Fighting the cold and wind in outdoor gigs

[davich]

What did you do if you are performing outdoor, temperature around 50F with the wind blowing?

 

How to keep hands warm enough and able to play well?

 

Some of the answer might be that finding a better venue with windshield or finding better coordinator/manager, but for some charity gigs/fun gigs that we might do in public park, it is unavoidable.

 

So, your opinions..

Don't say avoid that kind of gig! :-)

[zzzzz]

Bring a thermus of coffee or hot cocoa and hold it between tunes.Drinking it would may help you warm up as well.

[davich]

Thanks for the reply.

I want to object though: this thermos if it is good, it is not hot on the outside, we cannot use it.

 

If it is not a good thermos/not thermos at all, like Starbucks cups will last only for 15 minutes in that kind of situation while we prepare the stage or during checksound.

[cornbread_medhotmail.com]

I've had to deal with this a few times, and my time playing football in the dead of winter also helped. Wear long underwear. If your body's warm, you won't feel your hands being cold too much. But, if that isn't enough, they make these heat packets that you put in a hand warmer (watch any Green Bay Packers home game--it's the thing hanging around their waists). They last for 2 or 3 hours. You could stick them in your pockets and in between songs you can casually slip your hands in your pockets and the people will be none the wiser. You should be able to get these at any sporting goods store. They're quite nifty. They don't generate too much heat, so they won't burn you.

[jeremy c]

I've tried various things.....for a while I was in the SF 49ers band, sitting on the sideline and playing before the game and during timeouts. It's California, but sometimes it would be raining (we were under a tent) and sometimes in the high forties/low fifties. I've also played lots of gigs which were outdoors (after all it's always nice in California) where it got quite cold after the sun set.

 

1) I always keep a set of long underwear and a knitted cap in my van. If your body and your head are warm, it will help your hands.

2) I bought some fingerless woolen gloves. It was awkward to play, but it helped keep my fingers from going numb.

3) Finally I just started bringing a small electric heater and putting it right in front of my (like a monitor speaker). The other guys laughed, but half way through the gig they were all crowded around me.

4) There are some chemical kind of things that they sell for aches and pains...you squeeze the package and they stay warm for quite a while....you could bring some of those and keep them in your pockets and reach in to warm your hands.

 

For me it was always hardest after taking a break because the instrument would cool down.

 

And of course in cold weather, string instruments go sharp and wind instruments go flat, so tuning was always a problem.

 

Good luck!

[davich]

Hey, thanks! That's really helpful! I will try underwears and those heat bags next time. Heater might be for longer gigs. Thanks once again.

[BenLoy]

I played with a trombone player for a while who used to do gigs in Washington Square Park a lot during the late fall and winter months. His mouthpiece use to stick to his lip!!

 

Let's be thankful we're not horn players!

[_Sweet Willie_]

I played a costume party gig once in a run-down "castle" in Italy. It was freezing in there. I used wool gloves with the fingertips cut off. We also had a space heater set up behind us. Like Jeremy said, the fingerless gloves are a little bulky, but definitely manageable. After a couple of tunes I was used to having them on and everything went fine.

 

And, I've got to say, I really appreciated that nice glass of vino rosso when it was over!

[BNC]

I have played several just-a-tick-above-freezing gigs before (hell if I know why we weren't inside, people would go in and line up against the windows to watch). Luckily, I used an SVT and just warmed my hands on the grill that guards the tubes in back. Bring goves and keep them in a warm spot (I stuck them in my pockets or down my shirt). Eat/drink hot food (coffee, soup). A few places I played at always had cangles in little glass holders, I would take one to put on top of my amp and hold on to it in between songs (if time allowed ) and during breaks. It worked great, but be careful (especially if your hair is as long as mine ).

 

Also, move around as much as possible. Not only does it keep you warm, but it makes for a better show