Do you forget stuff at gigs and rehearsals?

[Wesley R]

Never from or for a gig or practice.
Did forget a bass in the bed of a truck when bringing stuff into the house. I woke up at the first clap of thunder, jumped out of bed and got it before it was really wet.

 

[Wandering Bass]

We had a kid who did our load/unload and help with set up. Good guy and a great worker. One night we played a private party that went way late, with a casino show the next night in a town with no music store, very minimal sleep and a 5 hour drive. He set both my basses off to the side and forgot to load them, which wasn't obvious until we were tuning up for the show. I ended up doing the first hour of the show playing bass on the telecaster I kept in the van for songwriting. Other than that I've been prepared/lucky.

 

[delta7fred]

When I was playing guitar I got to a gig, unloaded my gear, set it up and looked round for my guitar to tune up - oops, it was still at home an hour drive away. I worked with a guy who lived nearby who I knew had a guitar so phoned him and he brought round a very dusty Tele copy with black strings and an action you could drive a bus under. It was better than no guitar at all and I took it home and restrung it and set it up for him as a thank you.

Another night we were playing a wedding and I forgot the mixing desk. While I drove home like a maniac the guitarist hacked a couple of cords so he could plug a CD player straight into a powered PA cab for background music. I arrived with minutes to spare before the happy couple wanted to have the first dance.

As I get older my memory is getting worse so I now have a heap of band gear that I do not touch between gigs. As long as the corner of the room where it lives is clear before I go to a gig then hopefully I have everything with me. I can still forget my suit bag of stage clothes though and regularly forget my setlist (emailed out by the guitarist the day before a gig) unless I put it on my gear heap the moment it comes off the printer.

 

[brianrost]

I showed up once at a gig without my bass...had everything else, my amp, cords, mike, stand. I called the guitarist who lived nearby but hadn't left his house yet and asked him to bring his bass for me to play. That was the one and only time I did that.

On the other hand, I have on occasion left something behind while packing up. My packing routine is very regular, almost OCD, so that if it gets interrupted I may forget a step. I have left the gig without my bass, without my amp, lost more than few cables.

 

[StraffordMike]

I often forget to bring my talent. Usually it's in my wife's purse with a couple of my other prized possessions.

 

[alack]

I went through a period when I left my mic stand. Luckily one of the other guys grabbed it for me. This is one area where being OCD helps. I'll admit to stopping a 1/2 mile from the the gig just so I can open the hatch on my car to check again. I've gone so far as to open cases to verify, yes I did put the bass in there. Even then when I come to a red light I'll reach my right hand back to feel for both cases.

 

[sean_on_bass]

Never forgot anything needed for a gig. Sometimes i will conveniently "forget" to bring my bow with me on days that i don't feel like messing with it at rehearsal

My setup is pretty simple though. Bass in bag with cables/music/tuner/bow/rosin. Small GK combo amp. Music stand. Lately have added a stool to the list...

 

[delta7fred]

Back in the 1972 I played with a guitarist who got a brand new Les Paul. He then spent a small fortune getting all the nickel plated hardware swapped for gold plated. The first night he played it he left it leant up against the loading dock behind the club when we loaded out.

He woke up with a start at about 7AM and realised what he had done so immediately drove round to the club. Apart from a dusting of snow on the case it was exactly as he had left it. One lucky guy!

 

[GKon]

Every once in a blue moon, but usually not. The last time I can remember leaving something behind was the DVD of various video clips that played on a screen behind us while my band was playing.

 

[LowActionHero]

I've lost a mic and a guitar stand. No idea where. Had a couple mixups where my stuff ends up in someone else's bag. Now all my cables and stands have green electrical tape on them. I grab all MY stuff first then come back to help the rest of the guys.

I did almost leave a gig without my bass and effects /cables bag just the other night. Broke everything down after we played and set it in the corner while we listened to the other bands. Then I guess I thought I had already loaded up like I normally would have. Almost walked out and drove home when I realized everything was still in the corner of the bar...

 

[JRA]

forgot my instrument once, music stand a couple of times, music book a couple of times, black pants (gig attire) once, instrument cable a few times, light stands a couple of times: all i can think of, since 1964, but: most of it has happened in the last 5-10 years --- a testament to the process of aging!

 

[Engle]

I always do an "idiot check" before leaving the venue. Somehow I'm always the last one to leave - hmmm

 

[BassinCT]

Since I do a variety of gigs with different instruments and equipment requirements, I have to plan ahead and get my stuff in order before I leave the house. Sometimes, I sit in my car and go over the setup and double-check before I hit the road.

 

[PauFerro]

I forget stuff all the time, but that's because I have a lot to bring -- the full PA, usually two basses, mic stands, mics, cords, and backup equipment for the musicians who forget music stands, plexiglass sheeting for their music in windy situations, lights for their music stands in case the client turns out the lights, and their music. And then, you have to remember the business stuff -- the detailed instructions from the client, and the checkbooks.

On the other hand, people have described me as McGyver in a lot of situations -- that guy from the TV show who was capable of improvising anything he needed to get through difficult situations. So, for some reason I seem to be able to get through the gig no matter what I forget.

 

[rogerbmiller]

The stuff I usually forget at rehearsals and gigs are notes, chord changes, etc.

Thankfully it doesn't happen much and when it does it is brief and I can fake my way through it!

 

[Matthew Fisher]

I left my only bass at an open mic earlier this year. That was embarrassing, although I did get it back after calling the club owner. Yes, a bit of alcohol was involved.

 

[Groove Doctor]

I ALWAYS do a dummy check at home and after a gig.... you'll never forget anything if you double check everything.

Gig bag for two basses (on my back), straps left on basses. Cab, rack, cable bag & trolley in garage always ready to go.

Velco cables together using 'stand' = MarkBass Bass Keeper. I even leave a black tie in the cable bag just in case.

I'm first to take my gear to the car, then help the others. Drummer leaves his drum carpet on floor or singer takes his floorfan occasionally.

 

[mikeyjm2]

Never forget gear (or anything else) at gigs, but at rehearsals I'm always leaving my phone behind. I usually remember it just as I'm about to get in my truck and head home. One of the perils of approaching 50 I suppose...

 

[Relsom]

I don't usually forget things...and have a spare everything....except tuners. I seem to be leaving my tuner at home more than anything.

 

[tedious1]

I'm probably going on my 123rd Planet Waves Guitar dock thingies. I generally clamp it to the front edge of my rack, which sits on an amp stand. End of the set, take it off, put it down somewhere, instead of in the ammo case where it belongs...and presto, gone. The only other gear related thing I've lost was one of those mic stand pick holders, forgot to take it off the venue's mic stand. Everything else musical makes it out, but I lose a pair of sunglasses every second or third gig in the summer, load in while the sun is still out into a dark venue, but I'm an afficionado of cheap sunglasses too.

I'm actually pretty impressed, in real life, I'd often forget my butt if someone hadn't kindly stapled it to the bottom of my back...