OT: Idiot checks to make sure no gear forgotten

[EscapeRocks]

It must be a sign of my being, ahem... older now.

 

I swear even after loading gear into my truck, I get a block from home, and my brain starts playing tricks on me to where I have to pull over, open up the tonneau cover and verify I have all my stuff with me.

 

Ugh....

 

I'm turning into my dad. Ha! I can remember the notes to our entire show catalog, and even more songs that I played 20 years ago, but I can't tell you what I had for dinner tonight.

 

 

[allan_evett]

So it goes, David; I empathize. I always do idiot checks after gigs - unless I forget.

But try this one for perspective: At least you didn't arrive home, bring your keyboards in through the front door, go to bed.... and then were awakened at 7AM by your neighbor handing a keyboard case to you at the door. I know someone to whom this happened

[Bucktunes]

It must be a sign of my being, ahem... older now. I swear even after loading gear into my truck, I get a block from home, and my brain starts playing tricks on me to where I have to pull over, open up the tonneau cover and verify I have all my stuff with me.

It's not necessarily an age thing, although I trust my memory less every year...I've always gone back for one last "idiot check" before leaving a gig, especially when I was doing road work. One time I discovered I was missing a music stand, and I had no idea how long it had been missing, let alone where I left it!

I can remember the notes to our entire show catalog, and even more songs that I played 20 years ago, but I can't tell you what I had for dinner tonight.

That's selective memory at work. Somewhere in the brain is a "memory manager" that decides what we need to remember, and what we don't. I had an ex who used to nag me about this..."How come you can remember songs you haven't played in 10 years, but you can't remember a phone number I gave you 10 minutes ago?!"

[Phloid]

Generally, I make check lists for just about everything I do. Sometimes I work up a sheet with actual check boxes that I then print off the computer. Other times I keep blank index cards around to quickly write out check lists. I would not think of going without a list for something as important, costly and potentially disaster prone as a gig. I am amazed people would rely on their memory when they are often stressed, distracted and tired.

[David Loving]

Lately the theory has it that the older we get, we have so much information in our brains that we can't access it. It's our filing system: can't recall. why am I in this room? wheres my keys?

[JohnH]

Haha... Yea I have done many of these pull over a block or a mile from home deals to double check stuff. I walked out of my practice garage area a couple of weeks ago leaving the back door open with all my gear in there 16k plus worth including my 600 dollar iPad 3... My sharp neighbor noticed , closed and locked it for me... There's a six pack of beer in my fridge waiting for me to give to him. Not even a guitar pick went missing.

[DanL]

I've become so good at it that I do it before I leave now. Pack everything up- the garage is empty- but still take mental inventory. It still doesn't work, not long ago I left a critical piece of gear- the suitcase that has all my pedals, power cords and other necessities. It was too far to make home and back before downbeat so I called my dear wife who brought it to me.

 

I'd rather forget something at home vs leaving it at a venue. Done that before too.

[I-missRichardTee]

So it goes, David; I empathize. I always do idiot checks after gigs - unless I forget.

But try this one for perspective: At least you didn't arrive home, bring your keyboards in through the front door, go to bed.... and then were awakened at 7AM by your neighbor handing a keyboard case to you at the door. I know someone to whom this happened

 

In spirit, me 2 !

[Michael Wright]

I swear even after loading gear into my truck, I get a block from home, and my brain starts playing tricks on me to where I have to pull over, open up the tonneau cover and verify I have all my stuff with me

I do that all the time.

[elsongs]

And make sure the house lights are ON!

[BEMcCut]

I believe in the here after, as in "What am I here after."

[SpaceNorman]

What keeps me from losing/forgetting gear is the way that I pack and transport my stuff.

 

Starting with the smallest pieces of my kit (cables, pedals, etc.) and all the way up to the big pieces - EVERYTHING has a specific place. I keep the number of loose cables used in my rig to a bare minimum - and those that I do use are all clearly marked with colored shrink wrap so that I can spot "mine" from 20 feet away. I insist on packing my cables and the little stuff myself.

 

All the little stuff gets packed into a cooler sized rolling plastic tool box. Even if I end up carrying more than absolutely necessary for a given gig - the "gig box" still goes with me. Why? Because it means my gear never gets split up and misplaced.

 

I load my vehicle the same way. The "pack" has a specific order - and everything has a specific place in the vehicle. It something is missing - there's a hole that sticks out like a sore thumb!

 

My kids (who double as my roadies when loading and unloading my gear at home) - have learned "the pack" such that they can load my gear alone without supervision if necessary - and will do it exactly the way I've taught them.

 

My consistency in this regard has allowed me to keep my rig intact for years. I can't remember the last time I've had anything go missing.

[EscapeRocks]

Oh yeah, I've never lost anything. It's just my brain playing tricks on me on the way to the gig.

 

 

I found myself the other day not remembering if I locked my truck (which I did) after walking away.

 

Ugh....

 

 

To be fair, I do have a bit of adhd. My mind goes 1000mph from topic to topic.

[Aidan]

Once tear-down has arrived, I pack everything away (making sure power leads and signal cables are with their associated pieces of equipment, so for example a monitor will always have an IEC lead and a signal lead with it, either XLR or jack). I then count how many pieces have to go back to my van (generally, five or six if it's just me in another person's band). For each trip I make, I deduct the pieces taken from the total until I'm at zero.

 

I will then go back for a final visual idiot check just to make sure nothing has been missed. Using this method, nothing lost (touch wood) for several years.

 

Oh, except I left my coat at a (thankfully local) venue once. Watch out for stupid things like that!

[Asa]

Lately the theory has it that the older we get, we have so much information in our brains that we can't access it. It's our filing system: can't recall. why am I in this room? wheres my keys?

 

Not sure how much I'd agree with that theory; I'm only 18 yet I still leave cables & stands behind after practice on a regular basis. Once I actually left my extension cord with all four power supplies still attached, luckily we didn't have a gig that week

 

I'm just as absent-minded around the house too, occasionally putting used tea bags in the fridge, milk in the dishwasher, forgetting my glasses are on my face... the list goes on.

[Synthoid]

I found myself the other day not remembering if I locked my truck (which I did) after walking away.

 

Ugh....

 

Happens to me from time to time as well. I'll be relaxing in the recliner at home and suddenly ask myself if the car is locked and/or if the windows are up. It's an OCD thing.

 

 

[EscapeRocks]

I found myself the other day not remembering if I locked my truck (which I did) after walking away.

 

Ugh....

 

Happens to me from time to time as well. I'll be relaxing in the recliner at home and suddenly ask myself if the car is locked and/or if the windows are up. It's an OCD thing.

 

 

Isn't it funny how that OCD thing can have us convincing ourselves of many things? I have gotten up in the middle of the night to go check that I locked the doors of my place.

 

Funny thing is, my OCD does not present itself in everything in my life.

 

[Synthoid]

Isn't it funny how that OCD thing can have us convincing ourselves of many things? I have gotten up in the middle of the night to go check that I locked the doors of my place.

 

Funny thing is, my OCD does not present itself in everything in my life.

 

I've noticed it's increased during the last 15-20 years. Really can be difficult to deal with sometimes. I discussed it with a psychologist last year and he shared some "solutions," but nothing really helps all the time.

[MoodyBluesKeys]

Space Norman's post has it - consistency.

 

Everything I carry has a specific place that is always used for that item (even my tools for jobs - using a Jensen kit with all the little pockets for items). For most gigs, everything goes on one load on an extended (local welder) RockNRoller cart, with bungee cords holding stuff on.

 

My memory isn't all that great - but I do the same thing storing things at home and in the shop - each item has a particular place (OTOH, if someone else moves something, then I have to locate it). I even extended it to a lot of clothing items, like buying a dozen pair of identical socks - that way they all match up.

 

[rickzjamm]

When people "help" put your stuff up it always becomes a guessing game when you get home or unpack the next day.

[Synthoid]

When people "help" put your stuff up it always becomes a guessing game when you get home or unpack the next day.

 

Reminds me of a sign I saw a long time ago at a local business:

 

LABOR RATE: $50 per hour

 

If you watch: $60/hour

If you help: $75/hour

 

[Delaware Dave]

Yep, I do the walk around before I leave and still will forget something. I' ve left my X-stand at a gig, left a keyboard at a gig, left my keyboard under my open garage door and shut the garage door on it. Last night we had a gig and I brought a tarp to cover my rig since we have a repeat performance again tonight. I apparently left the tarp laying on the ground behind my jeep and pulled away. When I went to grab the tarp last night to cover my rig it wasn't in my jeep. When i got home last night it was laying in my driveway. This is AFTER I did my double check. WTF?

[curly]

For me, routine is critical. If I'm using my standard set up, hauling it with my own vehicle, I'm usually fine. If I switch up the gear, use my wife's SUV, loan someone a cable, connector or power bar...all bets are off.

 

Also, as late as I get home, I almost always unpack when I get home. Something about the ritual that gives me assurance that everything came home. That said, I'm not sure what I'd do if I discovered something missing at 2:30 in the morning...

[Moonglow]

It's not necessarily an age thing, although I trust my memory less every year...

....It's an OCD thing.

You guys are spot on. While OCD solidly resides within the anxiety disorders (engaging in the compulsive behavior reduces anxiety), some research has suggested it contains a memory component. For example, some people will repeatedly check the locks on their doors. The research suggests that perhaps the reason these folks continue checking is that they do not trust their memory that they have already checked.

[SpaceNorman]

Also, as late as I get home, I almost always unpack when I get home. Something about the ritual that gives me assurance that everything came home. That said, I'm not sure what I'd do if I discovered something missing at 2:30 in the morning...

 

You've obviously got more energy than I've got - and you either live by yourself - or with people who are far more tolerant than the others who live at my house. While the middle of the night unload would seal the deal in terms of wearing me out, it wouldn't matter because my family would kill me for waking everybody up.

 

I simply back the van into the driveway such that the rear bumper just touches the bumper of my wife's car behind it ... and so that the side doors are only inches away from the house. The only way anybody is going to get to my gear in that situation would be to steal the whole damn van ... which thankfully isn't much of an issue in my neighborhood.

 

If I wait till the next day - I'm usually able to muster a road crew (in the form of my two sons and the inevitable herd of their visiting friends). There are days that I get lucky and don't have to lift a thing!!!

[curly]

Outside access to studio keeps the noise down! Though my girls can be great groupies, they're useless as roadies...

[WesG]

Wow... I thought I was the only one...

 

I have walked a mile and a half to make sure my van was locked, driven 10 miles because I couldn't remember if I'd left the dogs outside, stopped more than once on my way to a gig to check that I haven't forgotten something, etc. It makes me crazy!!

 

What's even worse is that I have different gigs that need different rigs..makes checklists much trickier.

[marino]

I have different gigs that need different rigs..makes checklists much trickier.

Same for me.

 

I can remember a couple of embarassing situations:

 

1) Many years ago, I was back from an exhausting gig+long travel home. Since I lived in an apartments building with no garage, I had to double-park my car, unload it, then once I had set all the gear inside the flat, I had to go to the car again, and find a place to park.

Well, needless to say, I was so tired that as soon as I was in the apartment, I crashed on the sofa and got asleep instantly. Leaving my car double-parked and *open*, with the keys inside!

Early morning, I woke up, remembering vaguely. I looked out of the window, and I saw my car - it was still there, luckily (not stolen), but not exactly where I had left it; as people needed to leave with their cars, they moved mine out of the way... and the police was also there, trying to figure out wether that was a stolen car or not.

That time, I got away with a small fine for blocking the traffic, and a few laughs from the neighbors.

 

2) This was about five years ago: I got asked to play some jazz/swing piano for the opening of an art exhibition. As they explained the kind of environment to me, I figured out that bringing my Kurzweil MicroEnsemble and my Studiologic VMK176Plus was good enough for that particular gig... only, I managed to forget the MicroEnsemble at home! That was the only time that I have forgotten an instrument (touch wood); in that case, of course, it was the *only* sound-generating instrument!

It was an out-of-town gig, so there was no chance to return home. The guy who had called me then said, "I have a Sound Canvas at home, about 15 km from here. Let's go". We drove somewhat crazily to get the SC and get back to the place in time for the crowd to enter.

Nobody complained about the piano sound coming from a Sound Canvas instead of a Kurzweil, and the gig went well, with many people expressing their appreciation. But not surprisingly, that guy never called me again for more gigs!

 

 

[AlanV]

Back in early 2012, I had a gig playing trombone for an ad-hoc horn section at a local bar for a Rolling Stones tribute.

 

Finish up, pack up my horn, head home.

 

Didn't open my case again until the fall when I needed to grab a mouthpiece for college alumni band weekend.

 

I found apparently I had left my mouthpiece at the bar all those months ago. Checked and no one had turned it in.

 

I was pissed, and a couple of weeks ago I ordered a new mouthpiece.

 

A few days after I received it and had been practicing with it, I decide to clean out the glovebox in my car.

 

How my old mouthpiece got into the glovebox of my car, I'll never know.

 

But hey, backup mouthpiece.

[richforman]

My gear loading and unloading routine is pretty automatic and I haven't left any major pieces behind in a while (not that I haven't done it a few times over the years), but my problem is more with clothes, jackets, sunglasses, etc, since those things can be different from night to night as to what you have with you, where and when you might put it down etc, and get less conscious attention than my equipment, those things I'm more prone to leave all over the place. Plus I have various different 2gb smartcards for my different bands and gigs, with collections of samples and performances for my Fantom X, easy to lose, forget, or leave the house without, or with the wrong one, have to watch that. (I keep the data all backed up on my computer at home and spare PCI slot adapters, having learned my lesson in the past, so that loss of one of those cards or the adapter won't be a total disaster). But definitely yes to pulling over onto the shoulder ten minutes away from the house to double-check that I grabbed that accessories bag or mic stand or whatever from inside the house.