If you’re in most of the bands out there, playing mostly local gigs, most of the time you’ll be playing on a small stage. Or maybe, a tiny stage. Or even no stage at all. Space will be at a premium. When our band used to play at Sea Levels in Brightwaters, New York, we were shoehorned into a corner of the room to the left of the entrance, and space was so tight that if I would have moved my guitar neck more than a few inches to the left, the headstock would have smashed into a glass-framed picture on the wall. The drummer had to gingerly step over my amp to get to and from his drum throne.
The author at Sea Levels, Brightwaters, New York, March 24, 2016. A quick move to the left and that picture on the wall would have been trashed. Forgive the poor photo quality and questionable dye job.
In future installments I’ll talk about playing on medium and large stages, and outdoors, all of which have particular considerations regarding fitting the band on stage, what equipment to use, how to perform, and in the case of playing outside, how do deal with extreme hot and cold temperatures.
But on small stages, the uppermost and overriding consideration is: space is at a premium. As noted, you may not have much room to move around, or any room at all. At one gig at the Sail Inn in Montauk, NY, halfway through the first set my leg started cramping up because I had to hold it in an awkward position because otherwise I would have tripped over one of the speaker stands, or bumped into the singer. Bring the least amount of equipment possible, and the smallest in size, whether an amp, drum set, stage monitor speaker (and be prepared for the fact that you may not be able to fit a monitor on stage at all), or anything else.
On really small playing areas, if you’re a guitarist or bassist who likes to use a pedalboard, forget it. Even a 12-inch square pedalboard will take up way too much real estate. (If you think I’m exaggerating, wait until you encounter a situation like this.) Bring your essential overdrive and maybe one other pedal. Use a clip-on tuner. Don’t be precious about getting “your sound.” On tiny stages, use equipment that fits – literally. The drummer in the band may have to cut down on their amount and size of drums and cymbals.
My pal Henry Diaz (second from right) and band playing at the Gallery North Art Show and Music Festival, East Setauket, NY, September 26, 2024. There was enough room for pedalboards and stage monitors here. On some stages, there isn't.
Be considerate of your fellow band members. Everyone in the band is going to have to conserve space and make room for everyone else. Literally every square foot counts. Angle the microphone and speaker stands so that they poke into the standing room area as little as possible. If you can, check out the venue before the gig, to see just how much – or how little – space you’ll have, so you know what gear will be practical to bring.
You’re going to have to be smart about storing the band’s instrument cases, gig bags, drum cases or bags, and everything else anywhere but on the stage if at all possible. A tip: put all this stuff in your car before the gig rather than storing it on stage. Another tip: multiple guitar stands take up a lot of space. Figure out how many guitars and basses you’ll need and bring a double or triple stand, or one of those five- or six-guitar racks. If there’s simply no room for a stand at all, you can store your guitar or bass in your car between sets.
Try to keep the instrument and mic cords out of the way, to minimize the chance of tripping or stepping on them. On any stage, large or small, it’s a good idea to run the mic and PA speaker cables around and behind the band.
The odds are, you’re not going to have a sound person to mix your sound, and you may not have enough room to set up a mixer anywhere but on the stage. Putting the mixer on top of an amp will conserve space, if possible. As noted, you may not even have space for even a single onstage monitor speaker, so you’ll have to try to place the main speakers where you’ll be able to hear them, a tricky situation since if they’re behind your microphones you may have to deal with feedback issues and be limited by the amount of volume you can obtain.
When space is tight: even rock stars like Danny Miranda (Blue Öyster Cult, Queen, Meat Loaf and others) and George Cintron (Trans Siberian Orchestra, Enrique Iglesias, others) find a way to make room. Notice the small PA speakers on the right, and the mixer on top of an impromptu amp stand. The Ritz, Northport, NY, July 25, 2024.
However, if you or the band are playing mostly acoustic instruments, you may not even need PA speakers at all, but can get away with an all-in-one amp like the extremely popular Fishman Loudbox Mini. Just plug in an acoustic/electric guitar and a mic, and you’re good to go. I’ve seen numerous players use the Mini even on outdoor gigs and it’s more than enough to provide high-quality sound. And some small electric and acoustic guitar amplifiers are remarkably capable, loud, and clear, like the Henriksen Bud and Blu series amps, the AER amplifiers, and the incredibly small but powerful Phil Jones bass amps.
A terrific compact PA option is one of the Bose L1 Series portable line array systems. Introduced in 2003, the L1 models were revolutionary, comprised of a thin main driver column just a few inches wide, a subwoofer, built-in amplification, and a mixer. The L1 models set up in minutes and have become so successful they've spawned many imitators.
In smaller rooms, keeping the volumes of the instruments and vocals at a reasonable level is crucial. People need to be able to have conversations and not yell over the music, especially when ordering drinks or food. It’s a good idea to ask one of the people working at the bar, or restaurant, or wherever, if the overall volume is OK or too loud. The drummer may have to use rods or “rute sticks” or even brushes rather than standard drumsticks, in order to play at a lower volume.
This goes for gigs on medium and larger stages as well: keep your eye on the gear and instruments during breaks. Never let everyone in the band walk away from the stage, to make sure nothing gets stolen. The same goes for load in and load out. In more than 50 years of playing I’ve never had anything ripped off, but it’s because I’ve watched my gear like the proverbial hawk from the second I get to the venue to the moment I finish packing everything up.
There might even be gigs where there’s not enough room for the entire band to play. When our band played the Long Island Music and Entertainment Hall of Fame in January 2023, we were told that the band couldn’t have more than four pieces. (They’ve since built a larger stage.) At many establishments, there isn’t room for more than a trio or duo, or even for more than a single musician. So, either the band won’t be able to play such a venue, or you may have to play as a two-or three-piece and adapt the band’s style accordingly.
The good news is that most venues will allow a band enough room to stretch out somewhat, even if you won’t be able to prowl the stage. In the next installment I’ll talk about playing on medium-sized stages, where you can spread your wings a little and even perfect your rock star dance moves.
Header image: the stage at a party in Brightwaters, NY, July 19, 2024.
