How did last night's gig go?

Roland

Benz3ne said: I don't want to derail things but would love to hear your thoughts on both. ..

Helix discussions are here: https://www.thefretboard.co.uk/discussion/43521/line-6-helix#latest

Benz3ne

Roland said:

Benz3ne said: I don't want to derail things but would love to hear your thoughts on both. ..

Helix discussions are here: https://www.thefretboard.co.uk/discussion/43521/line-6-helix#latest

Thanks Roland.

ScreamingDave

We played at The White Hart in Andover Saturday night as part of the Andover Rocks weekend of gigs in aid of Adult Mental Health Interventions Through Music.  It was a good gig and a good cause, but a really chaotic and rapid load-in .  When I first went in the venue I texted my family, "Bejesus, it's rough in here.  Bring weapons."  But they were a good crown, cheering and dancing and singing along as required.  The sound guys worked hard, and although our sound on stage was a bit challenging, it sounded great out front, by all accounts.

Used the Behringer B-Tron III in anger for the first time, and it sounded OK.  Just needs a tweek.

Stuckfast

Stuckfast said:

Supported the excellent Red Sky July at a church in Beverley. Seemed to go really well, you could hear a pin drop.

My 18 yo was back from uni. I asked if he wanted to come and he was all 'can't be bothered'. Then he discovered that the singer in RSJ used to be in Alisha's Attic and he was like 'OMG IM ON MY WAY'. Kids nowadays.

We got a review in Americana UK! I am officially "able", which is definitely the nicest thing anyone has ever said about my pedal steel playing. (And he wouldn't have said that if he'd heard the previous gig.)

Fez

Second gig with new bass player the unit is beginning to gel now which is good as he has had to learn the whole set in quick sticks. We even managed to add a new number albeit a low maintenance one. Home turf so plenty of friendly faces all in all a good gig.

Fez

First time we have played in a Mall but it was great fun. We helped put a scratch band together for 3 songs as the guitarist in one band on the bill broke his ribs in a fall (poor fella hope he is on the mend) keyboard player didn't want to play without him so the drummer bass player another guitar player our singer and I did a short set. Fortunately we had some songs in common so it went OK.
Our set was as a 4 piece as my wingman had an eye appointment prior to having his cataracts done (I think they put drops in your eyes and you can't drive for a few hours). We played pretty well which was good and our originals got good response.

There was a funny drummerless reggae band after us and the you girl guitarist had an ibanez with a locking trem when she broke a string she was in trouble so I handed her my epi Les Paul and she fished their set with that.

Plectrum

Fez said:

There was a funny drummerless reggae band after us and the you girl guitarist had an ibanez with a locking trem when she broke a string she was in trouble so I handed her my epi Les Paul and she fished their set with that.

So now she has a broken string and a knackered back 

Fez

Plectrum said:

Fez said:

There was a funny drummerless reggae band after us and the you girl guitarist had an ibanez with a locking trem when she broke a string she was in trouble so I handed her my epi Les Paul and she fished their set with that.

So now she has a broken string and a knackered back 

It is the heaviest of my guitars but she seemed to manage ok.

Fez

Well Orphest wasn't the slick organisation that I expected but the green room was supplied with drinks and munchies. The on stage sound was a bit variable but I think it was ok out front. In that heat a half hour set was a mercy.

relic245

Played a small festival yesterday, worst live experience ever.

Sound engineer had no clue how to use his gear.

We literally could not hear any guitar or vocals on stage.

My on stage sound was drowned out by the drummer.

After 3 songs singer suggested we abandon the gig. Hindsight she was right.

I had to stop several times as I had no idea where we were in the song. I'm sure I was playing the wrong parts in others too .

Shame as it was a nice so.

Stratavarious

Epic… 

Supportact

relic245 said:

Played a small festival yesterday, worst live experience ever.

Sound engineer had no clue how to use his gear.

We literally could not hear any guitar or vocals on stage.

My on stage sound was drowned out by the drummer.

After 3 songs singer suggested we abandon the gig. Hindsight she was right.

I had to stop several times as I had no idea where we were in the song. I'm sure I was playing the wrong parts in others too .

Shame as it was a nice so.

That sounds like a nightmare. There's bad sound (as in not ideal but I can play along) and then there's not being able to make out anything at all. 

 Unfortunately if it's genuinely that the engineer doesn't know what to do there's not much you can do. In the past I've been on stage and the sound in the monitors has been so bad during the set that one of the band has had to come off stage during the gig and quickly sound check the monitors (not ideal because there was a crowd there and it looks bad).  Having set them up we basically told the 'engineer' to not touch anything. Gig was fine after that. That was an extreme example though and I don't know why anyone would even consider volunteering to do live sound when they don't have any idea. 

We had a weird one at a festival earlier in the year where it sounded ok where I was but over the other side of the stage the backing vocalist and bass player were getting no vocals or rhythm guitar in their monitors.  Despite several requests to the engineer it was still the same, for the whole set. It was surprising because that was a professional sound crew and there was a separate monitor engineer to the side of the stage. I can only think either the equipment was faulty or the guy was standing in and didn't know the equipment.  Bizarre that one. 

Roland

… or they wanted to make the headliner sound better. In the ‘70s I was at a gig where the support band announced that the engineer was sabotaging their set by killing their monitors.

relic245

Roland said:

… or they wanted to make the headliner sound better. In the ‘70s I was at a gig where the support band announced that the engineer was sabotaging their set by killing their monitors.

It's possible but I think quite unlikely in this case. 

It's a small do, about 300 people and a bunch of bands in the grounds of a pub, all done for charity. They've been doing it for 10  years and it was our 3rd year playing. Always been fine before. 

As I was leaving the pub owner went out of his way to come and find me to apologise. 

I think the sound engineer is an enthusiastic amateur rather than a professional and he just didn't know how to work the gear. 

Keefy

Yesterday afternoon actually, but hey ho...

My niece asked me to play for her wedding ceremony. As well as being an honour this was quite a challenge for me, as I'm generally surrounded by a band, whereas here I was performing solo guitar. I worked up pick-and-fingers arrangements of tunes that she had requested, plus a few that I had suggested and had met with her approval.

The venue was the courtyard of a delightful old country house owned by friends of the couple. The whole affair was refreshingly casual, in contrast to some wedding gigs I've done where the organiser has virtually been chasing guests, band, and caterers from room to room! I managed to find a spot that was both shaded from the sun and sheltered in the event of rain, although the latter wasn't going to happen. It was also raise a foot or so above the courtyard lawn, giving me a 'stage' and affording my kit some protection from rug rats. When first asked I had decided to play electric guitar (probably my Gretsch) through my Princeton Reverb, but when I tried my acoustic (Taylor 310 with LR Baggs M80) through it at home I realised it sounded lovely - so I now have an acoustic rig for zero extra cost.

Background (guests take their seats):
- Simple Man (Lynyrd Skynyrd)
- You've Got a Friend In Me (Randy Newman - from Toy Story)
- Come As You Are (Nirvana)
- Your Song (Elton John)
- Wildwood Flower (Trad.)

Processional:
- April Come She Will (Simon & Garfunkel)

Recessional:
- Blackbird (The Beatles)

I had been pretty nervous about this but all went quite smoothly, and any slips I did make were not the sort that get noticed at all. What I hadn't counted on was me tearing up when my niece emerged on my brother's arm! I don't propose to make a habit of this (@thecolourbox your side-hustle is safe), just glad to have acquitted myself well enough to receive a few compliments afterwards.

digitalkettle

The sunset slot at a local beer fest whereupon the masses were treated to thirteen of Bon Scott's finest for an hour:

DC: plenty of opportunity for the bass player to grab a crowd pic whilst pedalling an open string

darius

Hot af

greejn

The hottest gig ever, in the roof space of an old hall in a minstrels gallery! Just insane temperatures.

springhead

Our hottest one as well.  Outdoors at a town summer fete.  Stage was an artic trailer with the front curtain removed.  Quite liked the stage entrance being a step ladder at the front/audience side that was tie wrapped to the trailer.  They had faced the open side west, and we were on at 7pm.  Full in your eyes blazing hot sun, no breeze, roasting.

No sound check. As soon as we had all the kit plugged and working we had to start playing.  Monitoring was non-existent initially. 3 songs in and the next was a quiet ballad, I ask for more of me in my monitor.  4 clicks, off we go and I've now got the rhythm guitarist coming out at me full blast and nothing of me!   I sat on the floor next to my amp to try and get anything.  Got that roughly sorted afterwards.  Then it gets to one song where I play mandolin, DI'd off my little acoustic pre-amp.  We start, I can't hear a thing.  Nothing.  I do the pointing at the mandolin and up gesture and get a little bit in the monitor.  There's a little solo so I reached out and stepped on the compressor button to give my self half a chance of hearing it.  Massive feedback!  I click it off, feedback continues.  Really loud. Whole band looking distressed, drummer wants to stop.  I eventually realise that when I click the compressor on, on the acoustic pre-amp, I caught the tuner on the guitar pedal board with my heal.  So the feedback was the guitar hooting after I unwittingly unmuted the tuner.  So my fault, but the sound guy didn't find the guitar and mute it. 

In all, a very hot gig with no sound check and hence shite monitoring. Got paid a drinks voucher I didn't have time to use as we were leaving to go to a mates birthday band evening in our local.  I tried to use the voucher there, barman told me to fuck off!     

Supportact

Well done @keefy. I've played at weddings twice and I don't think I'd do it again. They both went ok but the feeling of nerves on both occasions was horrific. I'm generally not at all prone to nerves but something different about doing it at a wedding.  Feelings of absolute dread all day long before going on!