Best gig setup practices and advice please

[One_Dude]

Folding carts and old suitcases are your friends. I tried several carts and finally found the one that works for me. It folds up and expands in size as needed, now my personal load in/load out is one trip each way. Instead of spending big bucks for fancy flight cases before you need them, find sturdy old suitcases at Goodwill for all your small stuff. Put together a small tool kit with adjustable wrenches, pliers, multi-bit screwdriver, pocket knife, Allen wrenches, and any other small tools you think you might need. Don't forget gaffers tape, spare batteries, and spare strings (mostly for guitar). Dedicated padded bags for mics are worth the expense; I have have two bags designed to protect and transport my mics. Damage one mic in transport and you'll know why a protective bag is a good choice. And as others have said; co-ordinate the setup dance so you're not wasting time bumping in to each other. Figure out the best system to load your gear in your vehicle, and do it the same way each time. Then have fun!!

Thump on,

One_Dude

 

[JeezyMcNuggles]

My band and I are a bunch of older guys and We are mostly new to gigging. We successfully completed our first 4 hour gig and the venue owner has invited us back for 2 more dates. I myself would like to improve our gear unload and load up since we obviously are doing it ourselves. I’m the youngest in the group at 53 but I would still like some advice to set up quicker for outdoor events with no sound guy and avoid some common mistakes as well as help out the older guys who are a little slower at setting up. My current rig is a fender rumble 4x10 cab and I will be adding a 1x15 soon. I also will be bring 2 basses, a boss multi effects processor, mic stand and I also take care of the PA setup.

Just bring the 15. One trip, done. Run that, and go into your PA. Set the drums up as soon as you get out of the car. Carry them onstage assembled. Carry them off stage assembled, and reverse load in procedure.

Get a nice rolling cart. Load it up, wheel on down.

 

[Bunk McNulty]

We love our rugs. They hide cables, and generally look real classy! When we load out, job 1 is to get everything off the rugs first, then take up the rugs, (except the drum kit because so much of it has to be disassembled) then go at all the cables. (You know how to wind up a cable, right? Grab either end, match them up. Then fold in half. A 50-footer, fold in half again. Make a circle, stick the folded cable through one end to make a loose knot, then throw it in the giant hard-sided suitcase you bought at goodwill for $10.

 

[Bunk McNulty]

Set the drums up as soon as you get out of the car. Carry them onstage assembled. Carry them off stage assembled, and reverse load in procedure.

Interesting. Pre-drum kit assembly? I dunno. Easier to put cymbals on their stands after the stands are set. Carrying offstage, though, that's a real possibility. Thanks for the idea! Anything to cut down load-out time!

 

[40Hz]

Get the lay of the land. Don’t go in cold unless necessary.

This might seem obvious. But whenever possible do a recon on the venue in advance. See what you’ve got to work with as far as available “stage” space, power outlets, parking, loading area, security etc. goes and plan accordingly. Nothing worse than thinking there’s more available space than there is, or have to park the van a block away from the place to unload your gear.

For extra credit try to catch some act playing there prior to yours to get an idea of the acoustic properties of the room and how the venue staff operates.

 

[mrcbass]

My band and I are a bunch of older guys and We are mostly new to gigging. We successfully completed our first 4 hour gig and the venue owner has invited us back for 2 more dates. I myself would like to improve our gear unload and load up since we obviously are doing it ourselves. I’m the youngest in the group at 53 but I would still like some advice to set up quicker for outdoor events with no sound guy and avoid some common mistakes as well as help out the older guys who are a little slower at setting up. My current rig is a fender rumble 4x10 cab and I will be adding a 1x15 soon. I also will be bring 2 basses, a boss multi effects processor, mic stand and I also take care of the PA setup.

Set up is a dance that takes place between 4 or 5 or ? people. You don't have the choreography figured out yet.
It's a dance that gets a little easier every time you do it.

My advice to is to try to keep track of the trip points as they happen and discuss how to avoid them at the next rehearsal. If you keep playing the same venue, the routine will become old hat. The tricky part is when you go to a different club and the stage footprint doesn't allow for your desired setup. Try to have 3 or 4 stage layouts so you have a go to for most situations. The key is to have a repeatable routine and stick with it.

Schedule out the load in: Get the drummer planted first. While he's doing that, all the PA guys can be running cables and setting up the FOH. Get the monitors and mic stands in proximity - but not in the way of everyone else. Once the drummer has his kit built, the others can start placing amps and such. If you have guys that don't help with general setup, schedule them to arrive 30 minutes later so they aren't loitering and in the way.

While it's not particularly pleasant, it is something you can collectively practice. Everyone load your cars and drive to one of your garages or patios and do a load in and stage set as if it were a show. Perhaps have the drummer and PA person there 30 minutes before everyone else to set his rig and then everyone else rolls in and does their thing. When you trip over somebody/something, stop and discuss how this can be avoided.

For me the nightmare is load out and dealing with the cables. They never seem to come out in the reverse order that they were strung out and you end up with several balls of cables.

Load in/out is just another part of the show to coordinate and manage. It does get easier every time you do it.

 

[turf3]

We have cases for:
-Mixer and IEM rack
-PA Poweramp rack
-Microphones
-Softcase for mic stands
-Several cases for cables. From a simple metal briefcase for small gigs up to a case on casters you won't lift by yourself. We pick the right size for the gig and load the case in the order we'll be needing the cables on stage.
XLR cables go in first, because the come out last. Power cables on top, along with the speaker cables. Multicores (if needed) in the middle.

Cabinets and amps mostly are box shaped already, so they'd only need a case for protection.
All the stuff that's not box shaped goes in a box, so you can play Tetris in the van.

I have separate bags for "POWER" and "SIGNAL" and they're marked accordingly. If I had a big setup I'd separate "SIGNAL" into "SPEAKER" and "MICROPHONE".

 

[GreyBeard]

Does everyone transport their own gear or do you have a van or trailer?

 

[micguy]

Monitors. A lot of bands get into everyone having a wedge, and as everyone want their amp up loud, and they want; to be able to hear everything, the wedges end up screaming loud. The FOH person (you should have one) will end up throwing up their hands, because, even without the mains on, the band is too loud.

The proper way to do things, if you're not going to use in ears, is to work on stage layout so you don't need lots of monitor volume on stage. I played in a band once where we had a guitarist, a bassist, a singer, and a drummer. The amps were set up so everyone could hear themselves a little louder than everyone else a their ears, and the drummer and vocalist could hear everyone else from their amps. There was ONE wedge on stage - in front of the singer. It had her voice in it - that was it. Think of it as the "vocalist's amp", and you get the idea. The only time we would add another wedge is on deep stages, where the drummer was too far back; a second vocal only wedge back by the drummer heled him hear the vocalist.

We balanced ourselves - we could all hear each other; if you couldn't hear someone else, you HAD TO TURN DOWN. The sound coming off the stage wasn't very loud, and it was balanced. We got compliments from every place we played - the house sound person would tell us how great it was to work with us - we weren't too loud, and what stage wash there was was balanced.

You want your band to sound good? Work on this stuff in rehearsal - set up like a gig (arrange yourself like you're on stage), and work on balancing your band. Rehearsal isn't just about learning the notes to play, it's also about polishing yourselves as a musical/entertainment act. This approach also means (ding ding) less gear to carry, set up, and tear down.

A good musical act is a cooperative venture. A volume war is not musical or cooperative.

 

[evlwevl]

Does everyone transport their own gear or do you have a van or trailer?

Everyone transports their own gear because we all live in different Cities up to two hours away from each other

 

[Liko]

Also, I don't do stomp boxes, that means bending over to plug things in and make adjustments. Not gonna happen.

If your amp is hip-height (can't imagine many 1x15s that aren't) and rat-furred, you can stick a couple "always-on" pedals and/or a tuner pedal to the carpet. Been there, done that, you don't even have to unplug the pedals from the front of the amp (unless they're on batteries).

To the OP, a few appendices to the book on post 3:

• Standardize as much of your setup as possible. Be flexible in terms of lengths and dimensions of the stage, and allow the PA to scale to the venue, but insist on standard hookups and basic go-to configurations for mains/monitors. Kick drum is usually channel 1, but you're not miking the drums this time? Channel 1 doesn't become Lead Vox, it stays empty. Don't have enough monitor channels for everyone? The same members share the same channels each time. Obviously when using house sound, you plug in where they tell you, but in that case you have someone else worrying about all that for you anyway. When it's your PA, you run it your way, and you run it as close to the same way every time as the realities of the gig allow, so there is as little last-minute weirdness as possible.
• Color-code your "general-purpose" cables by length. It's fairly easy to determine the connector type at a glance (speaker vs instrument 1/4" are worth distinguishing), but length of cable is harder to determine, even when it's coiled up. For general-purpose cables, just wrap a turn or two of electrical tape around the cable at both ends. The color of the tape tells you the length of cable, say blue for 10', red for 50' (your most common length, usually 20', can go untaped). This is especially helpful when you use reels like I suggested earlier; you can easily see which cables go on what reels when rolling 'em back up, so you don't have to unroll the whole reel of 20-footers to find the one 50' that got put on there by mistake.
  
• Label any "special-purpose" cables. You have a set of four cables that are XLR on one end and 1/4" on the other, that you have specifically to go from the snake's stage box to the amp stack? Invest in a P-touch and some durable label tape, and label them on each end. You can be as specific as "Out A -> Amp 1 L" so you and other band members know how to make the basic connections without planning it out or asking every time. Most of your cables shouldn't be so specialized, but every setup has a few.

Last one:

• Have an "Oh S*** Kit". This extends to you as a player and the band as a whole. This kit has two purposes; to adapt to unforeseen difficulties, and to respond to emergencies. Players should have spares of their preferred strings and picks, batteries for whatever needs them, basic tools for string changes and getting into the control cavity, an extra instrument cable or two, a power strip with surge protection and long cord, a spare wall wart for pedalboards, a spare tuner of some kind, and a decent preamp/DI just in case. Vocalists should have a spare mic with clip and a 20' XLR. Drummers need extra moon gel, spare drum keys and pairs of their favorite sticks. Everyone needs a roll or two of gaff/duck tape.
  
  Then, the band itself should have a common kit that has the basics of every member's kit, plus things for the PA: spare cables, screws, connectors, adapters, power cords, extension cords, a mic stand or two, and tools for hasty repairs (including plenty of duck tape). Soldering and heat shrink might be a little much for the average bar band (a professional sound contractor would absolutely have a soldering kit in the truck, but he's also bringing a $50,000 rig and is responsible for more bands than yours having a good set), but if a cable you can't replace gets the connector torn off, you're kinda hosed, so consider it.
  
  Keep in mind that the "Oh S*** Kit" is over and above the equipment you need in normal circumstances; if a kit has to be opened, something's gone wrong, and we generally want to avoid things going wrong (but we also know Murphy's Law is alive and well in the live music biz). By the same token, the kits should not be relied upon as a go-to for things band members need (and so should have in their case), like picks, sticks, instrument cables etc.

 

[groove pump]

My band and I are a bunch of older guys and We are mostly new to gigging. We successfully completed our first 4 hour gig and the venue owner has invited us back for 2 more dates. I myself would like to improve our gear unload and load up since we obviously are doing it ourselves. I’m the youngest in the group at 53 but I would still like some advice to set up quicker for outdoor events with no sound guy and avoid some common mistakes as well as help out the older guys who are a little slower at setting up. My current rig is a fender rumble 4x10 cab and I will be adding a 1x15 soon. I also will be bring 2 basses, a boss multi effects processor, mic stand and I also take care of the PA setup.

I'm 55 and I sort of do what you do these days. Something that has been helping me with checking on our sound is a rinky-dink wireless - I actually bought it off my guitar pal in the band. This lets me cruise out in front of the stage to hear what we're collectively putting out either when we do a sound check or when we're starting into our first set. With no sound man out there in the room, the wireless allows me to get a check on all of our levels once we actually get it in gear.

If I don't have PA support for my bass sound, I love being able to hear the sound that my amp is putting into the space from out there in the space. I don't plan on getting a really decent wireless to use all the time. I trust my chords and generally need to be in the neighborhood of my mic to do backup vocals for many of our tunes any-who.

My amp and speaker cables/power cord are packed so that I can situate my cabs, put my head right on top of them, hook everything up in no more than a couple of minutes, and then I'll probably tune at least one bass (I also bring a pair to any show). That gets "my stuff" all ready to go in a hurry with plenty of time for squaring away the PA.

If your bass amp needs to be able to put out more volume, then adding a cab to move more air seems to be the way to go. If you're just having trouble hearing your cab and you set down on the stage, I recommend finding something to elevate it up closer to your ears. Since I started using a pair of 2x10 cabs in a taller vertical stack, I seem to be getting decent sound dispersion, but I'm also enjoying how I can more easily hear what's coming out of at least my top cab.

 

[Slough Feg Bass]

don't y'all have any kids or grandkids ? put 'em to work!

I'm already at the point where if I have to bring an amp to a gig I bring a small class D head and 1x12 cabinet. oh and a bass. Maybe a mic stand if I'm singing that day/night.
tell drummer to get one of them small kits, Questlove or Catalina kit. light and easy. minimal hardware. depending on the size of the venues, if you absolutely MUST bring your own PA, just get a couple of powered speakers and a small mixer and be done with it. place them low and outside so you won't need monitors and stuff.
guitars and keys should be able to get away with small combo amps, no reason why any of you should be carrying large amounts of stuff.

 

[turf3]

I would add, each player should have their own spares. From extra extra picks in the guitar case, to extra cables, to replacement strings for stringed instruments. Also a small kit of tools if applicable, for your particular instrument.

And THEN a band kit that also covers a lot of those things.

So, if you're using two cables (long cable bass to tuner, short cable tuner to amp) - a simple rig - this is what I use - have at least one long cable in your stage bag that you put on the floor behind you. (Long cable can substitute for short, but not the other way round). If two cables crap out then maybe you go to the band bag for a replacement.

One other thing as an individual musician: I try to keep what I need for a particular instrument in its case or bag. For example, I have a bag marked "UPRIGHT BASS" and I have a pedal tuner in that bag. If I'm taking the electric bass instead, I don't take the pedal tuner out of the "UPRIGHT BASS" bag and put it in the case of the electric. I already have a second pedal tuner in the electric's case. If I have some kind of last minute change and I take one instead of the other I grab the chosen instrument (and its assigned bag if applicable) and I am ready to go. Yes, you have to duplicate some stuff but by and large it's pretty cheap stuff. I've heard too many people say "oh heck, that's in my other case". Not a good plan.

Now as a sax player I may be playing any of three or four different instruments. All the "SAX" stuff that's not alto/tenor/baritone specific goes in a bag marked "SAX BAG". If a saxophone is coming to the gig with me, the "SAX BAG" goes with me too.

All this stuff seems basic and silly but having reliable routines from which you don't deviate is one of the most effective ways to avoid "Uh Oh" moments. Just like every time you leave your car, you lock the doors. I have been driving for over 40 years. Every single time I leave my car I lock the doors. With 40 years of experience behind me, I don't leave my car unlocked when it should be locked. Locking it when it doesn't need to be, is a small price to pay to always know that when I leave it in a dubious location, it's locked.

 

[devnulljp]

Get a digital mixer. Have all your settings preprogrammed in there and tweak to taste at the gig instead of starting from scratch every time.
I bought a pair of Bose L1 IIs, and they've been great and easy for all but big theatre gigs, and those places have their own sound system and crew.

 

[Liko]

(You know how to wind up a cable, right? Grab either end, match them up. Then fold in half. A 50-footer, fold in half again. Make a circle, stick the folded cable through one end to make a loose knot, then throw it in the giant hard-sided suitcase you bought at goodwill for $10.

If reels aren't an option (and they almost always are), I prefer over-undering anything between 10 and 50 feet. Reasons:

1. Folding in half is asking for crimped loops, and even a tight bend shortens the life of the cable. Murphy's Law: you always discover you have a bad cable fifty miles from a GC, 3 hours after closing time.
2. Coils tend to "stuff" more easily; folded "skeins" always seem to resist being pushed down into nearly-full backs or crevices of cases, while coiled cables behave better.
3. If you don't need the whole length of a coiled cable, you can pay out what you need and leave the rest tucked back out of the way. Paying out half of a folded cable usually results in unfolding the other half.

There's really no excuse not to use a cord reel for XLRs, it's just a no-brainer to feed them onto the reel end to end. 1/4", those are harder to reel in the same way, so they usually get over-undered. Smaller than 10 feet, like patch cables around the amp or sound desk areas, then yeah, just fold it in half a couple times and use a Velcro wrap tie. Beyond 50 feet and/or thicker than XLR (i.e. Speakon or power), it gets a reel, no debates. There usually aren't too many of those in a bar band's rig anyway (in our rig it's the Speakon home-runs out to the main stacks).

For really long, really thick ones, especially ones with boxes on one end that you can't take off (stage snake, generator spider box), you grab a Rubbermaid tub, put the box in the center, and feed in the cable around the sides. Loads easy, stores easy, and pays right back out of the tub at the next gig with no fuss.

 

[evlwevl]

I'm 55 and I sort of do what you do these days. Something that has been helping me with checking on our sound is a rinky-dink wireless - I actually bought it off my guitar pal in the band. This lets me cruise out in front of the stage to hear what we're collectively putting out either when we do a sound check or when we're starting into our first set. With no sound man out there in the room, the wireless allows me to get a check on all of our levels once we actually get it in gear.

If I don't have PA support for my bass sound, I love being able to hear the sound that my amp is putting into the space from out there in the space. I don't plan on getting a really decent wireless to use all the time. I trust my chords and generally need to be in the neighborhood of my mic to do backup vocals for many of our tunes any-who.

My amp and speaker cables/power cord are packed so that I can situate my cabs, put my head right on top of them, hook everything up in no more than a couple of minutes, and then I'll probably tune at least one bass (I also bring a pair to any show). That gets "my stuff" all ready to go in a hurry with plenty of time for squaring away the PA.

If your bass amp needs to be able to put out more volume, then adding a cab to move more air seems to be the way to go. If you're just having trouble hearing your cab and you set down on the stage, I recommend finding something to elevate it up closer to your ears. Since I started using a pair of 2x10 cabs in a taller vertical stack, I seem to be getting decent sound dispersion, but I'm also enjoying how I can more easily hear what's coming out of at least my top cab.

I just purchased an xvive u2 wireless for that very thing so I can stand out in the audience area at this particular venue which is nothing more than a patio and listen to our volume and balance during sound check.

 

[evlwevl]

If reels aren't an option (and they almost always are), I prefer over-undering anything between 10 and 50 feet. Reasons:

1. Folding in half is asking for crimped loops, and even a tight bend shortens the life of the cable. Murphy's Law: you always discover you have a bad cable fifty miles from a GC, 3 hours after closing time.
2. Coils tend to "stuff" more easily; folded "skeins" always seem to resist being pushed down into nearly-full backs or crevices of cases, while coiled cables behave better.
3. If you don't need the whole length of a coiled cable, you can pay out what you need and leave the rest tucked back out of the way. Paying out half of a folded cable usually results in unfolding the other half.

There's really no excuse not to use a cord reel for XLRs, it's just a no-brainer to feed them onto the reel end to end. 1/4", those are harder to reel in the same way, so they usually get over-undered. Smaller than 10 feet, like patch cables around the amp or sound desk areas, then yeah, just fold it in half a couple times and use a Velcro wrap tie. Beyond 50 feet and/or thicker than XLR (i.e. Speakon or power), it gets a reel, no debates. There usually aren't too many of those in a bar band's rig anyway (in our rig it's the Speakon home-runs out to the main stacks).

For really long, really thick ones, especially ones with boxes on one end that you can't take off (stage snake, generator spider box), you grab a Rubbermaid tub, put the box in the center, and feed in the cable around the sides. Loads easy, stores easy, and pays right back out of the tub at the next gig with no fuss.

Lot of good information here.

 

[Bassamatic]

Get one of these AC cables! It has an outlet every few feet, so you don't have an extension cord spaghetti on the stage. Run it behind the drummer and each amp goes right to it with its own cord. They are available in different lengths with up to six outlets.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07X5WLCV4/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Color code the mic cables! Put different colors of tape on each mic cable - mark both ends. You can then tell at a glance that it is the blue mic that is too loud, etc. And always keep the same order of the mics on the PA head, so the lead singer is always #1, drummer #2, etc. Saves a lot of wasted time.

Small carpets for each player so your feet don't get tangled in mic and speaker cables and your feet will feel better also!

As mentioned, do NOT wind cords over your hand and elbow. It twists the cable when you straighten it out and will cause tangles and early breakage. If you don't know the over/under method of winding, use the fold method above. My neighbor uses an AC cord reel and winds up each mic cable, then plugs in the next one into the first one, and winds it up, etc. Very fast and keeps them all neat, straight and in one package. see this -

I have 2 small gym bags - one for AC cables and one for audio cables. Easier to find the one you need and keep track of them.

Make a gig tool kit with everything you might need - some small hand tools, batteries, battery tester, extra strap or 2, extra guitar cords and strings, AC outlet tester, gaffer tape, EAR PLUGS, memory cards for your camera/recorder, phone charger, hand business cards, bottles of water and energy bars, etc. etc. All you cables and stands, etc. must be marked with your name and phone # in case you leave a stand somewhere.

RECORD every gig! I use a Zoom audio recorder. A really GREAT learning tool to see what you have done right or wrong. Try to put it in the audience area, maybe on its own mic stand.

Allow extra time so you are not rushed!

And - most important - HAVE FUN

 

[getBAK]

1. Find a sound guy. Even if you have to pay him a slice of the take, it's worth it to have a good soundman. He's an extra pair of hands and legs to move and set up the gear, he's an extra pair of ears out in FOH listening to the mix, and he can have his hands on the board when you can't because you're too busy playing. When you're running your own sound, have someone dedicated to running it. Our band is lucky; the lead singer and the drummer's son are an item, so he tags along to all the gigs anyway. Instant roadie. Not only do we put his volunteer-fireman ass to work in the load-in/load-out, we're teaching him the rudiments of running the board, so when it's our board he can bump faders out in FOH.
2. Look for gigs with professional "house" sound. In terms of your load-in/load-out responsibilities, house sound is a boon, as is a house sound guy that knows the system to run it. It won't always be available, especially for the kinds of gigs new bands often land. However, venue owners and event coordinators have their own reputation to uphold as a place bands want to come and play, and a place people want to come to hear the bands. As such, at least halfway decent house systems for live music are becoming a staple of venues that host live music, and annual events seeking to attract talent will invest in a third-party media crew. Either way, you should be able to know in advance what your load-in is going to be, and if you're hauling your own PA to and from BFE for the gig, you can negotiate that into the price.
3. Scale the PA, not your stage rigs. Sounds counterintuitive, but when you think about it it really isn't. You need the PA anyway, at least a couple tops and monitors for vocals. If your rehearsal rig won't carry the house, neither will the drums, and if you're miking the kit you'll need a PA beefy enough that you might as well mic up everything. It's tempting to make sure that you yourself have enough rig for the gig no matter what the PA situation is (and there are definitely advantages to that approach), but this is how volume wars start between band members, and nobody wins a volume war, least of all your audience. You'd be surprised how far a decent pair of 1000w 2x12" or 2x15" mains and one or two subs underneath will take you, even outdoors. Considering you need the tops anyway, that's less load-in than an extra cab for your bass amp and each guitar amp. There are some gigs where you have to look like a stereotypical rock band, complete with backline, but they're rarer than you think especially in the bar/festival circuit; most venues in fact encourage the opposite, because they don't have the space for it all and because they need to minimize turnaround between each act. Sometimes it won't even be your rig you plug into; the venue will insist on their backline (or DIs), making your load-in your axe and maybe a pedalboard.
4. Furniture dollies/hand carts. It's so obvious, yet so rare. Don't haul the gear when you can roll it around. This is an investment that pays dividends in spades, and it doesn't even have to be that expensive (for the price of a single Shure SM58, you can have QSE CP12). Obviously not as useful for the roof patio gig up three flights of stairs, but you'd be surprised how many people make a dozen trips to and from the truck carrying cabs and amp racks by hand when a simple hand cart cuts the trips in half at least and the effort by more than that.
   
5. Have a plan to divide and conquer. Nobody should be standing around watching someone else hauling gear and doing hookups. By the same token, you don't need all five people clustered around the stage box trying to plug things in. You're a band; your entire gig is fundamentally dependent on your ability to work together. That should extend from the time you pull up to the venue to the time you head out home. The exact plan depends on the band, the gear and even the specific venue, but the goal should be that everyone is tasked with things they have the knowledge and strength/dexterity to handle, that keeps them out of everyone else's way. You might assign a band member to their "home section" of the stage, as in the lead singer is also responsible for the monitor wedges along the frontline, the bass player and lead guitarist handle the mains on their side of the stage, and the rhythm guitarist handles the connections at the stage box. Whatever. Just make sure everybody knows what needs to be done, the approximate order of operations, and what of that they are expected to do.
6. Help the freakin' drummer already. If you're like most bands, and you've followed my advice so far, you'll have already cut your load-in significantly. Your drummer, however, has been back of the eight-ball from the moment he discovered that hitting things with sticks is fun. The drummer typically has the worst loading and setup/teardown requirements of the whole band, even if he doesn't touch the main PA components. You want to streamline the prep and teardown, you help the drummer with theirs. Obviously you should ask him if he wants help - people can be picky about who handles their stuff - and you need to know what you're doing, but it won't be long before you'll have seen that kit get set up and torn down enough times that you could probably do the whole thing yourself, maybe minus the fine-tuning. It ain't rocket surgery; it's an instrument designed for a guy who thinks hitting it with sticks is fun after all.
7. Mise en place. That's Frenchy talk for "a place for everything, and everything in its place". For bands and audio gear, that boils down to, have an intuitive and organized way to store and transport all your stuff. That means cases. They don't have to be designed specifically for music; before getting scammed on light cases at Guitar Center or Sam Ash, take a look at what Home Depot or Lowe's has in their tool storage section. You can get a durable, lightweight, accessible rolling tool caddy for a lot less than a purpose-built flight case. Make sure to economize on number and size of cases, you don't want a bunch of small bags or boxes getting lost in the shuffle any more than you want a big half-empty monstrosity to find a place for backstage. The cases don't have to be ATA rated, at least not until you're on a 50-city tour of the US, but not only will these cases give your valuable gear some protection, they give your gear a place it should be when not in use, where it can be easily gotten to. Given such a place, put the gear where it goes when you're done.
8. COIL AND WRAP YOUR CABLES. An important corollary of the previous point. After you've closed the bar down on a 4-hour gig playing every song you know and a few you don't, it's very tempting to just rip everything out of the jacks, ball it up and throw it in the duffel bag. Don't be tempted; you're just going to deal with an even bigger mess in that bag at your next gig or rehearsal. Take the time to coil each cable, and have a Velcro wrap-tie on each one. Still too much bother? Pro tip; head to Home Depot and pick up an DI box. Hook your first 20' XLR into the clip on the reel and start reeling it in. When you get to the end, hook the next 20-footer to it and repeat until they're all on the reel. A reel like the one I linked to will easily hold 10 cables, tangle-free, knot-free. Then at the next gig, just set the reel down on stage and start pulling of cable as needed. If you have different lengths (10, 20 and 50 are common on-stage), have multiple reels. They aren't expensive.

/THREAD

Let me add: You can replace the sound-guy with technology if you are playing the same venues.
The PA is by far the most important part of this equation. Ditch the 4x10 for good PA speakers (Like Invalid Link Removed's) and either a Invalid Link Removed or a small amp. After you are done strangling the guitarist into limiting his amp sound and running through the PA, everything starts to get easy.

Switch your PA mixer over to something like the Behringer XR18 This is a digital mixer that has all of the functionality run through a tablet you can walk around the venue with. This only works well if everything runs through the PA.

Do a HARD soundcheck at each venue, venturing out into the area and making tweaks to the sound. Once that's set, save the profile as "gig at xxx". Next time you to to that venue, set-up the same, load the profile, and 98% of your sound is done

Now instead of hauling in Marshall Stacks and a ton of amps. You have DI's (or small amps) and a few PA speakers for the whole group.