Just when you think you are out they pull you back in.

[CEB]

I’ve been contacted about going out for some summer dates.  I don’t know.  I’m  kind of like not playing out. I feel old damn it.  I think I will be strong and say no.

 

But once you say no the phone stops ringing. … or that is what I was told. 

[The Real MC]

Just tell them you are not available and it is not a good time.  That way they leave the door open.

[lightbg]

You’re old enough to say no without regrets or apologies. For me the phone not ringing equates to more family time.

enjoy it.

[Al Quinn]

I’ve said no a lot in recent years and, yes, the phone rings less but that’s OK because it’s stuff I don’t want to do. I’ve also said I’m not available where I’d like to leave the door open but, for whatever reason, wasn’t feeling it for the offered gig. To be honest, after doing less gigs during the pandemic I kind of took a liking to being more available for other stuff (including playing with friends just for the fun of it).

[KuruPrionz]

I quit playing with a band more than a year ago. 2,000 gigs down the line...

I just took a long break, did a bit of recording and now I'm working on a solo performance. 

Maybe someday I'll go back to gigging. I got tired of the volume, now I have control over volume and it won't be loud. 

[AUSSIEKEYS]

8 hours ago, CEB said:

I’ve been contacted about going out for some summer dates.  I don’t know.  

 

Not sure?

 

Then you need to get off those dating sites. Hee hee

[CEB]

Man, I have friends who for one reason or another found themselves back in the dating scene.  Oh my God dating has become complicated in the modern age.   But I have only been with one woman my entire life. If anything, God forbid, should happen to make me single … I’ll just live out my final days alone.  Dating is hard. 

[Outkaster]

Musicians play that's what we do.  Accepting that is a big thing for a lot of people.

[Adan]

Maybe consider parring down your rig to something much lighter and less complex.  Based on what I know about you, it seems like that's not how you haved rolled.  But you could try something different.

 

The gear shlepping aspect is solveable for anyone who wants to go that route.  But there's still the late night hours, which is not solveable if you're playing certain types of gigs, and which get harder to bounce back from as years go by.

[CEB]

That’s  the truth.  My rigs have been larger than most. It was fine until 2014 because cartage was provided. But age and health and the reality of having to carry my own stuff was a wake up call.  My rigs have always been designed around fast setup and tear down but has also added bulk and weight. Like pedals mounted in ATA style pedal cases where  you just lift the lid and plug them in. It’s easy but heavy.  …. Using rack drawers and patch panels, but the rack is heavy.   I now see the appeal of a laptop and a lightweight controller. 

[cphollis]

Travel is what kills me.  My non-music career required racking up million mile status on multiple airlines.  It might sound glamorous, but it's not.  My life changed for the better when I decided to stop doing that to myself.

 

I've sort of enjoyed showing up to pick-up gigs with a small NS3C and a single QSC K series.  You can hand-carry in one trip with a little clever packaging, just like the guitar player does.  Makes it a bit more fun that way.

 

 

[Stokely]

Travel doesn't sound glamourous to me, I even dread it on vacations where we are going someplace great   I yearn for teleportation though of course we backwards apes would use it as a weapon.  I now work from home and so you'd think I'd be happy to get out driving more than the average of 20 miles a week or whatever it is now--nope.  I have even less tolerance for traffic than I used to when I was in it everyday!  Weird.

My buddy just went to a blues and jazz (iirc) event with a bunch of bands and said almost every one of the keyboard players brought one keyboard, often a Nord.  I've done some one-keyboard gigs and love the simplicity of it.  As far as volume, I have in-ears so that's not a problem, I wouldn't put up with high stage volume and regret the years that I did (especially crammed into practice rooms like a bunch of morons playing balls out while learning songs...idiocy.)

[Reezekeys]

Of course it's everything not related to actually being on stage playing that wears us out.

 

This is the heart of my rig now, when I don't need to read charts. If I do, I take the same setup on an iPad. The pic has my synth of choice loaded, but I also have everything else an old codger like me needs - pianos, organs, strings, clav, FM, etc. The quality of these instruments is maybe not laptop plugin-level, but pretty damn close and definitely good enough to enjoy playing, imo of course.

 

If you can get used to having an unweighted keyboard be your main axe, as I did many years ago, you may find shlepping to gigs much less onerous!

 

[Bill H.]

My usual response is "Thank you for thinking of me, but not at this time" or "I can't do those dates" for a gig I don't want, but don't want to stop gigging. That usually gets the message across that I'm in if the conditions are right. 

 

Post pandemic I've been very selective, and much happier.

[MAJUSCULE]

Don't you start a thread like this every year, Ed?

[RABid]

When I quit playing to go back to school I was contacted about playing at least once a week for two years. I’m sure you can say no more than once without damaging your future offers.

[allan_evett]

41 minutes ago, Reezekeys said:

Of course it's everything not related to actually being on stage playing that wears us out.

Yep, I'm almost always energized to hit the stage, but the other stuff is wearying much of the time.  Load-ins and staging are occasionally a pain, but that's always been the case; sometimes okay, sometimes just plain weird. What's became highly aggravating in recent years is the travel.  I've been on a bus or two for extended road gigging, and would much rather deal with the few minor aggravations that pop up with that - vs driving longer and longer distances for gigs, some of which have become simply not worth the $$. 

And the driving 'climate' has clearly changed. I'm a capable and defensive driver, quite experienced, but some of the stuff happening now is unnerving.  The surprise "whip-arounds" @ 95-100+ mph take the joy out of it - especially on 80-94 in NW Indiana. I've done a healthy share of northern CO, WY and Montana driving. Out there I get it, and can be quick as well. But between here and the further Chicago 'burbs, it's crowded and the error potential is greatly expanded. Over the past couple years I've been searching more to the east for gigs. South Bend and even beyond is more appealing. Fort Wayne? Sure. Longer distance than the Chicago suburbs, but a similar travel time - with way less driving stress.

 

41 minutes ago, Reezekeys said:

 

 

 

 

[Delaware Dave]

4 hours ago, cphollis said:

Travel is what kills me. 

 

Not so much the travel as the setup/breakdown.  As I look back 40 years ago it was a Hammond/Leslie, Rhodes, Clav, sometimes Wurli, some form of a digital piano, various synths, old heavy keyboard amps and a trailer to put it all in.  Now it is two boards, a Gemini module, sometimes an external leslie sim, a powered monitor and mixer.  The difference is night and day yet my back bothers me more now than it did when I was carrying all of the beasts.  I would love to gig with a leslie again (even my Motion Sound LowPro/Pro3T).  I used it once last year at a festival, wrenched my back during setup and didn't enjoy the show at all because I had trouble sitting and/or standing because of back and leg pain.  If I had roadies to setup up everything I wouldn't care but for me the biggest PIA is setting up and breaking down.  My easiest setup is PC3, Voce V5+, Leslie sim and KB300 amp, because I can get that setup inside 15 minutes.  Not my best sounding rig but certainly the quickest to unload, setup, breakdown and least number of items to move.

 

Bottom line, it sucks getting old.....

 

 

 

 

 

[Old Music Guy]

4 hours ago, cphollis said:

My non-music career required racking up million mile status on multiple airlines.  It might sound glamorous, but it's not.

Same here. Not a million miler, but enough trips halfway around the planet takes its toll. Three countries, three languages, a dozen cities in two weeks.

I'd rather walk than get on another plane. 

[Reezekeys]

I have a slightly different perspective on air travel. Myself and the other band members have status (on United) so all our gear gets on the flights for free - and it's actually quite a lot. Our crew guy/monitor engineer deals with handling the gear too. Our two original members are 1K or hold UA credit cards so the rest of us get to be their guests in the lounges. I've used the miles I've racked up to fly my daughter to Europe & around the USA, and my wife to a course on the west coast. All in all, no complaints - though for sure not every flight has been trouble-free!

 

My A800 travels with us, but other than that all I carry is what's in my laptop backpack, which goes in the overhead. It's all I need for any road gig. Having TSA Pre and global entry is a plus, but I also signed up for Clear, which I'm leaning towards not renewing - lack of staffing at the kiosks means the regular TSA Pre line sometimes moves faster.

 

The most amount of schlep for me is for local gigs, since I need to bring PPAs. Now with my Alto TX308s I usually leave the handtruck home - it's faster & easier to make one extra trip holding these two featherweight speakers than to unfold & load up the hand truck and possibly hump it up a flight of stairs.

 

I'm thankful current technology has made doing what I do a much lighter and easier to carry experience! Fifteen years ago if you told me I'd be using a CELL PHONE as the brains of a keyboard rig I would have thought you crazy!

[aronnelson]

Do you really use the cell phone as the main sound source? Does it do splits and layers etc????

Seems incredible.

[Reezekeys]

8 minutes ago, aronnelson said:

Do you really use the cell phone as the main sound source? Does it do splits and layers etc????

 

My only sound source! It does multiple instruments playing simultaneously with splits & layers, also backing tracks & percussion loops, midi recording & playback, etc. Pretty much anything a laptop or workstation keyboard can do. What surprised me was that I could do this on a 7-year-old iPhone SE with a 128 buffer –  giving me more than acceptable latency performance. So far, it's been 100% reliable on my gigs. I have the identical setup on my iPad, which I use when I have music to look at (that's a little hard to do on a phone with a 4" screen)!

[KuruPrionz]

I used to take 2 guitars in hardshell cases, a gig bag full of stuffs and a Mesa half stack with EV and JBL speakers in it. Plus pedals. Those days are long since gone. 

More recently it was one Strat with locking tuners, a backpack strap gig bag, and a small guitar amp and gig bag (what I might need and nothing more) on a dolly. 

 

Currently working on an acoustic solo gig with one guitar in a backpack strap gig bag and long skinny carry bag for mic stand, mic, cords. The next gig has a nice set of JBL speakers, the subs with multi speaker poles (Bose copy). If I need a PA/amp I will bring a Fishman Loudbox Performer - 32 pounds - 1 8" 3-way speaker system and 2 channels for mic or guitar in with complete EQ and effects for each channel. 

 

I'm done with big and heavy, not needed anymore and I sure won't miss it!!!!

 

[aronnelson]

1 hour ago, Reezekeys said:

 

My only sound source! It does multiple instruments playing simultaneously with splits & layers, also backing tracks & percussion loops, midi recording & playback, etc. Pretty much anything a laptop or workstation keyboard can do. What surprised me was that I could do this on a 7-year-old iPhone SE with a 128 buffer –  giving me more than acceptable latency performance. So far, it's been 100% reliable on my gigs. I have the identical setup on my iPad, which I use when I have music to look at (that's a little hard to do on a phone with a 4" screen)!

What the..... are you serious?  What is that app called???

[Moonglow]

When I grumble about having to get off my nice comfortable couch to play a gig, my wife advises that there may come a day when I wish I was (physically) able to go out and play.

 

She also has suggested some helpful cognitive re-mapping, advising me to replace saying "I have to go out and play" with "I get to go out and play."

 

Yes, she is a sharp cookie, and incredibly encouraging. Or perhaps she just wants me out of the house for a while...

 

If you water down Skinner (my avatar), it simply means that people tend to do things if it is worth their while. Your challenge is to figure out what you need to make that happen.

 

I suspect lightening the load will be a good start.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Reezekeys]

1 hour ago, aronnelson said:

What the..... are you serious?  What is that app called???

 

It's not one app, more like a combo platter - AUM as the "brain" plus a few AUv3 instrument & efx plugins. Midiflow handles midi routing and preset switching. We're kinda OT here - PM me if you want details.

[kpl1228]

In my situation at 59 years of age, while there is some issue with late hours, I now live and work in a part of New Mexico that is beautiful but is so remote that the few bands around here drive a couple of hours (or more) one-way to play bar gigs.

I went out, got the used gear, got all excited, and.....only then realized I don't live in a city anymore and that I don't have local bands and gigs at my beck and call anymore.

Sometimes it really is all about geography. And I'm not one for sitting at home and recording as a creative outlet. For me it's always been about playing live and being with people.

I can retire in a couple of years. When I do, I'm returning home and gigging weekends again.

[JohnnyFoster]

After 40 years of playing professionally in just about every genre imaginable, with the money being amazing as well as horrible, I finally realized what a waste of time the whole gigging thing has been. In retrospect, I should have chosen a much more stable and sensible profession. I had a great time over the many years and became a very proficient player and what many people even called "very talented". Yet, I regret this occupation choice very much, as it has not provided any sort of financial security or lasting satisfaction for me as I approach 60 years old.

 

I had a considerable amount of professional and artistic success as a keyboardist and musical director, but damned if shouldn't have become a dentist instead. It's too late now, most regrettably.

 

I have no spark or desire to play my instrument anymore in any context, going on three and a half years since my last gig. The music "business" today is a joke compared to what it was in the 80's, 90's, and even the early 2000's. How anyone would enjoy playing the crap music that is popular today is beyond me. Jazz has been done to death, literally, and it always sounds like a circle jerk to me, even though I played "jazz" for many years. Again - a totally over-hyped waste of time. A schmooze-fest of cliques and name-dropping.

 

Bitter much? Not me! (LOL!)

 

Anyway - just my input on this thread...

 

JT.

[Jose EB5AGV]

13 hours ago, JohnnyFoster said:

After 40 years of playing professionally in just about every genre imaginable, with the money being amazing as well as horrible, I finally realized what a waste of time the whole gigging thing has been. In retrospect, I should have chosen a much more stable and sensible profession. I had a great time over the many years and became a very proficient player and what many people even called "very talented". Yet, I regret this occupation choice very much, as it has not provided any sort of financial security or lasting satisfaction for me as I approach 60 years old.

 

I had a considerable amount of professional and artistic success as a keyboardist and musical director, but damned if shouldn't have become a dentist instead. It's too late now, most regrettably.

 

I have no spark or desire to play my instrument anymore in any context, going on three and a half years since my last gig. The music "business" today is a joke compared to what it was in the 80's, 90's, and even the early 2000's. How anyone would enjoy playing the crap music that is popular today is beyond me. Jazz has been done to death, literally, and it always sounds like a circle jerk to me, even though I played "jazz" for many years. Again - a totally over-hyped waste of time. A schmooze-fest of cliques and name-dropping.

 

Bitter much? Not me! (LOL!)

 

Anyway - just my input on this thread...

 

JT.

 

Well, this puts my situation on another completely new perspective... My case is the opposite: I am a Telecommunication Engineer and work all day with electronics (I love electronics since I was just 9 years old!). But I discovered music as a keyboard player just 5 years ago. So I have regretted some (lots of 😉) times to have started so late and thought what could I have accomplished had I started before... But, knowing me, probably would have got an obsession for music (as I got for electronics) and could have thrown out all my career because of that. Which could be or not a good thing, I will never know.

 

But being a late starter has the advantage that I don't depend economically of my playing (I would starve for sure 😅!) and I do this just as a hobby (even when we get paid, it is a completely secondary thing). So, even if at almost 55 my musical journey is not going to be too long, by natural reasons, I can relax and enjoy the trip.

 

So, well, it seems starting late has some advantages!

 

@JohnnyFosterI hope you get back some joy to play, even if just for fun 🫂

 

Jose

[BEMcCut]

It is the movement of gear that is making me think the end is near. I am currently playing keyboards and guitar with my current band. That means rigs for both. Two guitars, pedalboard, powered speaker cab for the guitar. Two keyboards, stand, pedalboard plus all the peripheral things. Twice the time and effort. I use a Helix for the amp models and effects so I eliminated a guitar amp and the EV ZLX works for both keyboard and guitar monitor. I am in good shape for 71 but it is becoming too much.