YES, IT’S ALL well and good running through the setlist at home, safe in the knowledge that you have everything you might need within arm’s reach. But once you leave the house and get to the venue, as many of us have learned the hard way, there’s a myriad of things that can go wrong. Being well prepared for these hiccups is often what separates the amateurs from the pros, and we’d be lying if we didn’t say it often starts with the simplest of stuff.
You’re going to need extra cables, strings, batteries, picks, batteries, a spare strap as well as things like a power supply for all your pedals, and — depending on the size of the stage — possibly even a power block for the collective amps on each side of the drum kit. It may seem obvious, but when you get a last-minute message from the promoter informing you that soundcheck has been moved an hour or two ahead, these are the things that are easily overlooked in the mad rush.
Duct tape is another essential, as you’ll want to keep that setlist
