A cold windy day in 1992 I had my very first solo guitar gig. It had been at a bit of spot called “Miracles Cafe” (Now a bank) on the shoreline of San Diego. I set up outside, tuned my guitar, breathed deep, and proceeded to play due to the 5 or perhaps ten people brave enough to listen. Half way through the earliest song, it began. Wind.
I was supposed to play for three hours, however, I only had aproximatelly fifteen minutes of music learned by memory. Not an issue, I’ll only read the music for the remainder. It will have been effective great…if it had not been due to the wind. I’d get half way through a portion & flip, music gone. I tried desperately. I put every heavy object I might find on my music stand. Of course that helped, however it blocked the web page. In any event, I was doomed. The lesson? Bring clothes pins to every gig. Twenty years and countless gigs later I’ve learned there are a number of little things you’ve to have at every gig. Here’s my list of items you wouldn’t believe to bring to a gig. (I’m assuming you will remember the guitar of yours, music, amp, tuner, etc.)
Clothes Pins – Even a little wind can turn your page.
Extra Strings – The very first band I played in was a bluegrass group. I would strum and strum hard. First band gig? You guessed it, broken string. Third string to be much more unique. I attempted to play the rest of the gig with five strings. Did not work. Now I bring 2 additional sets with me each time I play, in the event.
Extra Cables – Cables go bad, get lost, so bring a few extras. Cables are great for other things too. One time, I discovered my guitar amp had a horrible hum that is going to only vanish entirely in case I held on to the end of a cable plowed in to an unused jack. Solution? I plugged an extra cable directly into the amp and publish the other end in my sock. Functioned as a charm. Well, until I stood up and walked away with it still attached.
Hand Wipes – Hands get dirty after setting up equipment. And if you’re running late or even playing an outdoor festival there might not be anywhere to clean up, so take some hand wipes.
Hand Lotion – It’s tough to play if your fingers feel as the Atacama Desert, just a little lotion helps the touch.
Dolly / Hand Truck – Moving amps may be good for your biceps, place its spoiled for your hands! In case you lift sufficient equipment you can truly fatigue your hands making Check it out difficult to relax.