For a crowd of bikini clad, cold drink chugging, Frisbee chucking,
SPF- 50 caked concertgoers, the sun means good times with possible
dehydration and burning. For us onstage, the sun is a sinister force
that can detune instruments and bake electronics to the point of failure
while rendering LEDs useless. Here are some tips to beat the heat.
•Avoid leaving your guitar in direct sun-
light when not playing.
Find a shady spot that’s safe
and leave it on a stand, if
possible, so it can acclimate
to the heat. (One bit of
warning, if it’s a festival
with many acts and a big
crew stomping around,
your guitar may be in dan-
ger of getting smacked off
a stand. If that’s the case,
leave it in the case.) Avoid
carrying your guitar into an
air-conditioned backstage
area between soundcheck
and gig or your sweet
6-string baby will remain
hopelessly out of tune for
the entire show.
•Push your pedalboard as close as possible to
your monitor so the overhangs of the monitor will
shade your pedals. This will
hopefully make your pedal’s
LEDs and tuner visible.
(This is where a small, skinny board comes in handy).
Though I’ve never used that
clip-on-the-headstock tuner,
this could be a big help.
•Both solid-state and tube amps left in the
sun can shut down from
the heat. Your best bet
is to try to get them in
the shade, perhaps in the
side stage if need be. This
may not be ideal for your
performance but it’s better
that having your amp crap
out mid-show. Though I
usually leave a tube amp
on standby from soundcheck, I shut her down
during hot, sunny shows.
the price tag said $450, the
guy behind the counter was
sick of looking at it and
said, “Make me an offer.”
We bought it for half the
price. During the haggling,
our bandmate discovered
a cache of old ribbon mics
adorning the rafters, more
as decoration then inventory. We asked the clerk
how much and he dumped
the old mics so cheap that
I can’t even remember
what we paid. Who knows
what was going on in that
store—maybe the guy
really needed money, or
maybe he was a disgruntled
employee sticking it to the
man (I hope not). Maybe
that’s just how they do it in
St. Louie, but we walked
with some bargains.
on the road, but I know people
who have had their beloved axes
stolen right off the stage, out
of a van or hotel room, or even
taken in the airport. I do bring
out some favorite guitars on the
road, but I try to never let them
leave my sight.
4Shop for Gear in every Town
Here’s a touring tip we can all
get enthusiastic about: Look for
gear in every town you visit while
touring. One might think that
with our current world market
of eBay, the days of discovering
bargains on the road are gone,
but that’s not the case. Deals exist
everywhere. I check the local
Craigslist, mom-and-pop music
stores, thrift shops, and even
garage sales in every town I can.
Here are a few examples of
recent road scores:
•;Ventura,;California,
two;years;ago: One
wouldn’t peg this exotic
locale—with a high cost
of living and plenty of
musicians—as a haven for
pawnshop bargains. But
in this pretty coastal town,
I found a Fender lap steel
from the early ’50s for
$70. The knobs, pots, and
the pickup on this instrument alone are worth four
times that amount. Even
if I never wanted to play
lap steel, I could part this
thing out for a tidy profit
and still have the basic
wood of an incredibly cool
instrument, which I could
turn into a lamp, wall
hanging or cutting board
for my kitchen.
•;Seattle,;Washington,
two;weeks;ago: I found
a hard-shell guitar case
at Goodwill for $1.50
that perfectly fits a dread-
nought. Because airlines
crush cases every year, I
bought it even though I
currently don’t need one
because I will before long.
5Get Out of Your Hotel
Another benefit to searching
for road gear: It gives you an
opportunity to see the sights.
Paradoxically, being on the road
can make one a shut-in—
traveling musicians tend to only see
their hotel and venue of each
town they visit. Exploring gets
you out and moving instead of
lying all day in a questionable
rented bed with the curtains
drawn and TV blaring in some
dingy hotel. If you have any
say in the matter, try to book
hotels in the center of town,
walking distance to the sights
and shopping.
You work in the arts, so
what the heck? Check out the
local museums and galleries.
Don’t limit your culture to the
yogurt you eat at your hotel’s
continental breakfast.
6Utilize Apps My phone has become
my most valuable tour tool
thanks to free apps that are
like having a tour manager in
your pocket. The GPS app gets
