Anybody gigging and wearing a mask?

[mstillman]

Our (outdoor) gig slated for next Saturday got canceled a few days ago. That was not unexpected. Still, I was looking forward to playing outside. I've written off gigs until spring of 2021, unless something happens to materialize (outdoors).

I'm late 50s. This sucks. I don't have decades of gigging ahead of me, realistically speaking.

 

[Goatrope]

Last night: indoors, No masks on stage. Walking anywhere within the venue required masks. No masks at tables. No dancing.

Better than no gig.

 

[TomB]

We've done a number of outdoor duos and trios. We keep adequate separation on stage. Masks are on except when singing. The audience is a good distance away, and spaced out. With the mask mandate, most of them are masked unless eating or drinking. We feel safe enough. It feels so good to play I've kind of ignored the weirdness. Indoors? ... not ready for that at all.

 

[lokikallas]

I am more freaked out about having to use the bathroom at some point than breathing in the air. No thanks. I'll stay hidden under the bed for a bit longer.

 

[SubHuman]

It really doesn't make sense to be in a hurry to open up live indoor concerts until the "all clear" is given. Even if the band is isolated the audience is the wild card. While I'm sure many personal shows can control the audience and their social distancing many bars and alcohol cause fans to throw caution to the wind. Let's all be patient just a little longer and we might all be able to enjoy live shows again soon!
I miss my live concerts too but it's clear that everytime things open up right now the virus numbers rise.
In my opinion if I need to wear a mask to see a band play live then that tells me I will wait for the "all clear".
This dang virus sucks but the only way to stop it is to break the way it spreads. Stop the spread!

 

[TomB]

It really doesn't make sense to be in a hurry to open up live indoor concerts until the "all clear" is given. Even if the band is isolated the audience is the wild card. While I'm sure many personal shows can control the audience and their social distancing many bars and alcohol cause fans to throw caution to the wind. Let's all be patient just a little longer and we might all be able to enjoy live shows again soon!
I miss my live concerts too but it's clear that everytime things open up right now the virus numbers rise.
In my opinion if I need to wear a mask to see a band play live then that tells me I will wait for the "all clear".
This dang virus sucks but the only way to stop it is to break the way it spreads. Stop the spread!

Once inside, the HVAC system becomes an issue, regardless of audience spacing. Few of the places I play indoors have sophisticated air handlers - mostly quite the opposite. Could be a long winter.

 

[podiumboy]

My band is a 4 piece, with everybody singing except the drummer. Masks wouldn't work. We have basically been on hiatus since March. Honestly, I would be fine going out and playing somewhere tonight. I saw a band play the other night at an outdoor bar, and social distancing was being practiced. The band put masks on when they took breaks, as soon as they walked off the stage. That's what I'd do.

 

[rockdoc11]

So I did two gigs with my classic soul/funk/disco band last weekend. Both outdoors, with lots of social distancing (at least on my part).

Through an abundance (overabundance?) of caution on my part, I wore a mask throughout, including the many songs I do back up vocals on. On my two lead vocals, though I did drop the mask.

I found the experience (playing and singing while wearing a mask) MUCH more tiring than a typical gig. So I'm out until this COVID-19 goes away. (Come on, vaccine!) Much as I love playing, the experience was simply not as much fun.

(I did have a bit of fun modding my generic white mask, though!)

 

[mstillman]

So I did two gigs with my classic soul/funk/disco band last weekend. Both outdoors, with lots of social distancing (at least on my part).

Through an abundance (overabundance?) of caution on my part, I wore a mask throughout, including the many songs I do back up vocals on. On my two lead vocals, though I did drop the mask.

I found the experience (playing and singing while wearing a mask) MUCH more tiring than a typical gig. So I'm out until this COVID-19 goes away. (Come on, vaccine!) Much as I love playing, the experience was simply not as much fun.

(I did have a bit of fun modding my generic white mask, though!)

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What is it like when the audience doesn't dance, or is that an incorrect assumption? Do they applaud more? I haven't gigged since early March, so I have no idea what it's like. Went to see a show but it was weird and too soon to be comfortably out.

 

[rockdoc11]

What is it like when the audience doesn't dance, or is that an incorrect assumption? Do they applaud more? I haven't gigged since early March, so I have no idea what it's like. Went to see a show but it was weird and too soon to be comfortably out.

Actually people did dance a fair amount, and applauded nicely. about the same as the "before" days. But I couldn't get over the inherent vibe that something just wasn't right. I absolutely love playing out, but it just felt different, and not-so-great.

Probably mostly in my head, but there nevertheless. So I'll continue to hunker down at home and wait the thing out.

 

[Goatrope]

Actually people did dance a fair amount, and applauded nicely. about the same as the "before" days. But I couldn't get over the inherent vibe that something just wasn't right. I absolutely love playing out, but it just felt different, and not-so-great.

Probably mostly in my head, but there nevertheless. So I'll continue to hunker down at home and wait the thing out.

We played a place where they had a no-dancing rule in effect. This was on top of the limited capacity. You can certainly feel the lack of energy that would normally be coming back and feeding our playing. Even with folks dancing (squirming?) in their seats, it's just more work to keep our energy up.