10 Helpers on Stage

It does not matter, whether you are new to the stages inside clubs or have been hitting the limelight for many years – there are always difficult situations that you, as a musician, will be confronted with on while stage: knotted cablespaghetti, noise, stage fright etc. In this post I will make a packlist with ten supremely useful gadgets, which will all make your touring life far easier and which should not be missing from your band case or bag.

1. Stage-tape
The classic! Of course the legendary tape most definitely takes the first place on our hitlist of top 10 most essential tools for on stage! Why? Because this tape kan do just about anything: join different things and materials and keeping them attached, protect against dust, shock and vibrations as well as moisture and prevents tripping hazards!

2. The Leatherman
The silver medal goes to the Leatherman. MacGyver sends his regards! Multitools are almost always carried by sound-engineers, a true all round weapon for inside the pocket of any musician!

3. The Flashlight
The utility of a good flashlight can not be overestimated! Very often it will be dim or dark on stage and when small things (where is my pick?) fall, it is very practical indeed to be able to use a flashlight or headlamp to light up an area.

4. Hearing protection
In order that you do not get a permanent ringing tone in your ears and to generally avoid serious hearing damage, it is best to always have hearing protection in your bag and, not only when you perform, but also when you practice! When you frequently play on stage, it is really advisable to pay attention to the size and dampening level (be aware: you may lose certain tones or frequencies!). We recommend considering a professionaly fitted hearing protector.

5. Cable binder
These accessories truly work well and are very practical – Say goodbye to knotted cablespaghetti forever!

6. Towel
A gig is often a sweat inducing event. You will find that a towel will come in handy for many thing: you can use it to wipe the sweat off your brow or use it in the shower, (when the club has a shower!) after you have rocked the club. It is also a good idea to take fresh clothes. As far as fresh underwear and socks, groupies might be very happy about that.

7. Cleaning-spray
To enjoy your equipment as long as possible en to ensure it all works perfectly (en with that, to have a great sound), we think it is a great idea for musicians to carry this accessory with them to gigs to protect their beloved gear. Dust and dirt have no chance, your equipment will thank you!

8. Marker and paper
It never hurts to have writing utensils on hand, they have a ton of uses, for example to write down the setlist after which you can tape it down as a reminder.

9. Bottle opener
On a club tour it is usually not tea that is consumed. So, it can not hurt to have a bottle opener and a lighter in your pack. If you forget it the one time, that is also not such a big deal, no doubt you will find another tool or way of opening your bottle. De real tough guys open bottles with their teeth but we really do not recommend that

10. Thon Jacky Case
And the last item on our list: In the article description you can read that this concerns „indispensable case for (almost) every musician“. Whether it is to combat stage fright or to celebrate a gig that went awesome – for what occasion you use it, is totally up to you. We of course do remind you that drinking to excess can be dangerous (especially Whisky)! But as long as you keep that in mind, cheers!

What do you think, have we forgotten something?

Vincent started frequenting music shops at age eight. Picking up the Bass and Guitar followed not long after, as did bands. His love for music, from Sixties Pop and Soul to AnarchoPunk and Death Metal has only deepened with the years. He still regularly plays at Jam sessions, from Berlin to Cambodia.

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