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No matter how many gigs you've done, 5, 50 or 500, you know that feeling. You get to the gig but you've forgotten one essential piece of equipment. I'm not even thinking about the kit itself, but what about all the other useful things we can pack in our stick bag for those stressful moments?
I'm not alone here, I've even done a couple of gigs forgetting my drum throne and had to do the gig on a chair of dubious height and stability. The show must go on!
From my own experience, here's a quick list of things that I recommend that you keep on you for each and every gig. All these should be able to fit into a decent stick bag or somewhere in your hardware bag:
Drum Parts
Spare Hi-Hat clutch: If someone is borrowing your equipment, it might get dropped or lost. It's pretty stink to play hi hat without a clutch.
Spare snare head: Especially useful if you play metal, or just have an old head on the snare. I just pack mine in with my snare case.
Cymbal felts: Stages have black carpet, the lights are low, and cymbal felts are black. This all adds up to losing them to the black hole that also swallows your other sock. I also use yellow felts to help find them.
Cymbal stand nuts: Same diff, you'll unscrew and drop them and they'll definitely go down that small crack in the middle of the stage. It's possible to play a gig without them (see Steve Gadd), but hard if you hit hard.
Drum carpet: Never leave home without one. There is nothing worse than watching your bass drum inch away from you with every beat, ending up in the front row. I use a nice light, cheap one like this. Also see Duct Tape below!
Spare sticks: Kind of obvious. I also ensure that I take at least one lighter pair or some Hot Rods as sometimes the acoustics can make the drums pretty overbearing and ruin the bands overall sound. For studio work I also pack a pair of nylon ended sticks, to ensure that I can get a good cymbal sound if my wood tips chip.
Throne: 'nuff said.
Drum Keys: Sounds obvious, as you'll want to check your tuning depending on the venue. I've also got a spare drum key on my keyring as I'm bound to lose one on the way.
Classic Stuff
Duct Tape: Everyone knows they should bring gaffer tape to a gig, but invariably no one has any when it's needed. It's great for fixing broken stands, taping down pesky wires and even taping your bass drum spurs to a slippy floor!
Allen Key / Screwdriver: Depends on your setup, but usually bass drum pedals have some bits and pieces that get loose and might need fixing.
Water: For those gigs where you're rushed on stage with no time, at least you'll have some water at your side.
The Stuff That You Never Thought of
Elastic Bands: Sounds odd? We'll if you have a lever based snare throwoff, I've had these become loose and just disengage with every five snare hits or so. A quick elastic band can save the day here.
Plasters: If you haven't hit your knuckle on the rim of your drum and bled to death, have you really played a gig? Also, if you're playing someone else's pride and joy, it's just the polite thing to do.
Headache Pills: If it's going to be a long, tiring day (festivals for example), then sometimes these can be useful to have around.
Helpful? I hope so and if there's anything else you've found to be essential in those moments of extreme stress, let me know!
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