Well, I knew it would happen sooner or later. I got an invitation today to play at a place I have played for about 10 years on a regular basis. The job would be outdoors. That sounds neat but here in Texas the heat is not very kind. The temps now range between 96-101 degrees with more humidity then is good. I turned it down. The AD told me their places have been approved for music as long as it is outdoors. Oh yea, I would have to wear a mask while playing. Just not my thing.

Deane

That's nuts Deane not to mention the gear would melt...
I'd just wait it out..

I would have turned them down, even when I was still relatively young and healthy.

Gary

I quit doing beach gigs last year.... the heat and hassles are just too much. I've played my keyboard outside a few times - hate the screens in direct sunlight. I am trying to avoid "exposure" now too. Just not worth it at present.

Yep, things are slowly opening up. Done a few outdoor senior living gigs, two more on the horizon. Er, we don't get Texas temps up here in the Great White North, though. The sun's just as pesky on the screen, though.

I did a wedding Friday, outdoors. Fortunately, the weather was perfect. I did insist that I be in the shade. The big problem was running a long extension chord to reach the shaded area. I’m always wary about the power reliability when a chord is 25’ long or more. So, all weekend I’ve been thinking about battery powered equipment ala Uncle Dave. However, that would mean I wouldn’t be able to use my Ketron module or keyboard. I was thinking that I could record tracks for playback on an Ipad and use the accordion mic’ed externally with a vocal mic into a battery powered amp. I have another wedding in 2 weeks and one in August. The August wedding will be in a park so, not sure if power is available. Has anyone been successful with battery powered equipment? Any other avenues that I could/should consider?
In keeping with the original question, I should add that the same kind of set up may be necessary for NH gigs in the near future.
Ciao, Jerry

Hi Jerry - I've used a Crate Limo amp (battery) on the beach for 10 years and had great success. I have played well over 100 weddings with backing tracks on an Ipod and a wireless battery mic on my sax. The amp only failed on me once (when I failed to let it get a full charge between gigs)...my bad. This rig has worked out very well for me on the beach and I always had plenty of volume - even in the few cases where I needed to "overpower" inconsiderate folks with boom boxes who thought they could disrupt the wedding... not with my Crate on the job they didn't.

Jerry my main Pa for senior gigs and medium rooms is the Marantz Voice Rover.. Blue Tooth, wireless mic, and effects for the mic inputs, wired and wireless. You can easily run a device via blue tooth or wired to play tracks.. The Marantz also has a built in player with USB or SD card..

Battery powered for 10 hours, or powered with 120 volts..240 watts with 120 v... 160 watts on battery (peak)..EQ on all channels.


I also have a power inverter in my car that connects to the car battery (4500 watts), that runs everything..

Deane I'm just curious... would the residents be outdoors too? Open windows? Or would you be on closed-circuit TV with the sound "piped in" to their rooms?

Yes it is hot here. I'm not a pro, but if I had any expectation of doing outdoor gigs, some kind of tent or canopy to keep the sun off of me and my equipment would be paramount. Maybe a power hook-up to run a strong fan, too!

Here's the way to do it! From a few years ago.