Tough Load-In for Pedal Steel (The Mt.Everest of Load-Ins?)

Colm Chomicky · From: Kansas, (Prairie Village)

A fellow steel player asked me a question about loading-in or out of a particular pub. Well for me it was 4 round-trips to get everything in, then another 4 round trips to get everything out. That was just for my gear. We played there last night and are playing there again tonight. To answer his question, I found an old video several years back of the many sets of stairs to navigate. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rPDg7U2sY64[list=][/list]

Jim Fogarty · From: Phila, Pa, USA

Two things come to mind....

1) That place better be paying well, considering the load-in. For me, that would be at least $50 extra per player, to be worthwhile.

2) Not to be paranoid, but I'd be extremely concerned about anything happening, and everyone trying to get out via those stairs. A few NYE's ago, there was a fire on the roof of the fancy restaurant I played. It was all on the ground floor and STILL took far too long to get out of there, with everyone freaking out. Luckily, it wasn't serious enough to endanger anyone.

Danny Letz · From: Old Glory,Texas, USA 79540

I played an sandwitch shop/bar with an upstairs bandstand like that once. Instead of a 4 piece HonkTonk band, what they needed was a hippie with a flattop guitar and one of those harmonica holders around his neck.

Colm Chomicky · From: Kansas, (Prairie Village)

Jim Fogarty, Yes fire hazard as far as I know that is the only exit. It is an underground cellar, a long time ago a wine and or beer cellar before the days of refrigeration.

As far as $50 extra per man for extra stairs, forget it. Although this place pays decent because it is more rural and we had a 4-hr set with no other band to split, once you get into the cities, lucky to get $250 to 300 for the whole band. Plus not so generous on a complimentary drink or two some places. Frankly it's not like some of these pubs and bars are just raking in the dough every night.

I worked with some local top-rated musicians to back a headliner. They musicians requested pay of $50 minimum per man to play, hoping that tips might round it out. Guess they understand the scene around here in the city.

Bob Carlucci · From: Candor, New York, USA

Thats absurd, honestly. Very dangerous first of all.A horrible tragedy just waiting to happen. I have played some pretty bad load ins over many decades, some truly awful... The one you showed us puts the worst of them to shame!
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I'm over the hill and hittin'rocks on the way down!

no gear list for me.. you don't have the time......

Roger Rettig · From: Naples, FL

Yikes! That's..... horrible.

Many, many years ago I was persuaded to do a one-nighter with a band in a venue in New Cross, SE London. The money was tempting, even if I no longer did those sorts of gigs at that time.

However, when I pulled up outside, it became clear that the only means of ingress and egress was series of iron staircases on the outside of the building. The 'gig' was on the top floor!

Fortunately, the bandleader had been watching for my arrival. I was on the point of withdrawing my services, but he grabbed my ZB and my Fender Vibrosonic and ascended those steps like Sherpa Tensing. I got his assurance that he'd to the same at the end of the night.
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Roger Rettig: Emmons D10, B-bender Teles and Martins - and, at last, a Gibson Super 400!
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Dave Hopping · From: Aurora, Colorado

Oh, for a freight elevator! Winking

Larry Jamieson · From: Walton, NY USA

Several years ago, we played a party. It was in the ball room of the School House Restaurant in Downsville, NY. The room had been a gym and was on the third floor. There was no elevator...

Jon Light · From: Saugerties, NY

I arrived at a studio session with my SD-12 and Session 400. (Home) studio owner had failed to mention that it was a 4th floor walk-up apartment. I was no youngster but I was still young (stupid) enough to pretend 'no problem', as a matter of pride.
I don't think I ever caught my breath in the two hours of tracking that I did there.
It was bad enough that the next day I spoke to my doctor who got me right to a cardiologist who wasted no time in getting me in for an angioplasty.
I thank the studio owner for setting in motion the process of getting my stent. Well, I would thank him if I had ever worked with him again.

I learned a big lesson about due diligence and about not accepting bad situations that have no offered remediation (such as "don't worry -- we will shuttle you & your gear to the stage in a golf cart" or at the very least "don't worry -- I will come down and help you load in").

But if I were fully professional (playing music to pay the mortgage), I might not be able to afford to walk away from a bad situation.

Roger Rettig · From: Naples, FL

A lucky break for you, then, Jon? It could have had dire consequences, though.

I had my share of schlepping gear in-and-out, but that was in my 20s. If we'd played a dance hall the night before and left the load-out until the next morning (fairly common during my Eden Kane, Marty Wilde, Billy Fury days - UK pop stars), I, being an early riser, would frequently leave the hotel and load the van myself.

I can recall hefting two enormous column speakers (4x12s) at once and descending staircases without stopping.

Whatever's happened to me has happened surreptitiously! I struggle with groceries now.

I stopped doing one-nighters in the late-'70s: theatre-runs, sessions and TV fell into my lap and I have never had to revert to the old days. The instance I cited earlier was most unusual, the band wasn't very good - and it was on the 5th floor.

I didn't repeat it.
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Roger Rettig: Emmons D10, B-bender Teles and Martins - and, at last, a Gibson Super 400!
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Lee Baucum · From: McAllen, Texas (Extreme South) The Final Frontier

James Holland · From: Alabama, USA

That's quite the path. Try marina gigs, stairs ramps docks, and dragging the PA. Whew!

Larry Ball · From: Airdrie, Alberta, Canada

Yes, and we all love “Rhythm ” Guitar players that arrive after all the heavy gear has been packed in and set up. Then open that single guitar case and say “where do I plug in”
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Mullen SD10, Sho~Bud SD10 LDG, Show-Pro SD10 LDG, Peavey Nashville 112, Boss Katana 100 MK11, Telonic's F100 Multi-Taper Super Pro V/P, Wayne Brown “Custom Designed Amp”

Jack Hanson · From: San Luis Valley, USA

As a young (and stoopud) buck who didn't know any better, I remember hauling our M3 Hammond up and down a long stairway at the Tower Club in downtown Austin, MN a few times. Un-fun!

Doug Beaumier · From: Northampton, MA

Jesse Harris · From: Ventura, California, USA

Sons of Hermann Hall in Dallas

deadly

Mitchell Smithey · From: Dallas, USA

Sons of Herman Hall Dallas may be the worst I’ve ever done followed by the Adolphus Hotel, also in Dallas where you load through a working kitchen.
At least nobody uses those Yamaha electric grands anymore, or even worse the Kawai electric grand!

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