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Outdoor Gigs: How cold is too cold?
- Thread starter lo_freq_geek
- Start date
Coldest outdoor show I ever saw was Bela Fleck & the Flecktones. Was amazed the venue didn't cancel. Had been happy to score tenth-row seats, but so few people showed up that everyone who wanted to move got front row.
The venue staff started nuking 16 oz bottles of water backstage and Bela, Victor & Future would warm their hands with those. They made a number of mistakes but played surprising well considering.
Temps were upper 20s (headed towards 18° that night) by end of show.
I always wonder about those cold outdoor New Year's Eve gigs. Seems like the cold would damage basses with wooden necks. I'd maybe play my cheap Rogue all night and leave the good ones at home.
The venue staff started nuking 16 oz bottles of water backstage and Bela, Victor & Future would warm their hands with those. They made a number of mistakes but played surprising well considering.
Temps were upper 20s (headed towards 18° that night) by end of show.
I always wonder about those cold outdoor New Year's Eve gigs. Seems like the cold would damage basses with wooden necks. I'd maybe play my cheap Rogue all night and leave the good ones at home.
A big problem with outdoor gigs when it's cold is that the strings get cold, exacerbating the effects of the ambient temperature. When your fingertips get numb, you can start squeezing harder with your left hand without being aware of what's happening, and injure yourself. I became aware of this 35ish years ago after an outdoor Halloween gig. My left index finger still bothers me a little once in a while.
LMAO. I noted that the OP put the temps in C first an figured he was in Canada...then I see Winnipeg under his name. Having visited the Peg in February, I can tell you it gets really fracking cold. When I was there last it was -40 C...which is -40 F. After last winter, many Manitobans considered moving south. I think it was around -40 for something like 50 days in a row.
That is a bit chilly but probably bearable, at least for me. Used to have a rehearsal space in Baltimore that had no heating or AC and it was workable with some space heaters in the winter but it wasn't exactly fun.
To OP:
Well, you're welcome move to Texas if you want, there's plenty of space.
But you do NOT want to move to the Austin area. It's tremendously over-crowded, traffic is terrible, Californians immigrating in droves, it's brutally hot five months a year now, high rates of pollen and allergies and nasal inflammation, outrageous property taxes, highest housing costs in Texas, and now all the musicians and artists and freaks and other cool people are being priced out and moving away, just becoming an absolute hell-hole. Plus the worst and most corrupt politicians in the U.S.
(Tell everybody you know to STAY AWAY!!!)
I would not want to be involved in anything under 60 degrees F. Although it has happened in the past and probably will again in the future.
In fact playing this Saturday evening and by the time we stop at 8pm it will be down close to 60 F, and might be colder.
In fact playing this Saturday evening and by the time we stop at 8pm it will be down close to 60 F, and might be colder.
I'd probably want some sort of heat source, but honestly I'd rather play in 42 degree weather than 80 and humid. Pretty much all outdoor gigs we book have an alternate "rainout" location indoors just in case.
I didn't play a lot of outdoor gigs in my time but I always considered them to be part of some sort of attraction rather than a musical event. So, if you have to wear a parka and mittens, so be it. Just as long as you're themed correctly for the attraction 
I think if you can see your breath, it’s too cold.
In Michigan, the season is May through September. After that, no one in their right mind would schedule an outdoor gig. The biggest problem in the summer is the rainstorms that pop up. I was rained out of two gigs this summer, and many others in my 45 year career.
In Michigan, the season is May through September. After that, no one in their right mind would schedule an outdoor gig. The biggest problem in the summer is the rainstorms that pop up. I was rained out of two gigs this summer, and many others in my 45 year career.
Outdoor Gigs: How cold is too cold?
depends on a lot of factors/variables, IME/IMO, so it's difficult for me to just whip out a temperature --- but i know it when i'm in it!
for your hands: google "musicians gloves," there's a bunch. @Joe Nerve turned a bunch of us onto these a while back. i've used mine a couple of times when it was too cool/cold --- even once indoors: 'frigid' AC settings.
depends on a lot of factors/variables, IME/IMO, so it's difficult for me to just whip out a temperature --- but i know it when i'm in it!
for your hands: google "musicians gloves," there's a bunch. @Joe Nerve turned a bunch of us onto these a while back. i've used mine a couple of times when it was too cool/cold --- even once indoors: 'frigid' AC settings.
I've done quite a few sub freezing shows outdoors. No gloves, but did wear a hoodie under a sport coat. Kept my hands in the hoodie's front pocket, together, to warm them when had a small music break. Also, I stood in the sun as much as possible, and had layers of shirts under my hoodie. My hands didn't get cold while playing, and I am very active while performing. In the cold, it helps to keep moving. Even walking in place.
By contrast, I've done gigs here in SC in the 40s that FEEL much colder than 20 degrees in the mountains. It's all about relative humidity in those instances. Heh. But my ma taught me a valuable lesson in dealing with cold, as far as a mindset. I'm in the cold. I am not cold. I'm always 98.6 degrees.
By contrast, I've done gigs here in SC in the 40s that FEEL much colder than 20 degrees in the mountains. It's all about relative humidity in those instances. Heh. But my ma taught me a valuable lesson in dealing with cold, as far as a mindset. I'm in the cold. I am not cold. I'm always 98.6 degrees.
42 F is cold for playing out.
My coldest gig was similar. We were to be on a flatbread but wind & rain
came in so under a small tent. Played 2 hours straight and then
could not I my hands & fingers.
I hate outdoor gigs.
My coldest gig was similar. We were to be on a flatbread but wind & rain
came in so under a small tent. Played 2 hours straight and then
could not I my hands & fingers.
I hate outdoor gigs.
In the past I’ve played bass outside in 30 degrees (F). In High School I played a halftime show in less than 20 degrees (f) playing a baritone horn. Not at all fun.
Just a couple of thing, the biggest heat loss is your head. So wear a hat. Your wrists and forearm, ( wear sweat bands ) neck( wear a turtle neck), ankles (wool socks), and chest (sweater or warm vest). Keep these areas well insulated and you will find your fingers will be fine.
it is important to keep your core well protected from the elements. As your core temp drops, your body restricts the flow of blood to the extremities. This is is why your fingers get cold (probably for feet too).
The challenge with playing cold is that your fingers don't move as fast. When your brain fires a signal to move a finger, it takes a while for it to happen, but over time we learn how fast our fingers are, and our brain knows exactly how much in advance it needs to send a signal to have things end up in time. When your fingers get cold, that timing gets screwed up, and as it gets colder, you will play further and further behind the beat, until you pretty much suck at creating a groove. I used to be in a band where we practiced in a warehouse kinda place, and they wouldn't turn up the heat until we got there, so in the winter, we struggled with this all the time. The better your timing is, the more you will notice this issue. It sucks.
Do whatever you have to to keep your hands warm.
Do whatever you have to to keep your hands warm.
Doug Parent
Supporting Member
I'm in San Diego but you'd be surprised how negligent some people are when scheduling bands during evening hours when it falls below 60. 46 degrees is my lowest and I quit that gig fast.
I remember closing a few springtime, outside festivals. I could just barely see my breath. And my strings tuned into cold steel, and they flat-out hurt to play.
But then again. I can remember being at a football game in the HS marching band. And the valves on my tuba were frozen stiff. Got paid more for the first gig.
But then again. I can remember being at a football game in the HS marching band. And the valves on my tuba were frozen stiff. Got paid more for the first gig.
