I'd give that symbol the hardest crack I could and scare'm into dropping his cig. Then I'd say 'Oh I'm sorry. Did my ciggarette lighter give you a scare?"

I'm shaking my head in dismay at the comments recommending a violent physical reaction.

Folks, you could and probably should go to jail for hitting someone under those circumstances. How would you like jail time? How would you like having a conviction for assault on your record? Even if you plea bargain, do you realize how much defense-attorneys charge?

Secondly, the guy might have violent tendencies of his own, and you can't necessarily tell what his skill-set might be -- e.g., boxing, martial arts....

Third, the guy might have friends.

Fourth, the guy might make a mental note of the name of the band and "revisit" the issue at another time, another gig. We are in the public eye; we are NOT anonymous.

Fifth, the punch could lead to major damage and lawsuits that you could be paying for physically and monetarily for a looooong time! Something like this could easily escalate, and as Chrisso mentioned, you could break your hand or worse... damage equipment, damage property at the venue, etc....

Lighten up boys! 

P.S., I played a club on Broadway in San Francisco one night when a tussle broke out in the audience, and really quickly it turned into a knife fight -- right in front of the stage; the bouncers took it outside, and the police took it from there... we kept playing.

Hilarious! But remember, you have the power of the microphone. I would probably harass the guy until he got embarrassed enough to leave or the bouncers took him out. Perhaps WD40 on your cymbals would prevent that from happening again...

I mostly play at church so fortunately, I haven't had any of these problems!     However, I do notice a general sense of disrespect for drummer's gear.  I think that since we hit our instruments then the average person figures they must be indestructable and not worthy of respect.      

I must admit that our guitarist and bassist play in a band outside of church and one of their sons played drums for them.  He had an inexpensive kit and was quite a basher.  Every once in a while they'd do something that indicated that they had a bit of an attitude about how the church's drums (and drums in general) were less than stellar.  So I started chatting-up the virtues of the gear and explaining the details of how the cymbals/drums were made and why I chose each piece for the church kit.  (I donated it.)  They admitted they had no idea how much was involved and how expensive the stuff could get. 

Let me first say that i don't play in places like that anymore i only play in church.  But i have been a police officer for the last 23 years.  I don't think i could let that slide, but as others have said no need to resort to a physical encounter.  However, if after giving the guy a peace of my mind, i did not recieve the type of reply i was looking for. There might be a small problem.

Everyone just thinks a drum kit is just worthless and means they think they can just grap a stick and start hitting anythnig as hard as they can 
Its really annoying...and about the match thing, your frind was probably right to hit him! Im looking at buying a zildjian ride, hitting the £100, I wouldnt be happy if someone marked it. Id set fire to their wallet and see how they like money being wasted.

I agree on that. Me being only 16, going on 17, I haven't really got any money. When I get a job in the summer, it will be minimum wage and it will take quite a while to save up for what I want. If I end up buying a cymbal that i've wanted, I would be very p***ed off if someone just carelessly marks it or messes it up. It's ok for people who have money to burn and could go out and buy whatever they want, but most "normal" people have to earn what they want in life, and they would naturally want to take care of what they have worked to get.

I completely agree with you. That's I stated in my previous post that prevention is the best move. I would also like to bring up another point about NOT getting violent with the "match striker" or any other bar room jerk. It is well known that illegal drug use is commonly associated with the music industry. Even though studies with the local District Attorney's Office have shown that the percentage of musicians who use drugs is far less than the percentage of the general population. But, the striking a match across a cymbal routine is known to be a setup used by undercover cops to gain reasonable probable cause to continue an investigation and other goals. I played in a band with a guitarist who later I found out was an informant (busted on a marijuana possession charge) for the police and this was one of the stunts was pulled on me to try to "entrap" me into working as informant for the police. There were numerous other stunts as well. This included having my cymbals cracked, drums seized without reasonable probable cause, other band members given illegal drugs to try to entice me to do illegal drugs (just say no and then quit the band), bogus auditions, my car slammed over 30 feet across an intersection (not all in the same day though), and various other incidents that are matters currently under investigation and indictments are pending against the officers. Words of wisdom from a drummer and an Electrical Engineer (BSEE, what can I say, I'm the "classic underachiever") who has had a federal agent fired from his job, forced the resignation of a senior local prosecutor, and makes quite a number of prominent local law enforcement officials jump when they hear my name.

Ha!

Yeah, did any of this take place on a grassy knoll??

Yep, a few days back!