At least her dad stuck around
"We came out and started rocking and almost everybody in the club walked out": Nita Strauss remembers the worst gig of her life
Nita Strauss has revealed that the crowd walked out of one of the first shows she ever played. In a new interview with Guitar World, Strauss looks back on the performance, which took place at a Battle Of The Bands night at the Cobalt Café in San Fernando, CA.
Any band who sold ten tickets at $10 apiece could enter the competition, so Strauss's middle school band ODA got to work, hoping to sell enough to take the stage and impress the judges.
“We didn't have a big circle of friends, so we sold a grand total of four tickets to the drummer’s girlfriend and someone’s brother," says Strauss. "After that, we were stuck. Who’s got 60 bucks? Well, my dad came to the rescue. He was a touring musician and he knew the deal, so he came to the soundcheck and bought our last six tickets so we could get on stage and play.
“We were so excited – a real show in front of real people! It was going to be amazing. We only knew three songs – two originals and a cover of Metallica’s For Whom the Bell Tolls.
“We came out and started rocking, and for some reason, almost everybody in the club walked out – including one of the other bands and the judges! My dad stuck around, and the four other people who bought our tickets were there. But that was about it."
Strauss reports that the evening wasn't a complete disaster because she enjoyed the feeling of being on stage so much.
“Looking back on it now, I can say it was the crappiest gig I’ve ever played, but at the time, I was elated," she says. "I was so fully immersed and happy in that moment to be onstage, wearing my boots and playing in front of a few people. The whole band was pumped. We didn’t care that everybody left."
Nita Strauss's US tour continues (full dates below). She'll rejoin Alice Cooper's band for a run of US and European dates on the Too Close For Comfort tour in May.
Nita Strauss 2025 tour dates
Feb 25: Seattle Moore Theatre, WA
Feb 26: Portland McMenamins Crystal Ballroom, OR
Feb 27: San Francisco Palace of Fine Arts Theatre, CA
Feb 28: Los Angeles The Orpheum Theatre, CA
Mar 01: Phoenix The Van Buren, AZ
Mar 03: Denver Paramount Theatre, CO
Mar 05: Austin City Limits Live at The Moody Theater, TX
Mar 06: Dallas Majestic Theatre, TX
Mar 08: Houston Bayou Music Center, TX
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