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How do you beat the heat at a gig?

#22
Plenty of water and.......
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#23
GoLeafsGo said:
And sandals. With socks of course.
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Hey....

Just love when our northern neighbors take their jabs...

C'mon down here to AZ for a few gigs. Many venues are outdoors, and temps often are topping triple digits as late as 11PM. You'll be right there with us in the cargo shorts and sandals; trust me.

As to the socks, you can leave those north of the border, eh?;)
 
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#24
I never wear shorts on stage, and usually dress in black, so outdoor gigs in the sun can be knarly at times. Luckily I don't have to endure too many unless we are on a multi bill act and drew an early slot, but those stages usually have adequate shading anyway. The humidity on the Midwest and south is what gets to me (I lived in Miami, so I do know what humid is, believe me) and that's what makes me the most miserable. Regardless, I'd rather play in the heat than the cold. Anything under 45 degrees and I'm more miserable than the heat.

Bad thing about the sunlight is it can wreak havok on basses and equipment. My Anvil effects case had the black laminate bubble and the glue separate, not to mention the Tolex on my svt head get so warm you could move it with your fingers. That's hot. I've also grabbed those thin solar blankets and cover amps and guitars if the sun gets to them after that, but the silver really sticks out, so I remove it before a show. The extra fan helps move air on the amp though. It might just be in my head, but I think it helps.

I've seen some great ideas here so far, this old dog doesn't mind learning new tricks if he can.
 
#27
Reopening this thread. Last night and today I was offered two gigs ... 1.5 hours outdoors in the evening ... in August. One with my trio, the other with my duo. $150 per gig ... not per man, and we supply the sound. I turned 'em both down. No more outside gigs, and for $75 I don't haul out my PA for anybody. Not to mention I don't ever care to play outdoors again (as I said earlier in the thread). Both the trio BL and the duo partner were shocked (and probably disappointed) because I've never refused a gig from either. Maybe my next post will read "they fired the bass player!" (me). ;)
 
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#28
Last August , we did an outdoor gig in August. It rained just before the gig so the humidity was way up. Temps were in the low 90's when we went on. A fan , a towel , lots of water , and cornstarch baby powder for the hands. Fortunately it was a biker gig so no one cared at all when the shirt came off in the middle of the first set.
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#30
Well I've got two shows this weekend, one tomorrow one Sunday, and both are outdoors. Tomorrow is an evening show, but Sunday show starts at 4. Without shade. Temps have been in the low 90's, with a good amount of humidity, but I'll be fine with some moving air from my "number one fan"

I work in the heat and humidity of house painting, so I'm pretty acclimated to summer weather in the Midwest. For those that live indoors in the air conditioning all the time I could see where it would bother them more.

I have yet to see the heat and humidity I saw in the Middle East, so I don't complain much stateside.
 
#31
I wear cotton fingerless gloves while on stage, because it helps my hand from cramping up, for some reason. But the material feels similar to that of sweatband that tennis players wear on their wrists. In the heat, it's a good way to get rid of sweat on the brow if you use the back of your hand. Just an added bonus I found while wearing them.
 

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