|
|
Joined:
December 2002
Posts: 939
Location: Fort Worth, Texas | Last Saturday the band had a gig playing a private party for some friends. Nice house with a big driveway, where we set up. Started around 7:30 - had some nice folks listening and clapping and some toddlers dancing around. Played for an hour and took a short break and started into the second set (goofy version of Yer Birthday as it was the host's 40th birthday bash). About halfway through the song a very light sprinkle starts, sky wasn't very threatening, looked like it was going to stop right away. It didn't. Started raining hard! Thanks to our hosts hauling some tarps out of the garage and some of the tablecloths on some tables they had on the driveway and Bill the drummer's tarp, we got everything covered up. In between heavy rain we hauled instruments and amps into the garage and proceeded to dry things off.
It only rained in a small part of Tarrant county that night - the part we were in. We got all wet, had a shot of Tequilia and a couple more brews and got paid.
Nothing was seriously damaged - my Legend and mandolin got a small amount of rain on it, just dried them off and left the cases open all night when I got home.
Lesson: for outside gigs check Intellicast radar before the gig and bring tarps or rent a tent/awning!!!
:D |
|
| |
|
Joined:
August 2003
Posts: 4619
Location: SoCal | I got the soggy, windswept blues...ooh, ohh
Sorry, couldn't resist (now you see why I don't write songs.
In all seriousness, electricity and water - dangerous. |
|
| |
|
Joined:
March 2002
Posts: 14842
Location: NJ | Usually whenever there's even slight CHANCE of rain, we'll have a predetermined contingency. As soon as somebody says "shut it down", the power goes off - first priority. Second priority is that each person is responsible to get their instrument in a safe place. Then, each person we have available has an assigned piece of equipment that they're responsible for getting the cables out of and into safety. The cables are the last to go.
It eliminates everybody running around in a panic and getting things safe quicker. |
|
| |
|
Joined:
February 2002
Posts: 5750
Location: Scotland | You should try festival season in the UK. Because of the unpredictability of British weather I made a decision a while ago that if there's the slightest hint of rain and the stage isn't covered, we wont play.
It's not just rain that's the problem, I did an outdoor gig in late July (peak of Brit summertime) & it was so cold by 10:00pm we had to have propane patio heaters on stage.
I've got a great video tape of John Hiatt playing a festival in Germany. The stage is undercover and it's pissing down, the camera pans out to the audience and there's maybe 25 miserable-looking very wet Germans. The joy of outdoor gigs. |
|
| |
|
Joined:
March 2002
Posts: 1380
Location: Central Oregon | Originally posted by Paul Templeman:
You should try festival season in the UK. Because of the unpredictability of British weather...
Unpredictability of British weather? You some days it *doesn't* rain? :)
/\/\/ |
|
| |
|
Joined:
December 2002
Posts: 939
Location: Fort Worth, Texas | cliff,
Your always right on with advice on playing gigs, appreciate all the wisdom, I'm passing this plan on to the bandmates.
Thanks, dude...
:cool: |
|
| |
|
Joined:
December 2001
Posts: 7211
Location: The Great Pacific Northwest | Used to do a lot of outdoor parties in Hawaii. The rule was then the singer couldn't hold the mic anymore and his lips were bleeding from getting shocked it was time to pack it in. Rain is one thing, but if you really want some fun pour a Bud into the top of an old Fender 300 amp head. Nice flames, sparks, sound effects... crowd went wild... The resultant new hairdo was pretty cool too. |
|
| |
|
Joined:
May 2002
Posts: 3005
Location: Las Cruces, NM | We used to play on top of a mountain in Southern CA at a trailer park. The worst was when the lightning was striking all around.
Bailey (if I move 2 feet to the right maybe the banjo player will get it) |
|
| |
All Wet - Be Prepared
