Road Stories-Biker Bars And Biker Party Gigs I Have Played! Some Good Some Not So Good! 🏍️

[@truthseeker4841]

Great stories. One time, I was an audience member in a variety show where various bands played in succession. My friend’s band was playing Elton John, Billy Joel type of stuff but the crowd was a diehard heavy metal crowd. They were booing my friend’s band I felt totally unsafe there and I wasn’t even on the stage. Fortunately, nothing crazy happened, but the tension was very thick in the air. I remember stepping outside to literally get some fresh air and as soon as I got outside, I felt all this tension just release from my body. I later connected with my friend and he thought he was going to get beat up. It’s a night I will never forget.

[@drumteacher43]

Wow crazy story. Glad it turned out ok! 👍

[@dougcallaghan6075]

Good stories Tim. Glad no band members were hurt at those ultra-rowdy shows. You mentioned Port Dover. My ex-wife's sister married a biker. I never did find out if he was a true biker (e.g. Hell's Angels) but he kind of looked like one. A more domesticated version. Ha ha. it seemed to be that he was out of the game and changing his life for the better. Anyway, a bunch of us, including biker Steve found ourselves in Port Dover as part of a country drive one time in the 2000s. It just so happened that we arrived on a Friday the 13th and there were hundreds of bikers and bikes there. It wasn't rowdy when we walked through the town and down to the waterfront. Steve seemed to know a lot about motorcycles and he even mentioned a particular provincial park on Lake Huron that bikers frequented. I had to conclude that he was the real deal. I never had a problem with him though . Easy to talk to and civilized.

[@drumteacher43]

Great to hear thanks

[@piktormusic2538]

Thanks for sharing these experiences Tim and thanks for taking requests. The last time I played a biker function (a two-day drunk fest on a rural property long ago), it had not been fully attended and the organizer was short of funds. They ended up “negotiating” a deal after the first day. Needless to say, we were amenable to their terms. We did not play the second day and we took half pay. The whole affair was a pain in the ass. Terrible weekend. I don’t enjoy being in spaces with drunk people who comfortable with violence. There is always some element of that at bar and club gigs, but when the whole crowd is oriented that way, I’m out. Thankfully, there were level headed people navigating the situation in your last story, Tim.

[@drumteacher43]

Yeah I don’t like that either

[@Bravehart123r]

Hi Tim Great content!! Biker gigs are great! Hard rock was the set list but we made the mistake of starting out with VH and some southern rock songs and ending the sets with heavy metal song that made the crowd more rowdy with fights broken beer bottles and we had to end it early as the place was getting trashed. I think it was the Redwood lol on twenty highway. The Boston Manor in Burlington can get bikers at times. Still the craziest crowd I have played in front of...fun times!!

[@drumteacher43]

Thanks very much! Yeah, biker crowds were definitely the rowdiest. I played a gig in South Carolina in a strip club at a biker function once and it was insane. Fun and scary at the same time!!

[@rossonphillips]

Born to be Wild is a must at a biker gig!

[@drumteacher43]

Absolutely 👍 any songs that are known motorcycle driving/cruising tunes as well

[@DavidKimpton-s9g]

We did a biker gig up around Keswick Ont. back in the early 1990's. It was an outdoor venue, they built an outdoor stage. The event was a pig roast and we played a lot of rock/southern rock. We got there around 6PM and the singer was doing a sound check with the rented PA system and it blew up. I think the speakers were overloaded and then cracked. I remember thinking this is not going to end well for us, having a bunch of bikers mad at us because we blew up the PA system. Luckily, the singer asked the Guy running the party if we could use the P A system that was there, they were using it to play music between our sets. He said yes with a stern warning not to damage his system. We ended up playing till around 3 in the morning. Once again the Guy running the party told the drunk bikers to stop yelling requests and to let the band go home. I wasn't much interested in playing biker gigs after that.😅

[@drumteacher43]

Haha that would be very stressful. Great story. I did a gig similar to that in a huge barn that was storing planes. They moved the planes and set up a stage. It wasn’t total bikers I would say more of a mix but stressful because of demanding song after song, lol

[@StageRightMark]

Many years ago, playing at a place on the North Ontario tour. Noticed a couple of biker guys watching the show . When we finished the night, a few more showed up and they said, 'you guys have to come with us to a party". They seemed happy and anyway we couldn't really say no, so we went along. The party turned out to be a open air thing where they had a whole stage set up, fully equipped. They had also hired a band, but their leader liked our music better (all heavy metal), so he had his guys bring us over. We played till dawn on and off with the other band. They treated us really well. Didnt pay us, but they supplied 'whatever' the guys wanted.

[@drumteacher43]

Yeah those can be sketchy gigs. Really didn’t like the “we didn’t get paid” part but I understand at the same time. I still would have negotiated something more than just a hamburger and a beer, joints etc. cool story though!

[@StageRightMark]

@@drumteacher43 we were too intimidated to ask and it was unplanned. We took it as a great experience. We did, however, finish out the week at the bar we were booked for and got paid for that.

[@chadcarrdrums]

I've played a lot of biker rallies over the years & it's wilder than anyone could imagine. Have to bleach my eyes afterwards. lmao

[@drumteacher43]

Yes I agree. I couldn’t go into details of what I saw (!youtube rules) it was insane on so many levels. I didn’t think I would be shocked but i was. I could never live that biker lifestyle though but it’s a very free approach to life but many rules in the club!

[@Bsloga]

Great stories. Loved how you put a tailored band together. That's the way to do it. Hey, bikers are people too !!

[@drumteacher43]

Thanks!!

[@andrewmachado6988]

Have you ever seen the series “Dark Side of the Ring?”. They did an episode on Johnny K9 (Ion Kroitoru). Everyone who knew him said he was a really nice guy and they were shocked when they found out about his criminal activities. As far as biker bars in Oshawa, I know there’s a lot in the downtown area. Was it at Le Skratch or The Big Sexy? I know those were popular bars/clubs back many years ago. There was The Dungeon that was in the basement of Lazer Quest as well I went to a lot to see local bands. That last story was wild. Happy it didn’t turn violent. I don’t think it would have ended well for you guys.

[@drumteacher43]

I’ve seen it but not the Johnny episode, he was quite the character. Oshawa has some rough bars in it!! Might have been one of those I can’t quite recall!

[@0tt0z]

Johnny K9 was an interesting dude. 😂

[@drumteacher43]

He sure was!! 😂

[@sonnywolfblues]

I've played plenty of biker gigs over the years since my style of Blues and Rock n Roll appeals to them. They always treated us well and paid us on time with no issues. One time though we were hired to play at a hall out in the countryside. A year prior,a friend of mine got shot there by the owner by a rifle after a scuffle ensued. Anyways the bike gang contacted me and I agreed to play for them (it wasn't the owner that contacted me). So we play the first set and take a break. One of the gang members who must have been slightly mentally challenged because he was acting like a 5 year old kept tapping my drummer's cymbal. My drummer tells him to stop but he kept coming back and doing it again. Then suddenly in a fit of rage my drummer grabs him by the neck and lifts him in the air and carries him about 10ft and drops him on the floor!! All in front of his biker gang buddies. I was laughing internally because it was hilarious to watch but at the same time in extreme panic because now these guys are gonna beat us up and we are alone in the country with no one around to save us. To my surprise the leader of the gang actually told the village idiot to leave us alone and assured me he won't bother us anymore.....wow. I was really expecting the worst. We played our two remaining sets,got paid and drove out of there ASAP!!

[@drumteacher43]

Wow scary story. You are so lucky that really could have gone bad. Your drummer is lucky he didn’t get pounded badly. Bikers are unpredictable. It depends on the day.

[@sonnywolfblues]

@@drumteacher43 Yes I think my guardian angel saved us!!

[@zeketrick]

Sorry Man...... I'm guilty of yelling Songs to the Bands😂😂😂 knowing they'd never play it " Uriah Heep " we were young and Punky 😮 my older friends did play " Heep " so that's why Z

[@drumteacher43]

lol yes I know that tune. 🎵

[@kerrybarnes7289]

I've done those gigs you play at their club house the rules are layed out to the bands, listern hard, they wont explaine it twice.

[@drumteacher43]

Yes and they enforce those rules quite strictly. I haven’t done a biker gig in many years but I remember them well!

[@maxgees99]

It’s all the “hang-arounds” and wannabes that you need to steer clear of. The full-patch guys know “respect” and don’t want to call attention with BS like you dealt with.

[@drumteacher43]

True!

[@yannyloyer7177]

last party. we got treated like royalty. we were a metal band. iron maiden, priest, Metallica,etc. paid well. free food drinks etc. carried our gear, shoved fellow bikers outa the way of the band as we went by lol. they were good people

[@yannyloyer7177]

did a few. last one was fun. the biker did tire burnouts right in front of band lol. another one back in the day. the shotguns came out lol. starting shooting rounds in the bush for fun. we got out quickly lol

[@drumteacher43]

Yeah it can get crazy really fast! I experienced both of those things too. Gets worse as the booze flows