (Sep 4, 2009)

lobee said:


> The main problem I see with destroying paper-mâché buildings with airplane-guitars is that it's just not that funny or entertaining. If you really want to do this I think you should go over the top and do it this way:
> 
> -Start out wearing Dubya masks and play some funny Bushism sound clips before some of your songs
> -Have some people dress as Osama/terrorists for the next song and follow through with your first plan
> ...


 
That is a great idea, we are doing America Fuck Yeah BTW


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## Scar Symmetry (Sep 4, 2009)

yeah there's entertainment... and there's just plain insensitive.

I'm sure the people coming to your gigs know what they're in for, but that's not to say you won't offend or even truly upset some people.


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## SpaceDock (Sep 4, 2009)

Maybe what I need is a new thread about epic things to do onstage. 

Sadly, I am pretty insensitive to others feelings, but that is what makes me so very metal!


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## Scar Symmetry (Sep 4, 2009)

being insensitive is _not_ metal 

being insensitive in a superficial fashion then yes, that is part of the metal machismo, but being truly insensitive is just fucked up.


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## GazPots (Sep 4, 2009)

I usually go to concerts to hear some good live music. 

If i want a stage show i'll go to the damn theater.


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