Outdoor gigs!

[Dom Franco]

Yesterday I played my first gig in over a month. I strolled around with my battery powered amp and steel guitar on a cart. The residents of Marquis Care Vermont Hills listened from their windows. Caregivers and outside family visitors all seemed to enjoy the music. We were careful to maintain our "social distancing" please don't report me to the Panic-demic Police!

I have another Senior care Facility that wants me to come soon.

I used a Roland cube street, and it was ok but not quite loud enough. It was fine for the residents with open windows when I was close to them. Some opened the blinds and requested songs from their rooms.

Today I am setting up another rolling cart with a larger battery amp.

[Erv Niehaus]

I once played on a float in a parade for a nursing home.
I used a portable generator to power my amp.
I had worked up quite a selection of songs but discovered that I only needed one or two because the audience kept changing!
Erv

[Larry Dering]

Erv, that's kinda like bar gigs. There the same song is requested right after it's played.

[John Herb]

I'm glad you are finally able to get and at least play in some fashion or another. Stay safe and best of luck!

[Dom Franco]

Up until last March, I had a real good thing going! 4 to 6 gigs on average per week, I got to pick all the songs, the money was nice and it was actually turning into a legitimate business.

However since this corona virus is particularly dangerous to old folks all the senior care facilities are locked up tight. I don't know if or when they will ever open up to visiting entertainers?

[Dom Franco]

John; The Virus is real but the final numbers will eventually tell us if we over-reacted. Some areas of the country are relatively unaffected.

[Fred Treece]

It may look like an overreaction if and when there is a vaccine or a cure. But the whole thing is, it’s not over yet. Even when the infection rates go down, it will be because of the “overreaction”.
I would not do a gig even at a “safe distance” from older folks unless I knew I was not a carrier. Until then, I just assume I am.

Sorry for the soap-boxing in a gig topic.

[Kevin Fix]

My daughter is working as a RT on the front lines at Beaumont Hospital in Detroit. Nothing but stories of horror.

[Larry Bressington]

I too typically play outdoors all summer long out here on the great plaines, this will be the first year in 35 years that I haven’t played in the summer. There won’t be any fairs or rodeo dates this year, A good time to recharge our batteries, a break is nice. The only thing I won’t miss is the flies!

[john widgren]

Never mind...bless yer heart.

[Erv Niehaus]

One thing about playing for nursing homes.
When they wheel the residents in in their wheel chairs and lock the brakes, you have you a captive audience!
Erv

[Charlie McDonald]

That's pretty cool, Dom. Definitely a troubadour.

[Joseph Napolitano]

" Panic-demic " ??? Nothing to joke about here in New Jersey. Over 3500 dead so far, almost 15,000 dead next door in New York . As Fred said, if the numbers end up lower than the original projections, it will be BECAUSE of the "overreaction".

[Erv Niehaus]

Gee, I might be mistaken but I thought the subject was "Outdoor gigs", silly me.
Erv

[Fred Treece]

I think this discussion is also about the conditions under which we now must consider when doing certain outdoor gigs. Dom is obviously aware of them, or he wouldn’t have mentioned it. Maybe some of the rest of us aren’t.

[Dom Franco]

I didn't want to make this post political at all... although the whole reason I am doing the outdoor strolling is because they won't let entertainers in the the building.

(After playing more than hour and drinking coffee I had to Pee and I asked if I could use their restroom. I was denied access to the facilities, so I had to walk a little ways into the woods and... you know)

Just sayin.

[Fred Treece]

Dom, you brought the subject up for your own reasons. We’re just interpreting it as a case in point for our own consideration and registering our own thoughts on it. It’s not political. These are real issues we are going to encounter if and when we get back to doing gigs. It’s not just gonna start back up as Party Central. You’re trying to work something out in your niche market. I’m definitely a ways off from getting back into mine.

[Dom Franco]

Well said Fred;
What's going to happen to all the nightclubs and restaurants that feature live music?

Many places I have played have very small stages... no room for 6ft between bandmates.

[b0b]

I've removed a few replies because of political content. I could have removed more that were off topic. The theme of Steel Players is "about steel guitarists and their music". Let's keep that focus, okay?

[Erv Niehaus]

b0b,
Thanks!
Erv

[Dave Hopping]

I DO hope the gig economy comes roaring back,but I wonder at times whether it's a case not of "if and when", but of "when and IF"..... Perhaps we should put on our thinking caps and woodshed some ideas about how to make gigs happen!

[Larry Dering]

Playing in the driveway with some backing tracks. If nobody calls the law, should be fine. In St Louis a few of the musicians are doing this and the news channel briefly covered it. Folks were sitting in lawn chairs in their own yards listening.

[Kevin Fix]

Sounds like a good idea for now. Back in the 90's, a group I was working with at the time, would practice at my house in the garage on Wednesday's. When the weather was nice we always played with the big door open. My neighbors knew when we did so they would be in my yard with lawn chairs. We were always busy on the weekends playing Club gigs. Wednesday was our free day.

[Dom Franco]

The Roland Cube Street sounds amazing (5 watts) great effects and Amp Modeling, Mic Channel with Reverb/delay AUX input. It's just not loud enough for outdoor gigs. (6AA batteries last many hours)

The CRATE TX50 (50 watts) Is much louder, but the sounds are not as good as the Roland IMHO. It has all the same features, Effects, Mic Channel, AUX input, and it's powerful with a bigger speaker. (The rechargeable 12v. battery also lasts a long time)

Both carts have duplicate setups, Shure SM58 mics, MP3 players, Pocket Pod for guitar effects and built in chromatic tuner, Boss VE-2 for Harmonies and vocal effects. Extension cords, powerstrips and 9v power supplies for effects boxes (and 15volt recharger for CRATE amp). Large Casters.

[Dom Franco]

I needed larger wheels to stroll around the uneven pavement and blacktop found at the facilities where I play. I found these big wheel casters at Harbor Freight for only $9.99 ea. on sale!