Preparing for gigs

[ryco]

Used to smoke a buncha ciggies before a gig.
Then I quit.
Now I stand around and fidget.

Oh yeah -- make sure the tip jar is up and in a prominent (yet aesthetically pleasing) place

Talk to folks and let 'em know where I'll be playing next

 

[addylewis]

Usually (not always):

either:

load up all mine/guitarists/vocalists gear from small house in Wombwell then drive a couple miles to tell keyboard player he PHYSICALLY can't bring 3 keyboards to the gig

OR:

pick up drums/pa from drummers house

arrive at venue

set up gear (about what...3/4 hour? - did I mention the marshall stacks and 3 keyboards?)

Go to KFC

Arrive back...and find we're 10 minutes late coz they said 25 PAST not 25 TO

Play

Have a pint

Pack up gear (about 20 mins) and somehow load up car(s) (bearing in mind we're also giving a couple mates a lift back as well as all the gear and 4/5 musicians...in 2 estates)

Get back to singers house and realise we've lost one of THE MOST important nuts off the drumkit...


aahh! Gigs...

 

[bmc]

Load up the car
drive to gig
set up and sound check
grab supper
play
tear down
get paid
go home
shower (get rid of cigarrete smell)
surf internet, chat on MSN
crash

 

[Brad Johnson]

The most important thing is to first call the club, to confirm what time you are supposed to start. I find some clubs get amnesia the day before the gig and suddenly realize they are double booked or don’t really want a band.

90% of my stuff stays packed when I’m not gigging or practicing. All I really pack is a change of clothes, set lists, a copy of the agreement with the club stating the terms and the $ (the amount is another thing that clubs get amnesia about )

All my stuff stays packed in the same location which (barely) fits into my mid sized sedan.

I like to arrive 1.5 -2 hours before the show as my gear setup is extensive.

1.5 to 1 hour before, the rest of the band arrives. I help them unload and set-up.

30 min before show. Set-up is done. I move my effect boards, keyboard, and bass stands from the side stage to position. Give a final test before taping and clamping cables.

Relax.

Perform

After a gig, I clean my bass string with alcohol right of the bat and case them. Then relax a few minutes and wait for the crowds to dissipate before the set-up.

Get paid

Pack-up

Go home (loaded car is locked in the garage)

Go to sleep

Get up

Unload equipment.

I'm on the flip side of that strategy. Not counting the time it takes to walk in, I can be set up and tuned in less than ten minutes. Maybe 5 if I rush

And I rarely leave my stuff in a vehicle, even though it's parked in the garage.

 

[Brad Johnson]

a few years ago i was coming from a jobbing gig up in lake forest IL(high income area north of chicago)as luck would have it the police were doing a "safety check" for drunk drivers that night and were pulling over everybody coming down the road.so im sitting there in my tux wait for my turn thinking "boy im glad i don't drink on gig's" when the cop asked me for my license and proof of insurance.as i handed it to him he looked in the back seat and told me "pull over there please"i was like oh no here we go.when i pulled over he came up and said "that's a bass guitar case right?" i said yes and he said"what kind of strings do you use and what kind of amp do you have?" I told him and he said thank's and that i could go and that he had me stop because he never got to talk to any pro bassist one on one. i was like whatha??!#$%$# but kept my mouth shut and got out of town quickly.

Hey, I'll take that kind of imposition over the alternative every time

Back when I had a 1967 Porsche I got stopped 7 times for speeding and got warnings each time. Bear in mind that Beltway speeds probably average over 70 and goes unnoticed by LE if you're in a pack and otherwise driving sensibly. When you're alone you're fair game at the same speed.

Each time the officers wanted to know what kind of engine I had, how my insurance was or wanted to talk about their sports cars. I've spent more than 15 minutes shooting the breeze in these situations... and glad to.

 

[Bassmanbob]

Wake up
Try to have sex (I'm married, so that never happens)
Take the dogs out
Make breakfast and eat
Load car
Shower and dress
Drive my youngest to school
Go to work (and bring gig bag indoors)
Drive to gig
Unload and set up
Warm up, tune up, eat light
Play
Load up
Get paid
Drive home
Bring gig bag in house
Try to have sex (Wife's annoyed I wasn't home or is asleep, so forget that)
Go to sleep

 

[Marcus]

Load up the car
drive to gig
set up and sound check
grab supper
play
tear down
get paid
go home
shower (get rid of cigarrete smell)
surf internet, chat on MSN
crash

+1

 

[Brad Johnson]

Wake up
Try to have sex (I'm married, so that never happens)
Take the dogs out
Make breakfast and eat
Load car
Shower and dress
Drive my youngest to school
Go to work (and bring gig bag indoors)
Drive to gig
Unload and set up
Warm up, tune up, eat light
Play
Load up
Get paid
Drive home
Bring gig bag in house
Try to have sex (Wife's annoyed I wasn't home or is asleep, so forget that)
Go to sleep

Is necrophilia* right for you? Consult your phyisician.







*contact the offices of Drs. Bundy & Dahmer for more information. Some side effects may occur.

 

[Murf]

Arrive.
Setup.
try to make excuses /make myself scarce to avoid loading in bass bins/rig.
fail miserably.
soundcheck.
girl check.
try reading setlist over singers shoulder while gig is in progress.
girl check
Try to figure out what exactly paris hilton is famous for during sweet home alabama/sweet child of mine/brown eyed girl..etc.
Talk to drummer about the time we ended up with those twins in Prague during coldplay/radiohead/Keane..etc.
Tune down to D in under 2 seconds flat while singer is doing his "original" material..(stupid DADGAD).
Do "legs akimbo/headbanging dance" during rockier numbers.
Curse lead singer for doing Mustang Sally in A rather than C..(I need a 5 string).

Finish

Chat to those hot Polish chicks who come up at the end of the gig to me and the drummer leaving guitarist, keyboard player and singer fuming in the background while they pack up gear...

Avoid packing up gear.

get paid

get laid

go home.

(All characters are fictional..and are not to be confused with real people...........or are they?...

Seriously tho..

typical gig..Arrive/set up/play/get paid/go home.
do it all again the next day.

Maybe I'm "jaded" but some of you guys are thinking WAAAAY too much about this