Gig #1: wedding reception for our buddy Brandon, talent coordinator for the Braves, in Peachtree City (30 minutes south of Atlanta). We played on set (less than an hour) at the beginning of his reception. We were crammed onto a corner stage of insufficient depth. Mark Cobb had to play with his elbows against the wall in order to stay on the drum riser.
At 6:30, we dove off the stage. All gear that was going to the next gig (guitar rig, both keyboard rigs) came off the stage and packed in fifteen minutes--a personal record, though in order to make it work, I didn't clean my horns, and all my cables and pedals were picked up in a pile and dropped in my case. Kip ran sound on this gig, and we had Zach running set up and ready to run sound at the second event.
From there, we drove back to Atlanta to the Botanical Gardens for the next gig.
We made it! All set up with 10 minutes to soundcheck--pretty much all we need at this point, once everything's been mic'ed.
Gig #2: some kind of lawyer party. They weren't that into it. We played fine anyway. That room (the cafeteria) doesn't sound nearly as bad I remember it.
Big thanks to Kip, Zach, and Hans for helping us make it through the day.
Big news today was that we will be switching to in ear monitors next year. I'm really looking forward to it. The better sound quality, consistent sound when I move out front for sax solos, lower volume, and one less big box for me to carry--all of these will benefit me greatly. I can't wait!