So you wanna be a star drummer? Here’s an inside look at what goes into being a “star.” It’s not all glamorous but it’s still a lot of fun to play the drums in front of a crowd!
There’s an old saying among musicians that we get paid for the 22 hours a day that we’re not on stage. In other words, we need to get paid for all the time it takes to travel, set up and practice but we don’t need to get paid for the time we spend on stage because we enjoy it so much!
We love to perform and would probably do it for free if we could somehow transport ourselves to the stage with all our equipment set up and all the preparations complete. With that in mind, I thought I’d give you a peek into a normal gig weekend where I’m playing out of town with a band.
This particular weekend, I played with The Chris Ward Band for a county fair in Port Angeles, WA. We played 2 one-hour shows on Friday night and Saturday night. Friday night we were “Chris Ward’s Tribute to The Eagles” and on Saturday night we were “Chris Ward’s Country Band.”
Okay, here’s your behind-the-scenes look into the life of a working drummer.
Friday morning:
10:00 AM – 10:30 AM: I log on to the computer and double check the time of our shows and make sure there’s no problems with the fair schedule. I notice that somehow the fair is using an old picture of the band without me in it. This, by the way, is a common occurrence in any band I’ve ever been in.
10:30 AM – 11:00 AM: Load drums into my Chevy Trailblazer. This includes:
- 5 soft drum cases,
- 3 hardware bags,
- A percussion bag,
- A hanging clothes bag,
- An overnight bag,
- A 4’ x 6’ rug and,
- Cowboy boots.
11:00 AM – 11:30 AM: Travel to the guitar player’s house. We’re going to ride together to save some money and have some fun.
11:30 AM – 11:45 AM: Load guitar equipment which includes:
- 2 guitar cases,
- A guitar amp,
- A pedal board (aka “pedda-board”),
- A fan,
- A cable bag,
- 2 clothes bags and,
- Cowboy boots.
11:45 AM – 3:25 PM: Drive from Seattle to Port Angeles.
- Stop for gas.
- Stop for lunch.
- Get delayed a half-hour by (apparently) nuclear submarines passing under the Hood Canal Bridge. Why do they have to open the bridge for submarines?
- Get concerned about being late for the first show.
3:25 PM – 3:35 PM: Meet Chris at the Red Lion where we’ll be staying the next 2 nights. He gives us our keys and a check for the gig! This is a pleasant surprise. We drop stuff in our rooms.
3:35 PM – 3:45 PM: Travel to the Fairgrounds. Go in the wrong entrance, backtrack and find the right entrance to get us closer to the outdoor stage. This becomes comical, kind of like one of those old fast-motion Keystone Cops movies.
3:45 PM – 4:05 PM: Unload equipment behind the stage. Start setting up off-stage while another band finishes playing. Take my drums out of their cases. Start setting up cymbal stands. Careful not to scuff the drums on concrete!
4:05 PM – 4:10 PM: The other band quickly gets their equipment off the stage.
4:10 PM – 4:30 PM: Carry drums onto the stage, throw down the rug and set up the drums. The fair has hired a sound & light company. It’s great to see John, the sound guy, who we worked with a month ago at an outdoor concert in Sedro Wooley, WA. While I’m setting up the drums, John attaches mics to my toms, puts a mic in the bass drum sound hole, and places mics near the snare and hi-hat. The drummer for the band that follows us (at 7:00 PM) asks if he can use my drums. I’m more than willing to do that because it will save me moving the drums off and then back on for our 9:00 PM show.
4:30 PM – 4:40 PM: John has me play the drums one at a time to get a sound level: bass, snare, right rack tom, left rack tom, then the floor tom. This can be an agonizing task but John makes it quick.
4:40 PM – 4:50 PM: John gets volume levels on the other instruments. Our bass player solves a problem with his direct box (that’s a box that allows the bass to go directly through the PA system). We play 2 songs to get a sound check. The 50 or so people who are there applaud and we have to explain that it’s just a sound check, “Please stick around for the real show.”
4:50 PM – 5:00 PM: Change our clothes in a tent behind the stage. I’m wearing a black shirt with silver stripes, blue Levi’s and, yes, cowboy boots. Someday I’ll write an article about the pros and cons of playing drums in cowboy boots. Make sure I’ve got a water bottle. Put my ear plugs in and climb on to the stage.
5:00 PM – 6:00 PM: It’s show time! We play our Eagles set and everything sounds good. It’s always an adventure playing outside but John the sound guy does a great job. There are about 100 people in the grandstands before we go on but as soon as we start playing the place fills with people. I’d say there were 300-400 people by the end of the show. Lots of fun!
6:00 PM – 6:10 PM: I don’t have to move my equipment because the other drummer’s going to use my kit. I talk to some people who want to know more about the band. Everyone is very complimentary.
6:10 PM – 6:20 PM: I change my clothes behind the stage. I wouldn’t mind staying and seeing the sites of the fair but the other guys want to head back to the hotel.
6:20 PM – 6:30 PM: Travel to the hotel.
6:30 PM – 6:50 PM: Drop stuff in the hotel room.
6:50 PM – 8:00 PM: Walk across the parking lot to check out the local restaurant. Too expensive! Get in the car and travel to a fast food place. Eat quickly because we need to get back to the fairgrounds. Worry that my stomach will be upset during the next set!
7:50 PM – 8:10 PM: Stop by a grocery store to get after-gig snacks. Travel back to the fairgrounds.
8:10 PM – 8:25 PM: Make sure my drums are okay from the last band (they are). Help the other guys in the band move equipment on to the stage.
8:25 PM – 8:35 PM: Play a couple tunes as a band to do a quick sound check. The 50 or so people who are there applaud and we have to explain that it’s just a sound check, “Please stick around for the real show.” Yes, it’s the same thing that happened before the 5 PM show (and most of our shows).
8:35 PM – 9:00 PM: Change clothes in the back. The other guys in our band sing some Crosby, Stills and Nash songs to warm up and it sounds great! Grab a water bottle, climb on to the stage and put the ear plugs in.
9:00 PM – 10:00 PM: Oh yeah! The band kicks into “Take It Easy” and we’re sounding great! The sky still glows from the setting summer sun, the stage lights are up and a spot light shines on Chris. The crowd is really into the music and everyone has a great time!
10:00 PM – 10:10 PM: We talk to some new fans. People in Port Angeles are really friendly so we hang around and talk to people until they leave.
10:10 PM – 10:30 PM: Since we’re playing 2 more shows on Saturday night, I choose to move my drums behind the back stage curtain instead of packing them up in cases. I’m a little concerned about my drums being stolen but John the sound guy assures us he’ll keep an eye on the equipment until the fairgrounds are locked up. I take my cymbals with me but leave the drums. John also has to cover the PA cabinets with plastic tarps because there is a threat of rain overnight.
10:30 PM – 10:40 PM: Travel back to the hotel.
10:40 PM – 10:50 PM: We talk about going “out on the town” but it doesn’t happen. One of the guys takes off for a local hangout. Another guy plans to spend time with an old friend. The rest of us decide to turn in. We usually go out for an after-the-gig meal but that fast food we ate earlier is “talking back.” No wild, crazy parties with fun-loving fans. Just some good, old-fashioned, boring rest after a long day.
So what do you think so far? Is this a life you could get used to? A lot of planning, preparation and down-time for playing 2 hours, huh? Next I’ll tell you about Saturday. It’s similar but we have to overcome some unexpected challenges (remember those tarps John put over the PA cabinets). Stay tuned!