Preparing For Three Gigs In One Day- In Three Different Towns

Saturday was an interesting day.   We had driven to Monterey the previous evening after leaving Los Angeles at 10:30 am so that we would have it easy Friday night.   And we were at the main stage at the West End Celebration in Monterey at 10:30 am, Saturday morning.  

Coffee, sound check and warm up brought us to noon when we were to go on.  We being me, Chad Watson on bass  (http://www.chadwatson.us/) and Peruvian percussionist Macucho Bonilla.

As this was the beginning of the music and let’s face it, I’m not as famous as I think I am, we had a small but very appreciative crowd, and the set went beautifully.   We had a truly good time and for some reason, even tho it was at least eight hours before I normally  sing, I was in voice.   It felt great to be  me and having that music coming out of my throat.

After a brief interim at the CD table, Chad and I packed up and headed 35 miles south to the Henry Miller Library to perform at 2:45 for a Women Who Write fund raiser sponsored and nurtured by Vicki Abelson (http://www.vickiabelson.com/site/Women_Who_Write/Women_Who_Write.html).  

We arrived at 2:25 in time to see about half of Lori Lieberman’s beautiful set (http://www.lorilieberman.com/wordpress/) and then had a two minute sound check followed by an all too brief twenty five minutes or so.   The crowd was wildly enthusiastic and supportive.   The Henry Miller Library (http://www.henrymiller.org/) is a wonderful place to see anyone perform, and by the way, the show was closed by Michael Nesmith, late and soon to be again, of the Monkees.  (http://www.videoranch3d.com/mm5/merchant.mvc)

After another brief interim at still another CD table, Chad and I packed up and headed 117 miles north to the Mission Roasters Coffee House for the Wayne and Sue Brask Concert Series.  (http://www.braskhouseconcerts.com/).    A delightful place to play and Wayne and Sue are about as hospital a couple as you could find on the planet.   We met several years ago and went right to
“old friends” immediately.   You should definitely check out the venue if you are in Fremont, California.

Chad and I made it there in under two hours, Big Sur to Fremont, and had plenty of time for load in, set up, sound check, dinner and two fifty five minute sets.

So the thrust of today’s post is how do you prepare for three shows in one day?

Before you begin you try to think of every contingency and provide for it.  I had extra cables, extra straps, extra batteries, extra strings, and extra performing clothes in case I got salsa all over something.   I rented a car instead of using my nineteen year old Audi.   I reserved rooms in advance and talked to the hotels the day before and the day of arrival.   Now it begins…

First of all, you arrive at the city of the first gig a day before and usually around dinner time.   Have a nice early dinner; walk around the town to get the feel of the place, go practice and go to be early.   As we had a 10:30 sound check, we got there around 10:15.  

I arose around 7:30 am went for a walk, took a shower and breathed in that steam to hydrate my vocal chords, had breakfast and arrived at the gig ready to go.

After our set, I removed my gear from the stage immediately to allow for the next act’s set up.   Then I gave myself only fifteen minutes at the CD table and then packed up everything and left.

This was very tight as we were supposed to go on at 2:45 in Big Sur, but I gave us enough time to accommodate weekend tourists on Highway 1 and we got there a good twenty five minutes before we had to go on.   I know I usually like to arrive at least two hours before the gig, but that wasn’t an option on Saturday.

Interestingly enough, I announced that I brought CD’s but didn’t have time to sell anyone a copy, but when I got off stage there were half a dozen people lined up to buy them anyway.   New approach to selling CD’s, but it seemed  to work.

We then loaded up and drove to Fremont arriving the requisite two hours before the gig.    All went great and I had reserved us a room at a hotel that was an hour south of Fremont and just off of the freeway that would take us home.

And home we were by 2:30 Sunday afternoon.