Control

The text message from my friend said: “Loving it!”

I responded with: “See what happens when you listen to me?”

His response: “Yup.”

The picture above is from my friend’s phone. It shows the cart I recommended to him a couple of months ago.

The cart holds over 200 lbs and has room for a LOT of gear. Plus it folds up not just flat, in one direction. It folds up in the opposite direction, meaning it takes up practically no space for storage.

I love it. It’s handy and enables me to load my shows faster and easier than anything else I’ve tried.

But I’m not trying to convince you, dear reader, to buy it. You likely have your own preferred way of getting your gear into your gigs. If you don’t, you should.

Mostly I’m writing to you today about Control, capitalization intended.

I firmly believe in controlling as much around a gig as I possibly can.

Why? Simple.

Gigs are chaotic. Regardless of the audience or market, you often have no idea what you’re walking into.

You may discover the audience is a LOT smaller than you were told. Or a LOT bigger.

Or the wrong age range.

I was once booked for a corporate gig. The agent told me it was going to be a mix of kids and adults for a family event.

I showed up with my kids' show. Only to discover a room full of about 20 adults.

Even repeat gigs, where you know the venue, client, and audience, can still have unexpected surprises.

Every few months, my mother-in-law’s senior center books me for a gig. It doesn’t pay well but I do it as a favor for her.

The gig is held in the same venue each time. But every time I go, they have the room set up differently.

Drives me crazy.

And that’s just the tip of the iceberg of the unexpected and often bizarre things you encounter at a show.

That’s why I try to control as much as I can.

Large audience? No problem. I bring my own sound system and mic.

“But we have a sound system you can use,” the client may say.

“No thanks,” I tell them. “I have my own.”

I’ve lost count of how many performers tell me they are happy to use the venue’s sound system and save themselves the extra work of hauling in their own system.

Me? No way.

I’ve used venue systems before. Sometimes it’s gone well. Most of the time, it’s been a disaster.

But even with the gigs where it’s gone well, I still hate using the venue’s system.

My voice sounds different coming out of a different system. And in some cases, it’s enough to throw me off and make me uncomfortable.

And comfort is the thing I want most at a gig. The more comfortable I am, the smoother the show goes.

So I bring my own system.

Another thing I insist on bringing to my shows? All tables, stools, etc.

Years ago, I bought the franchise rights to a very good school assembly program. In some of the paperwork, when talking about setting up at the show, the creator mentioned side tables or stools.

“You can just borrow the stools or tables you need from the school,” he assured me.

No thanks. I bring my own. First, it’s one less thing I have to ask the client for. They appreciate that. Second, they might not have what I’m used to performing with, or on.

I crave consistency in my shows. At least as much as I can.

This brings me back to the beginning: carts.

Unless you can fit your entire show into a roll-on table (or a briefcase if you’re a mentalist), you’ll likely need some kind of a cart to wheel all your stuff in.

Many performers I know put it in their contracts that they need a cart of some kind at the venue.

They’re comfortable with that. It works for them.

Me? I prefer to bring my own. It’s one less thing to worry about. And since I load and unload the same cart day after day, I know exactly how everything fits.

Ultimately, this makes getting in and out of gigs easier, faster, and stress-free.

This allows me to enjoy the whole point of the excursion, which is performing.

If you’re a pro reading this, you likely have your own systems in place. That’s awesome.

If you’re a part-timer, or you’re just getting started, I recommend controlling as much as you can at each gig.

Your life will be a LOT easier.

Have a great week!

--Cris

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