New normal. Back to gigging

[CEB]

Oh jeez. I guess I"m going to play now the plague restrictions are lifted. Yesterday it was 106 degrees. My gig clothes are too tight. My feet hurt. I"m playing 30% guitars 70% keys. My guitar approach is more physical than keyboards even though I stand on this gig. First time out with my ampless guitar setup. The guitar IEM experience was better than feeling disconnected from my Boogies.

 

Wife woke me up at 12:30 this afternoon. I have legs cramps. Need to drink more water. Half of Saturday is gone before I got out of bed. But we played pretty well. New girl drummer is 24. She is good. She is also younger than all my children. Off tonight. Friday is a really large outdoor venue. Went pretty good even though I"m too old for this shit.

[El Lobo]

I've had several gigs, with 3 different bands, all outdoors. All have been on the northern California coast so it's all good weather-wise. Been to a couple of jams indoors. It definitely feels like blowing the rust out. A few more outdoor gigs are booked in August and September. Some indoor gigs may be booked soon. And I'm starting to think that I really am too old for this shit.

[Stokely]

My gig clothes are too tight.

 

I quite literally hadn't worn jeans for a year (working from home) and that's what I wear to gigs. Mine also apparently shrunk! Had to run out and buy another pair after one uncomfortable gig, and it's also strange how my brands are now making my size a bit smaller than they used to, so I had to go up a size

 

I haven't done an indoor gig yet and that is going to feel a bit weird. I'm vaccinated but still wear masks inside if I'm going to be near anyone (like at Chipotle). If the employees are all wearing masks and I'll be close to them, I do as well out of courtesy. I don't do it at Lowe's since I go when it's not busy and use the outdoor register mostly. Packed in a club with not much air circulation and certainly with at least some anti-vaxxers, that I'm not too thrilled to consider...

[Reezekeys]

I"m sitting in the lobby of a wedding factory waiting to play a one-hour cocktail set, playing jazz with a great violinist. First one of these kinds of gigs for me in almost two years. As the saying goes, 'it beats a blank'.

 

Of course I loaded my full keys rig into my trunk, but found out there"s a piano here for me to play. Wishing I had known that In advance, but also wondering if I"m gonna wish I had brought my setup in once I start playing it!

 

This is kinda normal I guess. I saw the band from the earlier wedding loading out. I"m not gonna lie - I felt happy not being in that world right now. Of course those folks were probably very happy to be working. New York just ended all but a very few restrIctions.

[Morrissey]

I've done a few gigs in 2021 so far. Building off a theme in this thread ("I'm getting too old for this"), I have never been so intent of streamlining and minimizing my gigging gear. Something about the time off makes the gear schlep extra painful. I'm going light and sleek. If not for my stool/bench, I can now carry all my gear in one trip!

[cphollis]

The last few gigs I've played took a lot out of me. I thought it was just me, but no, all the other musicians spent the morning after trying to recover a bit.

 

That being said, I'm looking for a nice young man who would appreciate a few bucks to load and unload PA gear, keys, etc.

 

No one in the band has a strong back anymore

[Moonglow]

I"ve played five gigs since May 1st, all club jobs. I was in a vegetative state the day after the May 1 gig, just sitting there all day in my comfy chair, drool coming out of both sides of my mouth. I"m doing much better now having a few gigs and several rehearsals under my belt.

 

I"m playing two large festivals over the next two weekends. Looking forward to playing the gigs, but not the schlep, especially considering these type of events tend to involve less-than-convenient load-in, set-up, etc., and run on a tight schedule. The good news is that both bands are the headliners, so I won"t have to bust ass tearing down.

 

I have some really heavy gear, and can definitely relate to the sentiments expressed here. Continuing with the theme of previous posts, just the other day at load-in for rehearsal, I opened the hatch of my SUV and our lead singer (who always helps me out) and I just stood there staring at the gear and simultaneously said, 'Oh f....' At least we got a chuckle out of that.

[Docbop]

Funny my old buddy from when I first got into play music in bands over 50 years ago we got together today so I could buy him lunch for his birthday. We started talking about playing and the line "getting too old for this shit" came up a few times. LOL I said the major pain now if hauling gear around, He still has band that rehearses at his house once a week and said he only does it because he doesn't have to go anywhere. He's got a full backline and PA so none of them needs to bring more than their guitars or drum sticks.

 

It funny they kept practicing thru most the pandemic. I was at his house for the first time in ages a few months ago and he even put one of that wall mount hand sanitizer dispensers in his music room.

 

Yup age has caught up and hung up the old Rock and Roll shoes and now play in velcro strap sneakers.

[CowboyNQ]

Joining in the chorus: Have played quite a few shows this year but did my first post-pandemic four-setter last weekend and elected to only bring one 61-key 'board. Because I just couldn"t be bothered with the 88 I normally also use.

 

It was a great decision - particularly at 1:00am when we were finally done.

[Bill H.]

Main concern for me is when clubs in Oregon get their full hours back in two weeks. Where I work that will mean going till 1:30am. It's been hard enough adjusting to closing at midnight after a year off.

 

Setting up my JBL SRX sound system is also harder after that year off. None of the gigs I'm doing post pandemic need that much oomph. Taking a hard look at alternatives, including Alto (which was not on my list at all until the thread about them in here). The TS-312s are currently on sale at GC.

[Delaware Dave]

Been playing live since April. Did a gig with my L100p and Motion Sound leslie for shits and giggles. Tons of fun using it but I quickly remembered why I moved from that to my Voce 15 years ago. Last weekend both venues were packed. People were crowding the stage. More people now post pandemic which is nice. Wish I had a roadie to setup/breakdown and load/unload, that part i absolutely hate ( who does love it?).

[area51recording]

I've done a few gigs, indoor and out. I'm going back to my 18 year long piano bar gig in August, but they've cut it down to 3 nights a week, so it'll probably only pan out to 4-5 nights a month. They've been reopened since last July 4 (there was no way it was safe so I opted out)....felt pretty good though that in that whole year they didn't find anyone who filled the bill the way they wanted, so me and the other guy who split it before are coming back. My 50's and 60's band has their first gig on July 3, and the calender is starting to gradually look more like something pre COVID, but it's still gonna take a while.....

[KuruPrionz]

I'm missing a gig tonight. I had reconstructive surgery on my right foot in mid May, it will be sometime in late July when I get the cast off and a boot but still not allowed to put weight on the right foot for a few more weeks after that. Former band member filling in for now.

 

We are fully booked for Fri, Sat, Sun the last weekend of July. I hope to play all 3 gigs but it will take a little help from my friends. Will probably leave my gear in the vehicle for the duration.

I've got it down to one guitar in a backpack gig bag, a good sized canvas bag for cords, mic, etc, a small amp and a mic stand. Guitar on back, everything else but the mic stand on a dolly. Has been one trip for me for a long time now. I'm done moving big heavy amps and backup guitars etc. I always say I get paid to move equipment. They don't pay enough to lug all that crap around and I don't need it anyway.

 

I'll be 66 very soon but I'm not tossing it in just yet. Too much fun once the music starts!

[Al Quinn]

I"ve had a few gigs in the past couple of months and about as many as I want through September. During the year off I gained some new perspectives. I shrunk my rig to one keyboard and can move it all in one trip. I"ve turned down some gigs because if I have too many it becomes less fun. And, I didn"t miss giving weekly lessons so I think those days are over.

[Tom Williams]

As I write this I am recuperating from our second post-covid gig, just completed a couple of hours ago. This one definitely went more smoothly than most, with our hosts (a trailer camping venue) treating us the nicest probably in the band's 4 year history. A dream venue -- they helped us schlep stuff, they moved the zillion pound billiard table, even brought me a free Sprite to reconstitute my diminished electrolytes.

 

But setting up, playing, and (worst of all) knocking down and repacking a vanload of equipment -- just my part of the band -- is definitely getting tiring. I'm a dyed-in-the-wool multikeyboardist, and I gotta have at least a stack of two instruments to be happy.

 

I know it's flattering when they want you to play longer, but at that point, I just want to get the heck home. I'm in my 60s, and definitely feeling it. I suspect I'll feel it more when I wake up.

[nursers]

The last few gigs I've played took a lot out of me. I thought it was just me, but no, all the other musicians spent the morning after trying to recover a bit.

 

That being said, I'm looking for a nice young man who would appreciate a few bucks to load and unload PA gear, keys, etc.

 

No one in the band has a strong back anymore

 

This mirrors my thoughts on all levels. The drummer, guitarist and I are all trashed the following day after a gig....

[Adan]

Some people gained weight and accelerated unhealthy habits during the pandemic, others got more fit and healthy. I'm in the latter group but it wasn't so much out of virtue and good intentions as it was just boredom and opportunity. I was home a lot and clubs were closed so for lack of anything more interesting to do I exercised, set higher goals for myself, upped my cycling and paddleboarding games.

 

How this relates to gigging is that I find myself thinking much more about how early I can get home so I can get an early start mountain-biking. Trying to get the right kind of calories and enough fiber from the complimentary bar food menu. One beer is ok, maybe two, but I need a clear head so I don't crash and break my bones tomorrow.

 

It's weird because gigging again, I'm the same person doing familiar stuff, and yet I'm not. It's the same old world, and yet it isn't.

[Reezekeys]

The gig I just did which I posted about above â a cocktail hour at a wedding factory â turned into a little bit of hell. 15 minutes before hit and I find out I was given the wrong info (after having arrived almost 90 minutes before hit time). I'm not playing the baby grand in the foyer, I have to bring my gear to the "penthouse" terrace on the 3rd floor! So it was kinda the usual shitshow. Lucky for me the violinist brought his own sound - a Bose stick â and offered me an input. I ran to my car, grabbed my laptop bag, keyboard, stand & sustain pedal, rushed through the service entrance and kitchen (of course!), and got myself set up with one minute to spare. I love this business! The playing itself was a ton of fun, jazz standards with an exceptional violinist, and totally ignored by everybody in the room - just the way I like it! BTW, not a single mask anywhere. I guess we're back.

 

"Plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose"

[Al Quinn]

Hey Rob, I"ve seen that movie a few times before (and I was in it!). I"m glad you had fun. Certainly a great time to have such a light rig.

[Reezekeys]

I'm very much considering the iPad or iPhone with a piano app for these kinds of gigs. No laptop bag with cables, interface, adapters, etc. No SKB laptop case. That's a significant decrease in shleppage. Perfect for rehearsing, but on a gig with other good players where there's the potential of real music-making I still want a satisfying piano sound, and the one I have now for iOS (Pure Piano) is maybe 85% of the way there. I need a little more. I know it's gonna happen eventually.

 

Oh, I'll also have two nice-sounding powered speakers that weigh less than 10lbs each! We old-timers need another revolution in PPA tech!

[drawback]

I'm very much considering the iPad or iPhone with a piano app for these kinds of gigs. No laptop bag with cables, interface, adapters, etc. No SKB laptop case. That's a significant decrease in shleppage. Perfect for rehearsing, but on a gig with other good players where there's the potential of real music-making I still want a satisfying piano sound, and the one I have now for iOS (Pure Piano) is maybe 85% of the way there. I need a little more. I know it's gonna happen eventually.

 

Oh, I'll also have two nice-sounding powered speakers that weigh less than 10lbs each! We old-timers need another revolution in PPA tech!

 

And zero-latency Bluetooth for the trifecta!

[The Real MC]

After I move to my new job, I'm taking a break from gigging. Due to family issues I had to give up playing in my music studio for five years and I really want to get back in there. Loooooong overdue.

[Bill H.]

Some people gained weight and accelerated unhealthy habits during the pandemic, others got more fit and healthy. I'm in the latter group but it wasn't so much out of virtue and good intentions as it was just boredom and opportunity. I was home a lot and clubs were closed so for lack of anything more interesting to do I exercised, set higher goals for myself, upped my cycling and paddleboarding games.

 

How this relates to gigging is that I find myself thinking much more about how early I can get home so I can get an early start mountain-biking. Trying to get the right kind of calories and enough fiber from the complimentary bar food menu. One beer is ok, maybe two, but I need a clear head so I don't crash and break my bones tomorrow.

 

It's weird because gigging again, I'm the same person doing familiar stuff, and yet I'm not. It's the same old world, and yet it isn't.

 

In many ways this is me too. Last year when cut off from family (who were trying to protect dad) and no work I really hit the trails - and in the process lost 10 pounds and found myself doing things I hadn't been able to do in years.

 

Gigging again has been a blessing and a curse. Here I am Sunday morning just wiped out - and the worst is yet to come when our hours expand to 1:30am.

[El Lobo]

It's the morning after the gig that brings on the "maybe I'm too old for this." Even though the gig was 3 hours in the afternoon the day before, the next morning it feels like I don't remember being run over by the truck. I'm hoping there's such a thing as being out of gig shape and that this will get better as gigs settle into the new normal. If this is a permanent change, I'm screwed.

[El Lobo]

Each to his own. For me, the transcendence I experience playing live music with others is my own level of joy. I'm afraid if I didn't have that, I'd fall into a bottomless pit of despair.

[The Real MC]

I have to admit I am tired of playing weekends, then spending Sunday to recover my body clock to banking hours for monday.

[Bill H.]

It's the morning after the gig that brings on the "maybe I'm too old for this." Even though the gig was 3 hours in the afternoon the day before, the next morning it feels like I don't remember being run over by the truck. I'm hoping there's such a thing as being out of gig shape and that this will get better as gigs settle into the new normal. If this is a permanent change, I'm screwed.

 

I think you'll be ok. In my case it did get better over time. After a brief mid-morning nap after eating, I'm fine this afternoon. This was after three nights... I've been going two and three nights a week for the last four months. The first few weeks just about killed me though.

 

Disclaimer: I no longer drink, so for me it's just resetting my body clock.

[aellison62]

My band starting gigging again this April and it"s like the floodgates have opened. We have turned down 4 gigs to date so far because we are overbooked. We even picked up some new venues based on word of mouth from others. About half of our gigs are outdoor event/ festival/ private party types so of course, those were the first to come back. Had a not so great experience last weekend at an outdoor event where the stage was not covered with a canopy ( and I forgot to. bring my backup 6x6 canopy). Outside at 4pm in full sun, 92 degreesâ¦.my top board (Kronos) decided it had enough of the heat about 2/3 into the first set. We took an early break and I disconnected it, took it into a nearby air conditioned store and let it cool for 20 min. Plugged it back in and was able to finish the show. Lesson ( relearned) that day. If outdoors, bring a canopy. Great to be gigging again

[Reezekeys]

my top board (Kronos) decided it had enough of the heat about 2/3 into the first set. We took an early break and I disconnected it, took it into a nearby air conditioned store and let it cool for 20 min. Plugged it back in and was able to finish the show. Lesson ( relearned) that day. If outdoors, bring a canopy

 

I have an afternoon hit tomorrow in direct sun. Under a portico of a mansion (turned catering facility) but the sun's angle will probably reach me, for a while anyway. It's supposed to be almost 90 degrees. I had a similar shutdown of my laptop a few years back, on a stage with direct sun and no covering â I think I might have even started a thread here about it.

 

A canopy is a good idea since it can shield you as well as your gear! However, in a pinch you can put a white towel or pillowcase over as much of the keyboard as possible. Anything that reflects light will help.

[aellison62]

I actually had a white sheet over my whole 2 keyboard rig, thinking it would reflect enough to get me thru the gig, but it sat under that sheet for an hour before we started the first set. An alternative would be to get a sound check and then remove that ' sensitive ' board and put in shade till showtime. My KURZWEIL Forte wasn"t fazed by the heat, just sat there and took it and sounded amazing like always. Love my Kronos, but it"s a bit temperamental at times. I also picked up one of those silver reflective stretchy keyboard covers to tryâ¦..