Before downbeat...

[ebo]

My band has divided up chores. Guitar player and singer do bookings and disperse earnings. Singer also does social media, website and merch. Its not hard labor but does take time and energy. Keyboard player chips in with load in/load out. Drummer just drums. That leaves me and the sound guy to actually set up and break everything down. It’s a couple of mains on tripods and a sub. We are all responsible for our own monitors, IEM’s and connections to the board or snake. The sound guy also does varying levels of lighting, he sets it up but we load in and load out. The sound guy is the singers husband and only takes 10% of the pay, kind of a token really. They also own the PA and load it in the truck at home and unload after, we just help at the gig itself. We’re all working harder than the pay warrants obviously. We have a really good thing going though and all hang together well. Best band situation I’ve ever been in really. Good gigs, decent pay, good hang. For as long as this lasts, I’m totally in.

 

[jastraw]

2 and 3 in equal amounts. 1 is almost never. For reference. Today was my 58th gig of 2023.

 

[fourfinger]

I play in a 60s and 70s folk-rock quintet — and that accurately describes our ages as well as genre.

At this age, it’s important that we all work together, and all pitch in with setup and teardown of the small PA and, if outdoors, our tent. The three guys do most of the heavier lifting, while the two ladies take care of most of the cables and stands. I usually carry my rig myself (class D head and two Neo 1x12s). It’s not too much work when everyone helps, and the exercise counts as a workout.

 

[gln1955]

BL always shows up early and sets up his PA and lights. I can just carry in my stuff, set up in 10 minutes and be ready to go. I usually end up helping the drummer load in and set up. After the gig, we all help teardown and load out everything.

 

[JRA]

Share your experience, and your feelings on the the topic.

#1 = few and far between these days. i'm sure i deserve more!

#2 = my 2nd most frequent experience --- straight forward, love 'em!

#3 = this mostly (and the way i voted). it's a band that i started with other like-minded cats ~8-9 years ago and i really want to 'exploit' it for myself in my old age...for sheer pleasure...so i do some work to get some joy. i'll always get some joy from playing --- we'll see how long i'll do that work stuff. (i stopped doing actual production gigs last spring: too much to be expected from an older gentleman. )

 

[51PRI]

Lately I've been riding to out of town gigs with the band member who carries and sets up the PA. If I don't ride with him he usually sets it all up by himself. So my riding with him helps him with load in and helps me since I've having trouble driving at night these days. I give him gas money which I can have as a tax deduction, so it's good all around.

 

[Dave W]

#3

The BL does the PA, I do the lights.

 

[Spidey2112]

Based on this year's gigs, I'm going to say half of them provide sound, and I set up my rig and play. Keys and drums stage first, so I help them when asked. Same at load out... my goal is to get my equipment out of the way (first), so they can so the same.

When we secure PA support for a venue, they are their own entity and are paid to do their job.

 

[3toes]

I always help unload and load the trailer. More hands on deck means we all get in and out quicker. In regards to setup, everyone kind of takes care of their own I/O for the PA. I get my monitor into place, power it, run the XLR back to the snake... Same with my DI.

Thankfully we play plenty of bigger rooms that have their own PA, so those gigs just involve us each setting up our own rigs.

Backline-provided-plug-n-play gigs are alright by me as long as I can bypass the preamp of whatever they provide and use my own. Thankfully we don't run into this situation too often. I love the way my own rig sounds and will ALWAYS default to playing through it if at all possible.

 

[WI Short Scaler]

I chose the 3rd scenario. I'm a one band only guy. I own the PA and lights, haul it every time and run them while playing and singing. The other 2 bandmembers have jobs to do and all pitch in to the setup. Not always fun to haul the stuff back in the basement at all hours of the night but I also get a larger % of the pay for the inconvenience.

 

[Marko 1]

I chose the 3rd scenario. I'm a one band only guy. I own the PA and lights, haul it every time and run them while playing and singing. The other 2 bandmembers have jobs to do and all pitch in to the setup. Not always fun to haul the stuff back in the basement at all hours of the night but I also get a larger % of the pay for the inconvenience.

Similar, but fortunately I have a trailer that I can leave the stuff in when I get home,

and pull what I might need out whenever.

 

[Pacman]

#2 for me. I guess some bands around here own/run their own PAs, but for the gigs I do, there is so much more value added by hiring out. So this week, I did 2 gigs with scenario 2, and 1 gig with scenario 1. If they want scenario 3, they're probably not going to get me to the gig.

 

[brianrost]

I chose the first three, because I've done all of them.

Scenario 1 I'd find to be a total drag, as I'm a gearhead, and my bass rig is an integral part of my enjoyment.

I've only been stiffed twice with supplied backline. In one case, it wasn't there and in the other it was an older Peavey that sounded horrible with my DB no matter how I EQed it.

Otherwise, I love it. Gives me the chance to play through big stacks...SVTs are always fun, but a lot of Eden and GK+Hartke over the years, too. A lot less to carry...playing clubs in NYC with backline is so sweet

 

[One Way]

1, 2, and 3 for me.

 

[Beej]

All of the shows we've played this summer have had a provided backline and PA, so I was a variation of the first scenario. In my case, they've gone like this:

"I show up, plug into the backline and go to play, but it doesn't work."

Seriously, three gigs in a row, the provided backline didn't work. Three different venues, three different sound crews. The first gig I let them fiddle around for a good 20 minutes before I went to the truck and got my amp and cab. The other two, as soon as I plugged in to no sound, I immediately just got my amp and set it up.

To be fair, our drummer had to play an "outdoor kit" on two of those shows. Like a kit that is just left outside under a cover for those outdoor gigs. Mold and all.

 

[Marko 1]

"I show up, plug into the backline and go to play, but it doesn't work."

Seriously, three gigs in a row, the provided backline didn't work. Three different venues, three different sound crews. The first gig I let them fiddle around for a good 20 minutes before I went to the truck and got my amp and cab. The other two, as soon as I plugged in to no sound, I immediately just got my amp and set it up.

I often wonder what it's like to have that as standard procedure. I'd do as you, and bring my own rig just in case, or at least a head if I depended on public transportation.

Only two times did I have to play from a rig that wasn't mine, both smaller charity-type events where some host band provided everything and we just did a handful of songs, nothing that would be worth bringing and setting up my own rig for.

Both happened to be older low-wattage 2x10 Fender Rumbles... I could hear myself just barely, and it was most unsatisfying.

 

[3toes]

Relying on backline equipment is just flat-out risky for those exact reasons. A lot of production companies will just leave the rig in the truck, never test or services between gigs, etc. Unless it's a company I'm familiar and have worked with in the past (bonus points if I'm familiar with the specific tech(s)), I'm gonna bring my rig as backup if at all possible.

Venue-provided backlines can be a BIT less risky, but again, it depends heavily on the venue and my experience with them.

 

[Bunk McNulty]

Typical gig: Leave the house and drive for an hour so I show up 90 minutes ahead of time to help with setup. Play three sets in four hours. Allow about 60 minutes for teardown. Then an hour's drive home. For those counting at home, it's more than an eight-hour day.

 

[Beej]

I often wonder what it's like to have that as standard procedure. I'd do as you, and bring my own rig just in case, or at least a head if I depended on public transportation.

Only two times did I have to play from a rig that wasn't mine, both smaller charity-type events where some host band provided everything and we just did a handful of songs, nothing that would be worth bringing and setting up my own rig for.

Both happened to be older low-wattage 2x10 Fender Rumbles... I could hear myself just barely, and it was most unsatisfying.

Yeah, normally I'd be in the number 2 camp or number 3. We all help out, and I'm also a gearhead, so I like to get my hands dirty. We almost always bring all our own gear, but this summer it just worked out that most shows booked had a provided backline.

My next gig is all us though... playing outdoors in a south-facing warehouse parking lot. At least we don't take the 'stage' until after the sun goes down, but I'll still be bringing a large fan just for me to help cope with the heat that will surely be rising off that tarmac for hours.

 

[bassicmike]

Typical gig: Leave the house and drive for an hour so I show up 90 minutes ahead of time to help with setup. Play three sets in four hours. Allow about 60 minutes for teardown. Then an hour's drive home. For those counting at home, it's more than an eight-hour day.

Sounds about right

Drive to venue - 10-60 minutes
Depending on gig, arrive 3-6 hours prior to show.
Set up my station.
Set up lights.
Soundcheck (we hire sound whenever possible)
Depending on gig, downtime, could be an hour, could be 3.
Play 2-2.5 hour show
Breakdown and pack up station and lights
Drive home
Bring it all in the house
Shower, eat a bowl of ice cream, watch TV, decompress.
Anywhere between 8-12 hours, depending on drive time