jive1
Commercial User
What kind of lighting system do you use? I have 2 trees of wash lights, and it literally takes me less than 15 minutes to set up.
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Kill a whole day playing a bar gig?
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Two trees of led floods joined by a bar, programmed master slave from one tree to the other so need to run cords through the bar plus a banner to tie up. Definitely closer to half hour. It's the first thing to go up too so its just a pain. Everything is packed in two bags and 1 tote.
jive1
Commercial User
We use something like this, except it's the 4Bar Tri, not the mini. Similar setup though.
We are a small band that usually play even smaller stages (if you can call the corner of a pub a stage) so space is always at a premium. I replaced our old 3 colour filament floods (I swear they were filled with concrete) on towers (which we never had room for) with 4 LED floods mounted on the top of our powered PA cabs.
I have fitted brackets to the tops of our powered PA cabs that the lights clip onto. The lights (an RGB flood and a white flood each side) are bolted together and permanently connected to a multi-way power block zip tied to them. The PA cab is powered from the block by a short lead.
To set them up you clip the lights to the top of the cab, lift cab onto pole, plug the short mains cable into the cab and a long mains cable into the flying socket to power the block, plug in the cab XLR audio signal and it is ready to go.
We used to run a heavier PA, big old passive cabs and an old Peavey mixer amp. I schlepped it all and suggested to the other guys that we got a lighter PA. They couldn't see anything wrong with what we had so I suggested they schlep it. We got a lighter PA!
I now schlep all the lights, they fit in a medium sized sports bag, plus one PA cab. The drummer schleps the other cab (under protest) and the singer brings the mixer (and IEM transmitter).
I have fitted brackets to the tops of our powered PA cabs that the lights clip onto. The lights (an RGB flood and a white flood each side) are bolted together and permanently connected to a multi-way power block zip tied to them. The PA cab is powered from the block by a short lead.
To set them up you clip the lights to the top of the cab, lift cab onto pole, plug the short mains cable into the cab and a long mains cable into the flying socket to power the block, plug in the cab XLR audio signal and it is ready to go.
We used to run a heavier PA, big old passive cabs and an old Peavey mixer amp. I schlepped it all and suggested to the other guys that we got a lighter PA. They couldn't see anything wrong with what we had so I suggested they schlep it. We got a lighter PA!
I now schlep all the lights, they fit in a medium sized sports bag, plus one PA cab. The drummer schleps the other cab (under protest) and the singer brings the mixer (and IEM transmitter).
It's really interesting with the scaling down of things...no more need for a band trailer. We got rid of our C-V earthquake subs and wedges. IEMs and now powered Mackies now so no separate amp rack. No big frigging board. Guitar player has now given up cabs and totally thru the PA.
This really is the way it's going. I was able to get an entire PA, my bass and three people (including me) into my first generation Scion xB. It's why I still have it.
We get to the venue 45-60 minutes prior to downbeat. Unless I was playing some serious gigs with a serious band there no way I'd waste an entire day to do something that requires less than an hour.
Absolutely not killing the whole day for bar/pub/whatever gigs. I arrive anywhere from 30-60 minutes before start time depending on how much time I have. I'm one of the only members that have children so sometimes I push it until the last minute but my bandmates can always count on me to stay and help everyone load up. Most of them get there a little before me with exception of the other member who has kids who arrives same time I do (sometimes we carpool depending on where we are going). Works out good. All this time is part of the hourly wage as far as I'm concerned.
Man, we just did one of these and I hate them. Well, normally I am good with it, but this was in our cover band. Load in for the bar was 2pm!!! We had to be done by 4 due to supper crowd. We didn't start playing until 10pm.. 2-1/2 hour drive each way... Didn't get home until almost 5:30am.. 17 hour gig for just under $100 each person. That sucks totally..
I am fortunate... last Saturday night's gig was a pub about 25 minutes from my house. We can't start playing until after the "dinner" crowd thins out around 10 PM. I showed up at 9, set up at 9:30, started at 10 on the dot, took one break at 11:30, second set 15 minutes later we were on and quit by 12:25 AM. Trio ensemble, we all made $100 plus the bar tipped us $20 each AND a happy audience member, who was a musician apparently, tipped the band $50. $136.00 plus free food and beer - not bad.
Point is, I have been doing this since 1985 and on a non-professional / part time basis so I pick and choose the gigs I take. Living in the northeast has limitations musically, but at least on Cape Cod I can play smaller shows for less money but the aggravation level is minimal.
Rig for said gig...
Point is, I have been doing this since 1985 and on a non-professional / part time basis so I pick and choose the gigs I take. Living in the northeast has limitations musically, but at least on Cape Cod I can play smaller shows for less money but the aggravation level is minimal.
Rig for said gig...
Thanks man, not trying to sound arrogant or anything, just wanted to post a positive gig situation / experience. I have had many, many crappy gigs over the years for sure. At 49, the money and more importantly, gig has to be worth it or it's Netflix at home with my wife and comforts that I love.
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I'm looking to do precisely this, could you post a pic? Curious to see your bracket solution.
This cuts the set-up dramatically. I used to attach the lights to the bar each time, now the lights (flat style LED) stay on the bar. Set up the stand, 4 lights on top. Takes longer to carry them in than set them up.
I had the truss system like you've got, but now just use the T-bars on a stand for bar gigs.
Yes will do as soon as I get a few minutes to get the PA cab out of the heap of gear that I take off to gigs. It is at the back of course!
This is why I no longer do it.
Very short side story, and related: Back in the mid-1980's I was early in my COBOL programming career and thought it would be fun to work a few nights every week delivering pizzas for Dominoes. I had a wife and three kids and they were usually doing other stuff like homework, etc. and we needed the money.
I loved it for about six months and then, one day, I hated it. And that was it. It was like a switch was flipped.
This happened to me with bar bands about two months ago. This was the third itteration of this thinking and this time it really hit hard. It's like I woke up from a bad dream. I can't even figure out why I ever liked it. I'm not joking. The switch was flipped and I'm so done it's perplexing.
