The VERY First Thing You Should Do

The first thing that needs to go right is the formation of your strategy. You should know by now that when it is possible to think of everything, not much room is left to think about anything else.

Two useful concepts for getting around this conundrum are “listing” and “automation,” and both concepts should figure prominently in your “battle plan.” Other elements you will want to look at are interior packing area, shipping organization, and arranging both in such a way that it minimizes the time and effort required to set up and tear down.

That’s a lot of elements, and it hasn’t even broached the umbrella subject of “things that could go wrong,” so the best place to begin is by listing all the various lists you will need to factor in. Obvious? Of course. But remember: Automation is a very useful concept! A useful index would include the following lists:

1. Instruments/ Cases: (Would include guitars, keyboards, drums, mics, etc., as well as cases for all instruments.). Its also a good idea to list the exterior dimensions of your cases for when its time to pack the truck.
2. Peripherals/ Cases: Could range anywhere from a guitarist’s single “stomp box” to the laptop you have all your light settings and MIDI commands stored in. Again, anytime you move a device from one location to another, it’s a good idea to transport it in a case of some sort. Guitarists: Don’t forget to list strings and guitar picks!
3. Support Gear: Every single mixer, amplifier, main speaker, monitor, lighting device, compressor… Essentially, all the gear used to present the group.
4. Hardware: Should include drum stands for each percussion device, a surface for each keyboard, guitar stands, amp stands, mic stands, sheet music stands, stools or chairs, and a hand truck to make moving it around easier.
5. Power/Continuity: For an individual, this should include at least one: extension cord, powerstrip (with surge protection, if possible), any necessary adaptors and/or batteries, and a sub-list of every single cable used between the power source and the input to the main mixer! After that, it’s someone else’s problem. Unless it’s not…
6. Power/Continuity: I highly recommend keeping a separate list for adequate power and continuity for the support gear, including a ballast resistor, (if you’re running a lot of amplification or lights), speaker cables,(as differentiated from conventional “patch cords”), power conditioner, etc.

These six lists alone will ensure that, no matter what else may happen, you will be seen and heard. However, in order to achieve even that minimal goal consistently, you must “list out” every single object or device in every single category. Do you use cables of different lengths to do different tasks? If so, you need to list out the different lengths, followed by how many of each length you require to perform.

An example: I use three different lengths of cable, short, (about 6”), medium, (about 6’) and long, (24’ or longer). I use the short ones to connect floor processors that set fairly close to each other, the mediums to connect keyboards to floor processors, and the long ones to connect the final outputs to my mixer, so my individual “Power/Continuity List” looks like this:

1. Surge protector: (1)
2. Extension cord: (1)
3. Adapter(s): (3)
4. Batteries (D-cell)(6)
5. Short cables: (3)
6. Medium cables: (2)
7. Long cables: (3)

A word regarding spares: although I’ve been told some musicians carry around a “spaghetti box” of spare cords and cables, I have found having one, (or at most, two) spare cords of each length, as well as a spare for each adaptor I use, to be more than adequate. So, to all the previous lists, I add the list of “Spares.”

And “spares” do need to be listed out in order to automate certain tasks. After all, if you replace a cable or string during a show, (or more than one), it would be convenient to note on the list which of your “spares” need to be replaced before the next show.

Several Things Not Sold at the Pro Shop

So, all your necessary equipment is covered. However, your equipment is not what people are paying to see, is it? So the next set of lists to add to the index will all be “you-oriented.”

I Haven't Got a Thing to Wear!

Actually, clothes are just the beginning. Personally, I never move out for a show without at least three outfits neatly packed, (1) formal outfit, (just in case), and (2) performance outfits. Cleaning becomes automated the first time you list out each item, and you’re guaranteed not to be over (or under)-dressed for the occasion.

In addition, a “grooming list” is always a good idea, including a small mirror, safety razor, small scissors, brush or comb, make-up, moisturizers, hair products, and an oral hygiene kit including toothpaste, toothbrush, floss, mouthwash and at least one packet of breath mints or gum, to be carried on your person at all times. (We get “dry-mouth” when under stress, and performing is stressful by nature).

By the same token, having a small, insulated bag or ice chest, well stocked with bottled water and fruit juice, as well as a small electric fan, can spell all the difference in the world when it comes to your comfort!

Vitamins that Rock!

There are several different medications, vitamins, and compounds that can have an immediate positive effect on your condition at any point in time, so a “Medicine Cabinet” list is extremely useful.

First, the absolute essentials, your most immediate needs. Wear contacts? You’ll want to include both a spare set and cleaning solution. If you tend toward allergy-type respiratory distress, a real good idea is to have both a “daytime” and “nighttime” solution stocked. Also, an anti-inflammatory medication, (such as Advil), works equally well for both joint and maxilla-facial pain, (such as toothaches). Include a bottle of aspirin or acetaminophens for muscle aches. Dramamine for motion sickness. Pepto-Bismol.

Next; vitamins! Well, mostly vitamins… A good chondroitin complex can reduce or eliminate any pains or muscle cramps that may occur due to heavy lifting, or standing or walking for extended periods of time. A good multivitamin is better than nothing, but a continuous high dose of Vitamin C, calcium, and an “attack dosage” of Vitamin B12, taken about ninety minutes before show time, should augment it nicely. In addition, consider looking into various compounds made from glandular extracts, which are designed to replace trace elements depleted by stress or activity. Brain food!

Wrapping It All Up

Your index should now be laid out; every single thing you even may need has an assigned location. There remains but one task; that of actually moving all this stuff from the rehearsal studio to the venue. This is where the strategy of automation will not only get the job done in the shortest time possible, it will even squeeze it into the smallest possible area for transport!

Your Index

1. Instruments/Cases
2. Peripherals/Cases
3. Support Gear
4. Hardware
5. Power/Continuity
6. Clothing
7. Grooming
8. Medicine Chest

Obviously, the final three lists can be assembled and transported in the smallest piece of luggage that will accommodate it all comfortably. With only rare exceptions, almost all of your hardware “collapses” into reasonably flat poles. So if you’re tired of juggling drum stands, consider a golf bag!

Some final advice; Always keep your individual gear separate from your support gear, and always keep the items you plan to use separate from your “spares” stock. So long as you maintain that separation, it’s perfectly acceptable to put all three in the same “container,” which should be wheeled if possible. Even a collapsible luggage cart can cut your trips to the truck in half!

So; write the lists, use the lists, and they will ensure that you don’t leave that critical mic cord at the club after you’ve left. Or even worse, on the studio floor before you’ve even arrived… And water-proofing as many cases as possible is always a good idea, because all of us have a limit to the things we can control, which could be called a universal truth.