Outdoor Gigs = FAIL

[KillDozer]

Why do people like to set up outdoor gigs? I guess unless you think about it, (particularly in Colorado, where the sun shines a lot) it sounds like a good idea - "Let's have an event outdoors where it's always nice and sunny with a live band!"

9 times out of 10, it isn't. The sound is usually crummy and hard to control. Plus, you don't know in advance what the weather's going to be like.

I can't count how many times we'd be setting up gear, watching the storm clouds gathering in the West. "It'll blow over" people always say - and yeah, eventually it will, but not before a sudden downpour soaks our gear.

Even having a cover over the stage doesn't help, because the wind picks up and the rain comes in sideways - it looks like the band is on the prow of a ship crashing through the spray of some really big ocean waves.

The audience scatters, and we're left with a pile of wet gear to pack up.

[MrKnobs]

Running sound outdoors (unless it's windy) is a soundman's dream. :thu:

Sure you need plenty of power since you don't get the reflections off the walls and ceiling, but in return for that you get a pure canvas to paint on. No early reflections, no reverb, just whatever you dial in. :)

Sonic bliss. :thu:

Terry D.

P.S. Someday someone will make an "un-reverb" and then all those boxy dance halls, tin roofed shitholes, and covered concrete picnic areas can be made to sound decent. :cry:

[WynnD]

I just find outdoor gigs particularly challenging. Out here there are buildings to reflect your sound back to you time delayed. (OK, that's not much of a problem.)

[kurfu]

My last outdoor gig... Houston in August.... Hot as a mofo:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/17218112@N00/sets/72157606540846041/

[Nobody Told Me]

Another factor that puts outdoor gigs in the fail category is power (or lack thereof). Case in point - at a recent gig we arrived to find an unleveled flatbed trailer ("there's yer stage...") and a single 18 gauge drop cord hanging from a nearby window ("there's yer power"). I knew it was going to be a long night when one of the co-promoters asked "what kind of music do you guys play?"

BTW we got rained out after the 1st set.

[Terry Allan Hall]

That would certainly cut out most festivals, though...

[Mark Wein]

This was my favorite outdoor gig...too bad it was a corporate event I played with a cover band and not a show for my original band...

http://b9.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/01165/96/95/1165895969_l.jpg

[Zon5string]

Love the giraffe.

:wave:

[Mark Wein]

Love the giraffe.

:wave:

:D

I am trying to remember if I have played on a tackier stage in the last 20 year but nothing is coming to me...the best part is that I used a 22 wat Deluxe Reverb for that gig and was fine volume-wise since I was mic'd through the PA...

[KillDozer]

I'm not saying that outdoor gigs are always bad, and I didn't think about it from the soundman's perspective of being able to mix without the band overwhelming the P.A. Hell, if I had a chance to play Red Rocks with a hot band, I'd do it ;)

However, most of the time:

1. Rain, wind and/or snow make conditions less than optimal for the band (probably for the sound guy, too, unless he has a waterproof board/amps).

2. Hot sun makes for interesting tuning/intonation issues. I'll never forget watching our keyboard player trying to tune his analog synths after they'd
spent a few hours frying in the sun. Bass and guitar strings tend to drift as well.

3. Power is iffy/intermittent.

[Actionsquid]

Sometimes I feel like the only person who actually enjoys chances to play outside.
:freak:

[Mark Wein]

Sometimes I feel like the only person who actually enjoys chances to play outside.
:freak:

It really depends on the setting and the weather...I've had great outdoor gigs and i've had terrible ones...

[DD Hickson]

I'm not saying that outdoor gigs are always bad, and I didn't think about it from the soundman's perspective of being able to mix without the band overwhelming the P.A. Hell, if I had a chance to play Red Rocks with a hot band, I'd do it ;)

However, most of the time:

1. Rain, wind and/or snow make conditions less than optimal for the band (probably for the sound guy, too, unless he has a waterproof board/amps).

2. Hot sun makes for interesting tuning/intonation issues. I'll never forget watching our keyboard player trying to tune his analog synths after they'd
spent a few hours frying in the sun. Bass and guitar strings tend to drift as well.

3. Power is iffy/intermittent.


Talk about true. My band just played an outdoor festival last weekend in Central Oregon in 100 degree weather. Lousy stage, decent sound on my side, not on the bass player's side, and a non-existent crowd which proved unwilling to brave the heat, mosquitoes and river-fueled humidity in order to listen to us rock and drink beer. Anyway, my point is that playing in the open sun did some really heinous things to my tuning and intonation as the wood heated up. I even made sure my guitars were warmed up before the set, but it didn't matter. Those strings were fluctuating so bad I felt like I had a real piece of s*** guitar, which it isn't - it's a Gibson SG!.

Whoever said that you can't predict the weather is dead on. The weather killed this gig for us.

[rockapede]

I like outdoor gigs except for the interference they seem to cause in my in ear monitors.

[Nobody Told Me]

This was my favorite outdoor gig...too bad it was a corporate event I played with a cover band and not a show for my original band...

http://b9.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/01165/96/95/1165895969_l.jpg

http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n213/svlove1/powerslave.jpg

You know someone was going to point out the similarities...

[pinkzep52]

outdoors don't bother me. In fact it spreads out the sound more so I can crank my amp higher :rawk:

[Mark Wein]

http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n213/svlove1/powerslave.jpg

You know someone was going to point out the similarities...

I'm assuming thats an Iron Maiden stage :p

[Badside]

Outdoor gigs are the best! I love them! When properly done of course, that includes a powerful sound system.

I did one in front of 25 000 people 2 months ago, that's more than all our bar gigs combined in the same year. Big stage, big sound, big crowd.

Sure, the weather is the unknown factor and this summer was the shittiest in a while. We did have one gig cancelled, another was done WHILE it was raining (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1RbJ68Q5DiI) but the worse was 3 years ago when a mini tornado lifted the tent we were playing under and sent all our gear in the mud. But we lived through it and still use that equipment today.

I just like them much more :)

[Outrider]

One of my bands has had 3 gigs since it re-formed, two of them outdoor gigs.

BOTH were rained out.

One of them was an out-of-the-blue sideways monsoon after we set up. That was horrible.

[arf-boy]

Running sound outdoors (unless it's windy) is a soundman's dream. :thu:

Sure you need plenty of power since you don't get the reflections off the walls and ceiling, but in return for that you get a pure canvas to paint on. No early reflections, no reverb, just whatever you dial in. :)

Sonic bliss. :thu:

Terry D.

P.S. Someday someone will make an "un-reverb" and then all those boxy dance halls, tin roofed shitholes, and covered concrete picnic areas can be made to sound decent. :cry:

I played at a wedding in a sort-of Grange hall this spring. The place had so much natural 'verb that we put exactly zero reverb on the PA.

Now I know why that place sounded like ass when my rock 'n' roll band played there.

[b_nehpets]

i tend to get drunk quicker at outdoor gigs... maybe thats cause of the texas sun... maybe all the beers.

[Nobody Told Me]

I'm assuming thats an Iron Maiden stage :p

You assume correctly. Looks like the pic I posted failed. Figures...

[not_unbored]

last outdoor show i played was last year at a frisbee golf park. yes, frisbee golf is lame. so we would have to duck for cover and dodge things if we wanted to go for a walk. whatever. there was beer and lamb sausage(!) and plenty of it. the stage was in a gazebo type of thing at the bottom of a rather large hill, so the sound would boom back at us from this hill which made it sound gigantic. oh! and the weather was perfect and we played to the sunsetting. too perfect.

[kurfu]

You assume correctly. Looks like the pic I posted failed. Figures...


Google is your friend:

http://productshopnyc.com/htdocs/Iron_Maiden_Izod.JPG

[fortress55]

i did a couples of outdoor gig on big stage.. The problem always been the sound on the stage where i could barely hear my bandmates


They needed side fill monitor humm

[rummy]

I just like being outdoors with the sun in your face, and chicks dressed in tanks...

Good shit. :)O

[j1mb0b]

I just like being outdoors with the sun in your face, and chicks dressed in tanks...

Good shit. :)O


Was going to say, so this thread is indicating that Lollapalooza was a shit gig because it was outside!??!?! BS!!!:cop: Rage is back together and saw them there, absolutely amazing weekend Aug 1 in Chicago.

They had to stop a few times to settle the crowd down it was sooo hyped. And the sound was incredible especially that being it was outside. The evening shows were crisp clear not over-bearing. The NIN show was amazing too....gah.......

[godisasniper]

The only outdoor show I've ever played was a street festival in Harvard Square (Cambridge, MA)...It was great, except the rule that everything had to be battery powered or acoustic. I had to go with the acoustic route, not so great since volume was a serious issue...

[MrKnobs]

i did a couples of outdoor gig on big stage.. The problem always been the sound on the stage where i could barely hear my bandmates


They needed side fill monitor humm

Experience teaches you that in this situation you set the band up tight together and ignore the wideness of the stage.

Terry D.

[fortress55]

Experience teaches you that in this situation you set the band up tight together and ignore the wideness of the stage.

Terry D.


we had to put our instrument were they tell us too!! We were three band

We wanted some side fills but they wouldNt

[cooterbrown]

Sometimes I feel like the only person who actually enjoys chances to play outside.
:freak:

I do, too...as long as it's May or October.

[Feud]

Oooh, love the outdoor ones.
Smoke machine + sunbeams = sexytime
http://img60.imageshack.us/img60/5859/58357899wv1.jpg (http://www.imagehosting.com/)

[PiotreX]

I had fun under the bridge at the 30th Warsaw Marathon. We didn't bring too much power, but the nearby buildings and the bridge pillars did their job well ;)
here's some pics. (http://www.fugufish.pl/?page_id=7&album=1&gallery=7)

[Aanalogaddict]

I did an outdoor gig in -20f. The display on my Motif ES rack froze. Literally..!:eek:

[tacdryver]

Man, I was thinking that the ONLY gigs I would want to do is outdoors...no smoke, clean air and sunshine, and instead of my little Peavey Classic 30 at 4, I can turn up my Marshall stack as loud as I want. Yeah baby!!!

[Notes_Norton]

Outdoor gigs are unpredictable.

If accuweather gives you a 4% chance of rain, there is a 99% chance the only place it will rain is on your gig.

But the weirdest outdoor gig I ever played was in front of a new office building, right next door to an AM radio station.

The radio station was heard in the telephones, and just about every other appliance, and also in our PA set.

After some thought about it, I found a copper water pipe coming up from under the ground to a spigot next to the building, ran some automotive jumper cables from our PA rack to the water pipe, cut out the interference, and saved the gig.

Notes

[mr_cheef]

Played my first this year, and loved it, should be playing it again next year!

http://i393.photobucket.com/albums/pp11/mrcheef/group2.jpg

http://i393.photobucket.com/albums/pp11/mrcheef/group.jpg

http://i393.photobucket.com/albums/pp11/mrcheef/sac.jpg

[RobRoy]

Running sound outdoors (unless it's windy) is a soundman's dream. :thu:

Sure you need plenty of power since you don't get the reflections off the walls and ceiling, but in return for that you get a pure canvas to paint on. No early reflections, no reverb, just whatever you dial in. :)

Sonic bliss. :thu:

Terry D.


You precisely relate my opinion on this. It is especially easy to get nice deep accurate bass without a lot of effort.

[indiegod]

last show i played outside was a crummy little chuch stage out in the middle of nowhere tennessee that was falling through.

[StratGuy22]

As a player, outdoor gigs are fun, if there is some sort of stage cover. A problem I always had, was all my gear had LED's and you couldn't see them for shit in the sun.

As a sound guy, I won't touch an outdoor gig, unluess it's in a big tent, and yeah power is ALWAYS an issue. I can run everything from a 220 board that has four 20A circuits. The last one I did, had light towers, and all they had were welding plugs, so we had to scramble for some generators.

:mad:

[Sonic Jedi]

I did one outdoor gig that was terrible. It was organized by a friend of mine, but the only location we could find was this little desert area called "5 Mile Pass" about 40 miles southwest of Salt Lake City, UT (where we are located). It was a place where we had a similar event before that worked out okay, but this time the wind really kicked up. The wind caused all my equipment to get dust and sand in EVERYTHING.
Also, some idiots that were out there with us started up a bonfire. While i should have been watching the equipment, i ended up helping to make sure that the blowing embers didn't catch the mountain on fire.

[RobRoy]

As a player, outdoor gigs are fun, if there is some sort of stage cover. A problem I always had, was all my gear had LED's and you couldn't see them for shit in the sun.


Heh, heh. I play my bass through a boss gt-6b. An an outdoor gig my readout was completely black, yet it had power. I thought something broke until I took off my POLARIZED sunglasses. :facepalm:

[stomias]

Played "Chicagofest" many years ago warming up the Grass Roots. Chicagofest was on Navy Pier right on Lake Michigan. It was an evening show and the lights attracted a hatch of tiny chironomids (mosquito like buggers) that was so huge that when you opened your mouth to sing you would get a few hundred in your mouth!! Not fun. I have so many outdoor gig nightmare stories I could fill up pages and pages. Did have some really great ones too.

[Flogger59]

Played "Chicagofest" many years ago warming up the Grass Roots. Chicagofest was on Navy Pier right on Lake Michigan. It was an evening show and the lights attracted a hatch of tiny chironomids (mosquito like buggers) that was so huge that when you opened your mouth to sing you would get a few hundred in your mouth!! Not fun. I have so many outdoor gig nightmare stories I could fill up pages and pages. Did have some really great ones too.

Check out Deep Purple at CalJam 74 for fly swallowing hilarity.

[stomias]

Check out Deep Purple at CalJam 74 for fly swallowing hilarity.


Flogger, which vid is it?

[Flogger59]

Uhhhh....Deep Purple Cal Jam 74.

[stomias]

There were a few there. I watched one and didn't see it. Good vid though.