Outdoor gigs that don’t tell you that
 

you need over 50’ of extension cord to get to their 120 line.

My contract states that they are to provide power within 15 feet of the performance area, but nobody reads those things. I had enough in the trunk, but c’mon man!

How does a huge company not have an extra extension cord? Ok, rant over.

I learned very early on that I had to be extremely familiar with the venues in which I played... precisely because of stuff like this!

Not always possible, but necessary... even if it means talking with a bunch of folks who ARE familiar with the location...

Did an outdoor post-9/11 show for USCG Sector New York last September, took a 100' cord to set us up with power - thankfully our military is prepared for any occasion, even if we weren't...

I take it you were never a Boy Scout. :D

I take it you didn't read my OP closely enough. :D

Yes,I did. The band I was in made sure for any unknown situation; we had hundreds of feet of extension cords. There was one gig we had to do some creative grounding of an outdoor box to ensure our gear worked properly. :rolleyes:

It states in the OP that I had enough extension cord in my trunk, so I'm still confused about your boy scout comment. :rolleyes:

Regardless of what you gig rider/contract states, be prepared for less then optimal conditions. Got it?

Oh man, I love this forum... :rolleyes:

Listen, it states in the OP that I had enough extension cable in my CAR, so I was all set. Did you read for comprehension, or just with the intention to argue to tell me how you would have been so much better prepared?

To further clarify, I have five 20' cables that I daisy chain as needed, plus two more 15' cables in my flight cases. Per my contract, I would have been able to walk and still get paid, although it would have probably resulted in an issue if I wanted to re-book.

The venue was supposed to provide it, but I walked to my car, got what I needed, played the gig, and re-booked more gigs. Got it?

The initial rant was about poor communication from the venue and their inability to read for comprehension. How ironic that it seems to extend beyond venues.

Chill out, kid! :rolleyes:

You have absolutely NO SENSE OF HUMOR.

I have been through all kinds of issues with venues and, guess what, we got on with it and made the show work just fine. :)

Are you really trying to cover up the fact that you missed an integral part of my post (at least twice) with the whole, “It was a joke,” angle?

Nah man, I have an amazing sense of humor, just no patience for cats that don't read for comprehension, then try to flex. Go ahead now and show me the lie...

*than.

So, can the rest of us assume you two both bring generators to your gigs, just in case? ;)

I certainly don’t. That’s beyond ridiculous. Thats why I have a contract that states that power be provided within 15’ of the stage. If it was a one off gig, I could have walked as the guy handed me a tax form and my check before I even set up.

It just irritates me that a venue would expect anyone to have that amount of extension cord. Fortunately I have a bunch of 20 footers that can be connected for longer runs as well as three way splitters for running power on a stage.

I was there an hour an a half early because it’s a huge place with multiple locations. There was a trade show inside and I was by the water in the beer garden.

There's a few tailgate parties that I play for a guy at the football stadium each year and he bought a generator for that purpose. He has me and hires a guy that rolls cigars to pass out to people.

I hate showing up at a gig 'cold'. The first time I played at the venue where I now host an open mic - with a 3 piece band - I found out there was one power outlet on the far side wall. Luckily, the other guitarist had played there before and knew it so had a 50-ft extension ready.
When I went to set up there a couple of months ago, I found the band that had played there last had left the ground pin in one of the outlets (threaded end sticking out). I wasn't touching that, so had just one outlet to use that night.

I have had to use a long extension cord at INDOOR venues even. Sometimes the optimum place to set up indoors isn't near any outlets. I always keep an extension cord in my trunk in case it's needed.