Playing outdoors - safety n that

knuckleberryfinn

I'm about to do a gig outdoors - something I've done plenty of times - but today there is no shelter and the weather is not looking very stable.  How do you prevent yourself from electrocution when playing outside?  (My solution today is likely to be playing through a battery-powered amp).  

Danny1969

Generally all you can do is have tarps or big plastic bags at hand waiting. We keep these huge plastic pallet bags by the FOF stacks and if it rains the stacks are bagged and tied till it stops. You can do the same for your backline. Main thing is to shut down and kill the power as soon as poss so no one gets a belt. If rain looks really likely I wouldn't set up but it's hard to tell in this country. 

knuckleberryfinn

That's pretty much what I had planned for today.  But when I got to the venue, I discovered there was a summer house type thing, though with open sides, so I set up under that.  In the middle of my first set it started pouring and I carried on smugly playing.  Then I saw someone in the audience looking in horror at my amp - the roof was leaking water right into the three open inputs.  I shat myself and turned everything off.  

So it was a pretty exciting gig really.

maltingsaudio

Bit late onto this one but for what its worth a good RCD trip is a worthwhile investment to any rig especially one with valves in it.

steamabacus

Using a wireless system gives you another level of safety in this situation as your guitar is not earthed via the amp. You still need to beware of microphones, though, unless they are going through a wireless system as well.

Battery amp was a good call. Pair of wellies for extra insurance?