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Topic: Outdoor gigs |
Luke Morell
From:
Ramsey Illinois, USA Hometown of Tex Williams
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Posted 11 Jan 2006 7:16 am |
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| Something to go along with Kevin Hatton's post about having a chalk marked on the floor and the band had to stay inside it,with very little room. How many times have you showed up for a outside gig and the what's suppose to be a stage was a hay wagon or a tandem axle flat bed trailer just big enough to fit a car on? And you have a five piece band that aint no way you're gonna fit. |
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James Marlowe
From:
Florida, USA
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Posted 11 Jan 2006 7:58 am
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Been there, done that.
I play upright bass in a bluegrass gospel band. I've been situated near the back edge of those famous trailer stages. It's not a comfortable situation at all. One bad step and humpty dumpty and his bass would go tumbling down....and it wouldn't be very good on either one of us antiques!!
james
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Sonny Priddy
From:
Elizabethtown, Kentucky, USA, R.I.P.
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Posted 11 Jan 2006 8:25 am
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I've Been There done That Also. SONNY.
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Jody Cameron
From:
Angleton, TX,, USA
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Posted 11 Jan 2006 8:31 am
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I was playing on one of these flatbed trailer affairs once at a County Fair, and the drummer was getting into a particular tune pretty good...rockin' his throne back and forth. Well, he fell off the back of it throne and all! He was not injured physically, but I think his pride was damaged. 
The good news is that he fell off just as we hit the last note of the tune, so at least he didn't ruin the song, haha! |
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David Wren
From:
Placerville, California, USA
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Posted 11 Jan 2006 9:10 am
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yes, I've been trailer trash. Trailer springs and spring reverbs don't mix :-)
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Dave Wren
'95Carter S12-E9/B6,7X7; Twin Session 500s; Hilton Pedal; Black Box
www.ameechapman.com
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Howard Tate
From:
Leesville, Louisiana, USA, R.I.P.
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Posted 11 Jan 2006 9:16 am
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Try playing on pitch when you're on a flatbed trailer going down the street in a parade. When the trailer is rocking from side to side your bar is rocking too, talk about vibrato! And the refreshing aroma of desiel exhaust from the truck and the generator really helps.lol.
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Howard, 'Les Paul Recording, Zum SD12U, Carter D10 8/8, Vegas 400, Boss ME-5, Boss DM-3, DD-3, Fender Steel King, Understanding wife. http://www.Charmedmusic.com
[This message was edited by Howard Tate on 11 January 2006 at 09:19 AM.] |
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Frank Parish
From:
Nashville,Tn. USA
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Posted 11 Jan 2006 9:20 am
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| The last trailer gig I played went into the night and had all the chicken and pork you could eat and all the beer you could drink. We had two hay wagons side by side on this farm. They had two generators, lots of party lights everywhere, no problem seeing where I was on the neck. Then there's a lot more where I couldn't see squat too. Take a light with you if you're going into the nightime. You'll be glad you did. |
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Jack Stoner
From:
Kansas City, MO
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Posted 11 Jan 2006 9:27 am
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| I hate ouydoor gigs. Beside all the other issues, it seems one outdoor gig will deaden the strings in a minute. If I must do a an outside gig I try to not have new strings on as I know I'm going to have to change them after the job. |
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Ray Montee
From:
Portland, Oregon (deceased)
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Posted 11 Jan 2006 11:37 am
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WE had a tipsy accordianist that leaned back against the purple and gold curtained backdrop that was afixed to our flat bed trailer........only moments before he hit the deck. Fortunately the instrument was not damaged; nor, was the player. Accordians DO make "a funny sound" when they hit the ground from four or five feet up in the air.
What about the conscientious host/hostess that waters the lawn all afternoon for that wonderful back yard, evening lawn party? It sorta leaves one with a certin tingling in your finger tips. (It COULD BE even worse!) |
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Gene Jones
From:
Oklahoma City, OK USA, (deceased)
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Posted 11 Jan 2006 12:15 pm
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Yup, been there! Down on the end of the trailor so far from the vocalist that I forgot who it was!
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www.genejones.com
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JW Day
From:
Elizabethtown, Kentucky, USA
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Posted 11 Jan 2006 12:22 pm
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| I thought we hill-billys were the only ones that done that sort of things. Of course where I came from, it was more on the order of shine than the beer. |
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Richard Bass
From:
Sabang Beach, Philippines
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Posted 11 Jan 2006 12:25 pm
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Years ago I played a rodeo In St Paul Mn with the late Dave Dudley. They set us up right on the dirt arena floor, couldn't touch my guitar without getting shocked. The hands brought me some plywood to stand on to finish the gig.
Richard |
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Ben Jones
From:
Seattle, Washington, USA
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Posted 11 Jan 2006 12:42 pm
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| brooklyn NY on a flatbed truck fourth of july. truckbed had core ten steel plates on the bed...had enough room but it was 100 plus degrees that day and the sun heated those steel sheets up like a gridle. |
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Ben Slaughter
From:
Madera, California
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Posted 11 Jan 2006 1:00 pm
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| Pretty sure I've played on more flat bed trailers than nice stages. |
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John De Maille
From:
On a Mountain in Upstate Halcottsville, N.Y.
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Posted 11 Jan 2006 1:29 pm
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| I worked a rodeo, every Saturday night, at a ranch in upstate NY, quite a few years ago. The gig was great, but, you wouldn't believe the amount of dust and crud that was in and on my steel after each show. I had to blow it off thoroughly with a compressor, every gig. One night, the rain came down in buckets. Luckily, we were under part of the chutes lean to, but, what a mess. I was glad when that contract was over. Really too much aggravation !!!! |
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Kevin Hatton
From:
Buffalo, N.Y.
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Posted 11 Jan 2006 6:56 pm
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| John, I played The Attica Rodeo here upstate two nights. Same thing. I had to spend a day cleaning my equipment. Fun gig though. |
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Ted Solesky
From:
Mineral Wells, Texas, USA
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Posted 11 Jan 2006 7:31 pm
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| My first gigs were only outside gigs. The one big advantage is that they are there to see you pick and grin. Whereas, at the clubs, they're there to pick up chicks. But you have to hit enough of good licks before they'll notice you. But, the outside gigs can get cold at times. I froze my butt off a few times. Like Frank said, the eatens good. I've had some terrific BarB-Q at those deals. The state fairs are a nice deal too. |
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Dave Grafe
From:
Hudson River Valley NY
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Posted 12 Jan 2006 12:21 am
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| Slanty stages I have adjustable legs to conquer. Hot sun I can handle. Cold fingers I'll adjust to. Wind is just another mild distraction and even rain can be tolerated with a decent tent or a tarp. Drunken audiences can be extremely entertaining at times. It's those durn MOSQUITOES that'll sure ruin an otherwise decent gig every time.... [This message was edited by Dave Grafe on 12 January 2006 at 12:25 AM.] |
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Lee Baucum
From:
McAllen, Texas (Extreme South) The Final Frontier
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Posted 12 Jan 2006 6:26 am
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I have several of those inexpensive, thin, plastic painter's dropcloths that I carry to every outdoor gig. They are handy to have in the event the rain starts to come down.
It's also good to have a digital reverb unit handy, when you're playing on a bouncy flat bed trailer. There have been times when I've had to turn the amp's spring reverb completely off, because of all the reverb "crashes" the drummer was creating.
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Lee, from South Texas
Down On The Rio Grande
Mullen U-12, Evans FET-500, Fender Steel King
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John De Maille
From:
On a Mountain in Upstate Halcottsville, N.Y.
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Posted 12 Jan 2006 1:29 pm
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Kevin,
I played at the "Painted Pony", in Lake Luzerne, on Saturday nights. It was really a cool gig, but, the overall aggravation wasn't worth it. They even got me up on a bull, one night. The local wrangler broke his hand and they were short a rider. I lasted "6" of the longest seconds I've ever experienced and I swore I would never do that stupid, foolish, idiotic thing again. What a wild summer !!!! |
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David Kurrasch
From:
Royse City, Texas, USA
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Posted 12 Jan 2006 6:10 pm
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| Luke, you have described 90% of the gigs I do with Johnny Lee in the summertime. Add to that the fact that you roll into town with just enough time to set up, (in the 105 degree heat) and play without getting to shower or clean up. We do a lot of fairs and rodeos, etc. I bring a scaled down rig to these gigs, since I hate to set up my Hilton pedal, and Black Box, etc, where they will get filled with dust. I'm glad we get to do lots of different kinds of gigs, but I sure was glad when fall rolled around, and we shifted back to the indoor venues! Keeping a black steel guitar in tune can be quite a challenge when you're on a flatbed trailer with no cover in the direct summer sun! |
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Tony Palmer
From:
St Augustine,FL
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Posted 13 Jan 2006 7:15 pm
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I hate playing on a grass lawn.
The legs of the steel dig into the soft dirt and the pedals end up flat to the ground.
I try to keep a small sheet of plywood handy for those gigs but have to improvise sometimes.
Plus cords always get buried and lost in the grass. |
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