Possibly the best gig ever.

Ace Marconi · #1 07-16-2011, 11:46 PM

This was a good one:

I’m rolling north on provincial road 340 here in West central Manitoba. I’m looking for a rodeo, or at least a sign, amidst the bald prairie. A yellow cardboard arrow points to a field approach off of the highway. Just that, no words. I slow down & look. Out in the middle of the section, there’s a cluster of vehicles & tents. This has to be the gig location, but ...?!

I double back, turn off the pavement and start in across the field, in my little old Dodge beater car. The track is easy driving along well packed dirt. Now I see the portable stock fences & pens too, and the row of large potato trucks wrapping around the south edge, forming a wind break. And, of course, the portapotties complete with a sewer sucker truck along the downwind north edge of the site, past the parking lot. These cowboys think of everything.

I follow the vehicle tracks around the west edge of the little temporary town, and I find the stage, next to the beer garden. The drummer has his SUV & trailer backed up under the tent that covers the back half of the stage, and the area behind it. Well this surely is the place. The stage is two flatbed trucks, side by side, with the beer garden out in front. The ground is typical summer-fallow, mowed and fragrant hay.

I open the car door, and my senses are assaulted by the heat of the day, the sun at 2 o’clock in a perfect blue sky. Thousands of dragonflies quarter the skies like helicopters, seeking and consuming flies and mosquitoes, and bumbling into everything. They are harmless, and mostly ignored, compared to the humidity and the temperature. I see the 20 kW trailer genset right next to the north end of the stage, and worry briefly about the noise and exhaust. I reach back into the car for my cowboy hat, and I go to investigate.

Oh, it’s already running! and zapping out a couple of kW to the refrigerators and appliances in the beer garden and kitchen. Full electronic regulation. Sounds like an idling, well muffled VW. The exhaust note is a contra-bass B, and the slight odor wafts off across the parking lot . I check the voltage on the display, 183 V peak. Should be alright. Check the rms voltage with the kill-o-watt I carry. 138 Vrms is a bit hot, but the frequency is dead on. The power factor is a bit bloated, maybe from the light load. Hopefully it will come down a bit later, with more load.

The drummer & I compare notes about the drive out, and the day. We’ve both traveled several hours from our respective homes to reach this place. This gig will be a showcase, a fund-raiser for the rodeo, for the most part, but the wages will cover expenses, and a bit. Mostly this one is about getting seen in the right place, in the right light. The biggest trick will be staying hydrated in this heat, but lots of water, pop, and salty snacks, coupled with the right clothes will avoid any problems.

We set up the pa, drums & bass. The trick is to stay out of the sun, and wear the hat, rather than getting sticky with sunscreen. Untangle in the shade, then go plug in & scurry back. Feel that vitamin d boost from the bright sunlight, chasing the winter sadness away! Right. While we work, the rodeo begins with goat roping & barrel racing, followed by the calf roping, bronc & bull riding. Gradually the rest of the band arrives & sets up.

We learn some things about the new mixer which the drummer has added to the PA We learn about wind noise in the drum mics. The guitar-vocalist’s old tube amp takes exception to the power source, popping the rectifier tube (old) and the fuse (slo-blo). This causes a change in the monitor mix, but nothing difficult. We troubleshoot a balky GFI breaker on the genset sub-panel, and try to locate the steel player. It all comes together, as usual.

The rodeo intermission arrives, and we play a Johnny/June Cash double shot for a sound check, and to give folks a taste of what comes later, should they choose to stick around for the dance. Time for a nap, supper, costume change, and a shower for some. Finally dusk comes with the full moon rising huge out of the prairie horizon in front of us. The bull riding ends a bit later than expected, but the best news is that no-one and nothing got hurt today. Rodeo is real, and people do get hurt, bad sometimes. Animals too.

We fire up the lights, and start our first set. As most of our shows do, the night goes by in a blur of music, dancing people, applause, and the occasional request. Playing outdoors when the dew comes out means sticky strings, and fingers, but it sure isn’t cold tonight. Occasional bugs result in minor live music artifacts, but no train wrecks or other casualties. Last call arrives suddenly part way through the last set, and then, all too soon, Scott rips out the riff that starts the encore, and suddenly it’s over.

Take down is blessedly quiet and thoughtful, under a full moon sky, still without a cloud. Unfortunately the dragonflies don’t fly at night, and some mosquitoes are looking for their supper. Finally the last light bar is taken down by the light of the car headlights, and someone turns off the genset. The silence reaches out to include the tractor trailer whining down the hot blacktop, half a mile away. Soon we too slip across the dark fields, and roll off down the highway.

It’s not always this good, this sweet, but some are. I wish you a chance to experience this kind of a gig in your career, and I hope we all have more of them. Up with live music, whatever, and wherever it is!

Be Well,

IconBasser · #2 07-17-2011, 12:00 AM

hey man, that's an awesome story! Congrats on the good gig.

GizmoTheOne · #3 07-17-2011, 01:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by IconBasser

hey man, that's an awesome story! Congrats on the good gig.

+1.

I could fall asleep to that story! aaaah, if every gig were like that...

I'm happy for you, and certainly hope to experience that kind of thing some day.

Munjibunga · #4 07-17-2011, 01:34 AM

Great gig, great story!

tekdiver500ft · #5 07-17-2011, 02:57 AM

Sounds like a dream, what a great story. Thanks for sharing.

Dekker · #6 07-17-2011, 06:21 AM

Nice! Thanks for sharing!

rodl2005 · #7 07-17-2011, 07:22 AM

Cheers man, thx for the story.
An opposite to that was a corporate gig for a banking co. we did.
Half way thru the last set, the venue's septic tank either overflowed or blew up! It was @ a winery, outta town, & the bankers had been partying for 5 consecutive days, & that septic had just had enough!
Tragically, I was singing, when we all noticed the stench! We JUST managed to finish the song, eyes watering, before the whole place was evacuated.
Man, that was a sickly, sweet stench!
We earned our $$ that night.

Ace Marconi · #8 07-17-2011, 07:35 AM

Ah yes. Always best to have the facilities down wind of the main event area. Fortunately for us, the stock pens were on the east edge, and we have prevailing south west breezes all summer.

Its amazing how bad humans smell, almost as bad as a pig pond. (you can guess what that is, I'll bet) We have some big hog operations hearabouts, and there are laws about where they can be put, fortunately.

knumbskull · #9 07-17-2011, 07:37 AM

nice post, thanks for that. You're a pretty good writer you know, and i don't say that lightly...

elgecko · #10 07-17-2011, 07:46 AM

Well written and enjoyable!

Chef FourString · #11 07-17-2011, 08:00 AM

Fantastic story and very well written.

fourfinger · #12 07-17-2011, 08:02 AM

Great story! Well written -- gives a real sense of being there. Thanks for posting it, and reminding us that a well-developed sense of appreciation for life's simple joys and realities, is a treasure.

knumbskull · #13 07-17-2011, 08:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fourfinger

Great story! Well written -- gives a real sense of being there. Thanks for posting it, and reminding us that a well-developed sense of appreciation for life's simple joys and realities, is a treasure.

ah, that's pretty much what i wanted to say! Nail/head etc