Outdoor gig season - how to protect your gear?

[tbirdsp]

We always play some outdoor gigs in the summer. Got really lucky last year - had some threatening weather but never got rained on. The venues/stages have varying levels of weather protection, and some do have a provision to set up indoors if needed. However - it's always a crapshoot and stresses me out. Any tips to keeping your gear dry other than blue tarps, duct tape, and trash bags? What works for you?

 

[Last Rebel]

I think you covered it with the blue tarps, I keep those heavy rubber bungee cords with my tarp

Also we pull a hard body equipment trailer,with barn doors, totally weatherproof and it's always close by ,...oh and I make sure we have reserved parking for that trailer and it stays hooked to my truck

 

[Downunderwonder]

An umbrella comes in handy sometimes. Less so in hurricanes.

 

[electracoyote]

I bring large table cloths in black and white to cover gear from the burning lazer rays of the Colorado sun. I bring big blue tarps for precipitation, enough to cover my rig and the rig of whoever is next to me.

We also tell all our clients up front that we don't do precipitation in any form, in any amount. I've seen a few drops cause malfunctions and maintenance issues for sensitive gear. We try to get the client to put us under some kind of cover and stress that if the rain starts and it's getting on us, even blowing in from the sides, we reserve the right to stop the performance and protect our expensive tools.

 

[Hoochie Coochie Man]

A method, (like a pallet built to fit) to keep pa cabs off the ground a couple inches would help keep the bottom of the subs from getting wet/ruined. Amp stands for smaller combo amps.

Don't rely on light-duty canopies like the ones that go by the brand name EZ-UP to survive much wind.

 

[vulturedog]

Funny I was just going to create a tread about outdoors... we just played an event for some local motor cycle club at a Harley Davidson dealer......well in Las Vegas nv in may .....it was actually hot as hell this past Saturday we went on at5:30 needless to say I was stuck in the sun when we started but relief can in the form of clouds over head. One good thing about playing outside when it's hot is my basses low end really gets a nice warm and deep sound! One bad thing is they don't seem to stay in tune even though I took them out of case hours before hand to get used To ambient temp. I personally hate outdooor gigs! This means usually we have to take everything meaning (p.a.) I like indoor events with own sound system (just bring your own equipment)
A lot of unknowns also can creep up like a simple thing like "where do we get power?" I made some rookie mistakes on this gig ... I misread a borrowed tuner.... set up my drop D bass before gig... heat played a part in it getting slightly out of tune so the next song I retuned it between songs only to my pain and suffering to realize the g,d, a were all tune a half step down while playing the song!... I didn't see the the little dot to the right of the note on the tuner the daylight also makes it hard to see no excuses I messed up had to transpose on the fly...messed up some pretty easy songs also durring the show but got through it..... will nail it next time I'm moving on I don't like to dwell on mistakes of the past..... this is my report as of May 10 signing out lol

 

[Korladis]

Just get gear that can take a beating.

 

[Kevan Campbell]

If it's my Bergantino or Ampeg rig I'll keep a tarp and/or a couple trash bags nearby in case of rain. If it's my Aguilar rig I can throw on the sides to my SKB case to protect the amp (the Aguilar cab is pretty beat up though still functional, so I'm not overly worried if something happens to it).

Still working on a way to protect my pedalboard, though more from beer than rain. I believe that Mark Tremonti of Creed/Alter Bridge used to have his pedalboard wrapped in tough shrink-wrapped clear plastic, and I'd love to figure out how to do something similar.

 

[sharkbait130]

One of those fold up plastic paint covers ( just a couple of bucks at Home Depot)and a roll of duct tape does it for me. Unfold the cover , throw it over my gear (and any one elses that's close by) and tape it around the bottom. We did an outdoor gig last year that included an incredible thunderstorm with a nearby tornado. Rain at one point was coming in from the other side of the pavilion we were under. We got soaked ,the gear survived nicely. Under the pavilion got so soaked that they cancelled the gig. We had only played 4 songs when it all hit. Went home with full pay. It was well worth the drenching.

 

[two fingers]

Check the radar. If there is a line of storms coming , DON'T SET UP!

I'm dead serious. I have played hundreds of festivals. And I have canceled dozens. I show the radar to the event coordinator. If the storms are clearly on the way, I'm not setting up. Period. It's both dangerous and impractical.

We also had a policy (in our WRITTEN CONTRACT) of getting paid in full if we showed up (and of course we already had our deposit). If the weather was looking ominous, we would call our contact on the way and remind them that if we show up, we get paid in full. So they had our drive time to make the call.

That being said, the cheapest and most compact way of getting it done is the thicker painter's "drop cloth". There's nothing "cloth" about it. It's plastic. Get the thicker mill stuff. It will come in a roll in a box similar to aluminum foil or wax paper. It unfolds after you pull off the length you need. Drape it over your rig and tuck it under the feet. A good stiff bungee cord around near the bottom to hold it just in case. Throw it a away when the storm passes and roll out some more next time. It's much more water proof than most tarps.
This would last you the rest of your life. I'm sure there are cheaper options out there.
HDX 10 ft. x 100 ft. Clear 6 mil. Plastic Sheeting CFHD0610C at The Home Depot - Mobile

Also, I have the "roof" of an old tailgating tent folded up in the back of my truck. The frame got broken and rusted so I kept the top. It works great in an emergency for anything, not just bass gear. So if you have an old one with a busted frame tucked a away in your garage, yank the top off and throw away the frame.

 

[RustyAxe]

I'm done with outdoor gigs, told the BL so after two miserable gigs in one week last summer. The rest of the band agrees, since outdoor gigs are a very small part of what we do. When we did play outdoors I brought tarps and bags. One item often overlooked is a GFCI ... all our gear was connected to GFCI protected mains, we brought our own to be sure ... gear is easy enough to replace. Catching 120VAC on wet ground is gonna make one pay attention to this detail, if they live.

 

[buldog5151bass]

1. Never set up if there a chance of rain if you are not covered.
2. tarps - light colored is better.
3. You can get an 8x8 portable canopy for about $60. They set up quickly, and can be lowered to be just over the gear, and raised up to be tall enough to stand under.

 

[RSBBass]

I would add, find out where the power is coming from. If it is from a generator either make sure you have very good power conditioners or don't do the gig.

 

[tbirdsp]

Thanks all, some great info! First "outdoor" gig is this coming Friday - although it's a covered patio at a golf course club house - pics look like it's protected pretty well. 90% chance of thunderstorms though
I do have a 10x10 canopy. One thing that may help - I'm now using a vertical stack of GK Neo 112 cabs with MB500 and my IEM transmitter on top. It's very tall and skinny so may be able to just put a heavy-duty trash bag over the whole rig. In the past I used 115 cabs and they were too big around.
Been there, done that on generator power. Played in a beer tent at the Nebraska State Fair a couple of years ago - generator ran out of gas and when they finally got it back up the power was messed up and kept tripping off.

 

[MrLenny1]

I hate outdoor gigs.
I have 4 this summer,geez.

 

[Korladis]

Honestly I'd really like to play another outdoor gig. Been years since I've played one.

 

[Kevorargh]

Most of my summer gigs are outdoors, usually on decent covered stages or tents. I love the sound of my rig outdoors when there is not much to bounce off of. Bugs suck, though.

 

[Dave W]

I've got my first on the year coming up Memorial Day weekend, and the next is the following week.

 

[portpc]

I play a lot of outdoor events, many close to the beach, Besides the onsite precautions mentioned I make it a point to clean my bass gear when I get home 1st thing. The sand & grit can wreak havoc with everything. Canned air is helpful as well.

 

[Bunk McNulty]

Tarps and tape. I bring gorilla duct tape to patch leaks in tents. Works pretty well--used it last Saturday night, where the real problem wasn't rain but temperature. We could all see our breath. Guitarists were dropping picks like crazy because they couldn't feel them. As long as the elements cooperate, I enjoy playing outdoors. Not so much when they don't.