Summer is upon us, and that means for a lot of us outdoor shows, or gigs without climate control.
We deal with many obsticals not encountered in the climate controlled clubs and venues, and I thought I'd see what little tips and tricks we have to turn the conditions in our favor. This can cover everything from how to keep your fingers from sticking on humid bass strings, to not swallowing a bug when singing. Maybe give someone some ideas on how to make a miserable gig tolerable.
I have performed many outdoor gigs over the years, and have found some pretty inventive ways to make a good gig even better without our creature comforts, or a nice tour bus directly to stage left, lol.
I always bring water in a cooled container. Yes most gigs will provide water, but if setting up or waiting on a multi band bill, I like to keep some handy. Staying hydrated makes a big difference.
Hand sanitizer. After moving a backline or handling cables, my hands get dirty if not wearing gloves. Before I touch my basses, I use some waterless cleaner to keep the funk on my hands off the strings.
A can of finger ease. I play a fretless on stage and a liberal coating of the neck and strings will keep the flatwounds from sticking to your fingers, and allows you to pull off the vibrato and subtle nuances we love the fretless for. I use it on my round wound basses too, but it seems to be a necessary for the fretless when it's humid out.
Two fans and a towel.
One fan goes to my side blowing across the stage, the other is a small clip on I put on my amp or effects rack to move a little air through the rig. This is a must if setting up without cover in the hot afternoon. Keeping the amp cool takes the worry out of overheating. The fan at stage left helps move a little air, and will keep hovering bugs out of your face at night. Swallowing bugs sucks when singing and I try to keep them away. It will also help with condensation on a stage when the dew point hits.
An umbrella to keep the sun off an amp, or off my basses. Basses sitting in the hot sun is a no go, and wreaks havok with tuning. I like to keep them shaded.
A folding chair. Useful for downtime.
A change of clothes. Keep stage clothes fresh and be comfortable before and after the show.
There are probably more things I do, but these are the ones that come to mind. I'd love to hear what everyone else is doing as well.
Peace
We deal with many obsticals not encountered in the climate controlled clubs and venues, and I thought I'd see what little tips and tricks we have to turn the conditions in our favor. This can cover everything from how to keep your fingers from sticking on humid bass strings, to not swallowing a bug when singing. Maybe give someone some ideas on how to make a miserable gig tolerable.
I have performed many outdoor gigs over the years, and have found some pretty inventive ways to make a good gig even better without our creature comforts, or a nice tour bus directly to stage left, lol.
I always bring water in a cooled container. Yes most gigs will provide water, but if setting up or waiting on a multi band bill, I like to keep some handy. Staying hydrated makes a big difference.
Hand sanitizer. After moving a backline or handling cables, my hands get dirty if not wearing gloves. Before I touch my basses, I use some waterless cleaner to keep the funk on my hands off the strings.
A can of finger ease. I play a fretless on stage and a liberal coating of the neck and strings will keep the flatwounds from sticking to your fingers, and allows you to pull off the vibrato and subtle nuances we love the fretless for. I use it on my round wound basses too, but it seems to be a necessary for the fretless when it's humid out.
Two fans and a towel.
One fan goes to my side blowing across the stage, the other is a small clip on I put on my amp or effects rack to move a little air through the rig. This is a must if setting up without cover in the hot afternoon. Keeping the amp cool takes the worry out of overheating. The fan at stage left helps move a little air, and will keep hovering bugs out of your face at night. Swallowing bugs sucks when singing and I try to keep them away. It will also help with condensation on a stage when the dew point hits.
An umbrella to keep the sun off an amp, or off my basses. Basses sitting in the hot sun is a no go, and wreaks havok with tuning. I like to keep them shaded.
A folding chair. Useful for downtime.
A change of clothes. Keep stage clothes fresh and be comfortable before and after the show.
There are probably more things I do, but these are the ones that come to mind. I'd love to hear what everyone else is doing as well.
Peace
Last edited:
