It’s summer time again, and that means a lot of outdoor events happening. This can be a great time of year to fill out a gig schedule, but if you live in a warmer climate then it can get pretty hot outside during the day. Playing outside has a lot of issues to deal with aside from the heat, but for summer gigs the heat and sun are the two biggest issues. So let’s look at some ways to keep an outdoor gig from turning into a sweaty, sunburned flop.
Be Shady and Cover Your Bases
Make sure you have some kind of shade to perform in first. Most of the time you will be able to get a pavilion or at least a tent to play under. This is useful to keep you from turning beet red the next day, but having some kind of cover also protects against sudden weather changes such as those summer showers. While protecting ourselves is important, we also need protection for our instruments and equipment. Now at least most of us won’t melt should we get a little wet from rain, but having our equipment and instruments get wet is a different story. So if you are going to play an outdoor gig, make sure you will have some kind of cover to perform under. At the least have cover in order to protect your gear.
Even though you may be playing on a covered stage, it doesn’t mean you won’t have problems with the sun. The stage may be covered, but it isn’t covered at every angle. Depending on the time of day when you are playing, you may want to have sunglasses handy. Not only will they help should you have the sun glaring in your eyes, but you get to look like the Fonz. HEYYYY!
On a side note, as it gets close to the event you can check the weather forecast so at least you’ll have an idea of if it may rain or not. Also should you have to continue performing while it is raining because you are under a cover, try using clear plastic covering or bags to protect gear that is closer to the stage edges like pedalboards.
Don’t Sweat It
Sweat is our natural way of keeping cool. It’s why we don’t have to pant like dogs do. So while it may be tempting to wipe sweat off of yourself, do your best not to. Wiping away the sweat will only make you sweat even more, and there you start to use up your body’s water reserves. Instead, try only wiping the sweat out of your eyes. Instrumentalists can also pick up some cloth wristbands to help keep sweat off your instruments.
Enjoy That Breeze But Watch Your Gear
While playing on a hot sunny day, nothing beats feeling a nice cool breeze hit you on the stage. While this can be great for keeping you cool, a strong enough wind can cause havoc on stage. Cymbal and microphone stands can get blown over. Banners and setlists can be blown away. Keep this in mind when setting up gear. If you have a weighted mic stand then great, but drummers may wish to have something with them to help weigh down their cymbal stands. And of course, have some windscreens ready for your mics just in case.
Cool Your Blood
This is more of a survival tip for when you get stuck in a desert or other hot environment, but will also work well for these hot gigs. You have multiple points on your body where you can focus your cooling efforts to lower your blood temperature a bit, and thereby cool your body overall. For starters, if you have access to a sink or fountain at the gig with cool water, run the cold water over your wrists for a minute or so. Then you can also soak a bandana or other piece of cloth in the cold water, and wrap it around your throat. This is an important point. Most people think you should wrap it around your forehead, but that is not as effective. You want to wrap it around your throat so it can cool the blood passing through your common carotid arteries. This in turn will help your body maintain your brain temperature more easily.
In addition to this approach, you can also get a spray bottle and fill it with cool water. Then just spray yourself a bit like people do at the beach while they tan. The evaporating water will draw the heat from your body the same way sweat does. If you have an instrument in hand though, you may want to put it down before you start spraying!
Put Down That Beer!
Even though tossing back a cool beer may seem like a good way to cool down, it isn’t. Alcohol dehydrates the body, which becomes a bigger issue when you are dealing with sweat and your body heating up. Instead drink plenty of water, or if you need something tastier try low-sugar drinks. Just avoid the alcohol, as well as caffeinated drinks. Caffeine will increase your resting metabolic rate, which will increase your body’s heat production a bit.
Take It Slow
If you can avoid rushing to get set up, then do so. By taking your time and working a little slower, you will keep your core temperature from rising too much. If you are performing at night, then wait till as late as possible to start setting up so the sun is lower and the air is cooling down. It’s no fun to be fine when you start setting up, but drenched with sweat by the time you have to play.
When breaking down your gear, be sure to take it slow as well unless you are rushed to get off stage so the next act can set up. Also keep in mind that shiny metal components like mic and cymbal stands or drum hardware will get hot if sitting in sunlight for a while. So have some work gloves handy for when you start packing up.
Get That Air Moving
Do what a lot of drummers already do. Bring a fan to keep by you. Even Steve Vai uses fans on stage, though arguably he may be using them more for his “looks.” Still, it isn’t hard to find a decent low-profile fan to set up to the side or even in front of you.
Eat Light and Cool
Surely you’ve noticed how much warmer you feel after a big meal. It’s not entirely because of how hot the food was or how spicy it was. Large, high protein meals cause your body to boost your metabolism for digestion. So eat cool or air temperature snack foods instead if you must eat at the gig. Otherwise, try to eat well before the gig so your body has time to digest your meal.
Some people actually prefer eating something spicy hot though. This is a questionable trick since it will be more likely to vary between individuals. The argument goes that eating foods containing capsaicin, such as peppers, causes your body to sweat without causing an increase in your body temperature. Of course, some people instead feel even hotter after they eat a pepper, so try this one out before a gig and see if it works for you.