I've been wondering for some time... how do bands transport all their shit to gigs, especially when they're outside their country? Do they pay the outrageous overweight fees for carrying drumkits, cabs, heads, guitars and god knows what else when they board an airplane? Or do they get some special kind of carrier to ship their stuff? I assume many just take a guitar and/or rack/head with them and rent the rest of the shit where they're going to play right? How do bands get all their shit transported?

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I guess it depends on the popularity of the band. "Big" bands often have a whole bus in which they sleep etc. and als transport their equipment (as far as I know).
Often, you don´t have to take cabs with you and only the snare, cymbals and bass pedal for the drums, since the cabs and the basic drumset is at the location.

I also know that some bands let one of their friends drive a car or a small bus with all the equipment to their gigs. The good thing about it is that you don´t have to pay (much) for this service.

True...our bands lead singer have a step father that has a small tour bus for his band so he drove the stuff to our gig location....but back on the topic i think they have tour busses and that kinda shit to carry their equipment...not sure though.

Sorry if I got of topic.

van+trailer for us smalltime folks. maybe someday move up to rv+trailer.

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it really depends how well known the band is I guess. Famous bands usually have big ass busses and stuff to move their shit.

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sometimes when touring outside their country, bands hire amps and stuff.
busses are often used. don't underestimate what you can fit in a small van.

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If it's a big name band that can afford to do a REAL tour, then they have several tractor trailer loads of gear. Generally, they'll have a bus for the band, a bus (or two) for the crew, and as many tractor trailers as they need for their gear. If it's a big arena or festival tour, there can be 20 or more trailer loads of crap. Alot of it is lighting and PA stuff. Very little space is taken up by actual musical gear. I know when all the country bands and shit come to my town to play at the fair in the summer, they never have less than 2 tractor trailers and 2 buses. Bands doing arena tours usually bring their own light rig too.

But yeah, the gist of it is tractor trailers, road cases, and buses.

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whatever they can afford! if i can afford a bus, i wont think twice before hiring one, irrespective of how 'big' my band is.

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my band takes 3 cars,

2 carry all the guitar shit and the 3rd carries the drum set.

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Often, you don´t have to take cabs with you and only the snare, cymbals and bass pedal for the drums, since the cabs and the basic drumset is at the location.

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Where the fuck is this possible? I never knew Venues who provide cabs and Shell kits.

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I never played a gig with my band, where we had to bring the whole drumset. :P
If there is a local band playing as well, then they mostly provide the basic-drumset.

Most of the big venues in Holland have cabs and drumsets for hire, they usualy even have heads.
The smaller ones sometimes too, but it kinda depends how often bands play there. It's kinda considered common courtesy here for a venue to have some stuff.

Also, the Netherlands is geographicly quite small, we don't need to have a lot of venues.

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Yet another reason why I should move to Holland to pursue my musical endeavors.

So bands never travel in airplanes with their heads/guitars/kits? Think of Morbid Angel for example and when they played in Wacken Open Air this year, did they just bring their guitars/snare/rack gear/cymbals and rented the rest?

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I guess they might when the sound is realy dependent on modded or boutique amps, but playing overseas and taking your amps with you is a costly endeavour.

Metal bands used to play a lot in Holland, but since they started with excessive "export taxes" on foreign bands, most tours shun us dutchies like the plague. It realy sucks.

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Nowadays, most clubs are in charge of providing a backline for the headlining band. The only thing a band has to do is bring guitars, drummers bring their snare, cymbals, and pedals. Support bands usually share gear, with the bands that are the host countries support act providing the backline. This is not set in stone though, it all depends on how the booking company writes up the show rider.
Countries such as Mexico do not want bands to bring in electronics for some strange reason. Guitars and sometimes a pedal is ok, depends on the customs official.

Bigger bands will purchase gear and leave it in storage for when they tour a foreign country or region.

Best bet is if you are going to play a few shows or tour in a different country, figure out who you will be playing shows with and see if you guys can use one of the bands you are playing with backline with offers of reciprocity when that band comes to play shows in your country.

Flightcase the shit out of all the gear, and chuck it in a van, or if going further afield, a plane.... make sure you get it all insured though

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Well, I'm a lazy cunt so I usually ask if there's a backline allready or if a local band can bring it because we have to travel. Usually there's a marshall cab that I'll rip the shit out.

In some cases there's just a drumkit and we'll have to cary heaps of shit, then we use a beer van. Ofcourse we have a straight edge member in our band.
And ofcourse it's the bass player.

I mean, you can just pick a friend, tell him to learn bass and let him do it. OFCOURSE you have to specify that he has to be straight edge.
Else, the bass player aka. straight edger won't be able to drive the beer van. The beer van can be further specified by a bunch of drunks hanging out of it. You need someone sober to drive it. (hence, the sxe bassplayer)

You know thats a really good fucking idea...
Straight edge people DO have a purpose in life....

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fuck off k?

3 out of 5 people in my band are straight edge.

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the other 2 are crooked?

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ha, my singer is a primetime smokin bartender. and my drummer... i think he drinks very occasionally.

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that's good. that means you can take a lot of friends with you to drink, since you have 3 people able to drive a car (back)

better yet, you can keep all the beer yourself

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I second this one.


Need a new icon for us greedy ones.

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you mean this one?

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Someone should mod the beer smiley to look like one is stealing the beer from the other.

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The more people you have, the more beer you can afford, which results in me stealing more beer then I would be able to afford on my own.

Thus therefore I rest my case, drink with the maximum ammount of people but keep in mind that none of the ones invited are as clever as you are.

that looks like guiness or some other english pint.

I prefer beer that doesn't look like coffee and that has a bit of foam.

Fuck that shit if you have a chevy astro with no backseats you are ready to go and you should never let other bands borrow your shit

wow old thread...

i let other bands use my shit all the time. mostly it's a cab, or the occasional head. it's good karma i guess.

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After some dumbass dropped my guitar I learned my lesson

that's grounds for a beatdown i guess... i wouldnt let someone i didn't barrow my guitar. but shit like amps and cabs, i don't care, i just make sure they get the impendance and everything all right and theres nothing to really worry about.

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