• TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
    Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
    Join freeLog in
    Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.

Lead singer wants my amp behind drummer?

Hey all, pre-apologies if this is common practice...but my band has our 1st show together on Friday. We were discussing how we will set up on stage and our lead singer tells me that he wants my bass amp completely behind the drummer. At 1st I didn’t pay that much attention to the statement, but then I started thinking about every show I’ve ever been to and how I’ve literally never seen the bass amp directly behind the drummer.

I will see him before the show so I’ll ask him why, but is there any reason whatsoever to put my bass amp directly behind the drummer? We have the lead singer (also plays rhythm guitar), lead guitar, keys, drummer and myself.

Any insight on that would be awesome, thanks in advance!

Next to the drummer; always. Behind? Straight up no.
 
  • Like
Reactions: foolforthecity
Hey all, pre-apologies if this is common practice...but my band has our 1st show together on Friday. We were discussing how we will set up on stage and our lead singer tells me that he wants my bass amp completely behind the drummer. At 1st I didn’t pay that much attention to the statement, but then I started thinking about every show I’ve ever been to and how I’ve literally never seen the bass amp directly behind the drummer.

I will see him before the show so I’ll ask him why, but is there any reason whatsoever to put my bass amp directly behind the drummer? We have the lead singer (also plays rhythm guitar), lead guitar, keys, drummer and myself.

Any insight on that would be awesome, thanks in advance!
I would have to insist he place his microphone directly up his ass, I cant even imagine how your drummer would be able to cope with his spinal cord shaking its disks loose while his ears bleed as he suffers blunt force trauma. Please let us know when you find out his reasoning. If you need to explain why its ridiculous I would suggest you email him the link to this very thread.
 
Last edited:
Hey all, pre-apologies if this is common practice...but my band has our 1st show together on Friday. We were discussing how we will set up on stage and our lead singer tells me that he wants my bass amp completely behind the drummer. At 1st I didn’t pay that much attention to the statement, but then I started thinking about every show I’ve ever been to and how I’ve literally never seen the bass amp directly behind the drummer.

I will see him before the show so I’ll ask him why, but is there any reason whatsoever to put my bass amp directly behind the drummer? We have the lead singer (also plays rhythm guitar), lead guitar, keys, drummer and myself.

Any insight on that would be awesome, thanks in advance!

Lots of reasons NOT to do that actually including the bleed into the kit mics, particularly the kick and toms.

Your amp is also your primary way to monitor yourself onstage: it should be aimed directly at YOU, not somebody else.

It's a stupid idea, say no ;)
 
Last edited:
A lot of good advice here, with the general consensus that the answer is "no". A lot will ultimately depend on how the sound at your gigs is organised. Will the bass go through a PA and be mixed FOH, or will your amp/cab be the only way the audience hear you? Is the drum kit miked? Do you have monitors? If so, does the drummer have his own or are they all up front for the guitar/keyboards/vocals? How much physical space will you have on stage?

But the most important question is: Is this (a) really a band, where you're all part of it and have a say in what's going on, or (b) is the band just the guitarist/vocalist and his sister and you are part of this month's hired rhythm section? If it's (a) then sit down and have a grown up conversation with him about why this might not be a good idea. Start with post #76 by @jive1 - lots of good rational thought in there that even a lead singer should be able to understand. But if it's (b) still tell him it's not an ideal setup, but go along with it until a venue's soundman tells you (him) not to do it, and keep getting paid, while you and the drummer start auditioning more like-minded folk for your next project.
 
Hey all, pre-apologies if this is common practice...but my band has our 1st show together on Friday. We were discussing how we will set up on stage and our lead singer tells me that he wants my bass amp completely behind the drummer. At 1st I didn’t pay that much attention to the statement, but then I started thinking about every show I’ve ever been to and how I’ve literally never seen the bass amp directly behind the drummer.

I will see him before the show so I’ll ask him why, but is there any reason whatsoever to put my bass amp directly behind the drummer? We have the lead singer (also plays rhythm guitar), lead guitar, keys, drummer and myself.

Any insight on that would be awesome, thanks in advance!

First, how can your singer tell beforehand how big the stage is?
You may not fit there any other way too, you have to make concession and adapt to whatever space there is. I agree with the first reply, that you'd be definitely luckier than most bands out there, if you can cram that one in behind the drummer. Most stages I've played wouldn't allow for this.

Other reasons to if you're going full PA and fron of house, and mic up drummer (at least bass drum) and so on. It will leak as h*ll into the mikes. That's the reason you have a BACKLINE (that's why they call it that) so any risk of bleeding, leaking into drum mikes or vice versa is minimized. Why haven't your singer asked, or you, what the drummer thinks? I doubt that he want's it that way. If your singer persists, well then, it's only him that you and your drummer has to please, and not the other way around. If that was my singer, in any band, and it wasn't a put on, I would leave before that gig. I would say to him "well then, I don't play". Or just show up with a direct line box and line it out to the PA. Stump and make circles around him and say "look I have no amp..." see if he wants the direct line box behind the drummer...the immediate thing that comes to my mind is telling him to pound sand.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Mr_Moo
Hey all, pre-apologies if this is common practice...but my band has our 1st show together on Friday. We were discussing how we will set up on stage and our lead singer tells me that he wants my bass amp completely behind the drummer. At 1st I didn’t pay that much attention to the statement, but then I started thinking about every show I’ve ever been to and how I’ve literally never seen the bass amp directly behind the drummer.

I will see him before the show so I’ll ask him why, but is there any reason whatsoever to put my bass amp directly behind the drummer? We have the lead singer (also plays rhythm guitar), lead guitar, keys, drummer and myself.

Any insight on that would be awesome, thanks in advance!
I don't like your vocalist.
 
  • Like
Reactions: JMacBass65
And BTW, I've never seen it, heard of it, and had to do it. If we had front loaded combos we even put the guitar combo on top of the bass amp, to save space. They could be stacked on top. I even had a huge 15 inch Markbass combo that was deep, and our guitaris stacked his combo on top. Had to dive back of it in order to change controls and volumes on the panel. No big deal. We fit on stage without a the slighest hatch...
 
  • Like
Reactions: EatS1stBassist
Hey all, pre-apologies if this is common practice...but my band has our 1st show together on Friday. We were discussing how we will set up on stage and our lead singer tells me that he wants my bass amp completely behind the drummer. At 1st I didn’t pay that much attention to the statement, but then I started thinking about every show I’ve ever been to and how I’ve literally never seen the bass amp directly behind the drummer.

I will see him before the show so I’ll ask him why, but is there any reason whatsoever to put my bass amp directly behind the drummer? We have the lead singer (also plays rhythm guitar), lead guitar, keys, drummer and myself.

Any insight on that would be awesome, thanks in advance!
Might have already been said but your amp should be, first and foremost, where you will be able to hear it the best (barring that you have adequate space). Secondly it needs to be where you can get to it so you can make adjustments as needed. Thirdly and ultimately you should be the one that decides where your equipment goes. Not somebody else.
 
Singer is band leader/songwriter/musical director/whatever else you can be head of in a band. This has been his band for about 10 years, and his sister is the keyboard player. Lead guitarist has only been in the band for about 9 months, me about 6 months and the drummer has only been in about a month. Drummer and I were good friends before this band and I brought him in when our last drummer was “removed” (read: couldn’t play to save his life). Basically the drummer and I just want to get out and play some shows because it’s been close to 10 years since either of us has been in a gigging band. After these first few shows we were going to suggest writing some new stuff with the new lineup and see what the lead singers reaction was. If he just wants session players for his songs then yeah we will be breaking off to start our own stuff.

if he's the bandleader, i guess you have to be nice about it. me, i am very courteous, but unless the singer is concerned with the drummer being able to hear you, which can be solved in other ways, i'd quit rather than hide my rig where i can't hear it clearly and neither can anyone else. but then i have very little patience with stuff like this. either my gear and i are equally important with the rest of the band or i would move to a band that feels my sound, stuff and me are of equal importance. which, btw, has never happened to me.

best of luck and hopefully you're happy with things, however they sort themselves out.