Load ins from hell...

[MacDaddy]

so nothing to do with the gig itself, just the load in.

I'll start with the Prince of Wales, Wimbledon. No parking, and load in across 3 busy lanes of traffic on a blind corner.

The road is never this quiet at post rush hour gig load in times!

[Silvia Bluejay]

You may also remember The Victoria Club in Aylesbury. No legal parking in front of the club, and the hall is up two flights of stairs, requiring a quick load into the entrance hall downstairs - while keeping an eye on parking wardens - followed by carrying everything up the stairs. Same in reverse at the end of the night.  *shivers*

[Lozz196]

File it under Places We Won’t Play

I hate these types of venue, not their fault as often nothing they can do about it but it just makes gigging that touch harder and less enjoyable.

[stewblack]

Mccaffertys Irish Bar, Bicester. Not absolutely from hell, but... No vehicular access, no car park. Extremely busy area with on street parking but seldom a space. My technique is to circle the centre until someone exits a takeaway then grab their space. However far from the venue. Then walk. Oh and it's always raining too. Can't explain that bit. 

So I have a one lift rig for that gig. Everything on sack trucks, gig bag on my back. Then you get in the venue and the 'stage' is a postage stamp sized corner with nowhere to leave cases. 

(see also Whelan's Uxbridge and Flan O'Brians in Bath. What is it with Irish themed pubs?) 

Edited December 23, 2019 by stewblack

[musicbassman]

....call that hard ???

I used to do some Thames riverboat gigs back in the '80's

Load on was at Wapping Pier. Parking was in the narrow streets around what was left of the warehouses, and if your van and/or its wheels were still there when you came back then you'd had a good night.

Worst thing was when it had been raining, and the tide was out. Then you'd have to take your gear on or off the boat by a slippery gangplank at a 30 - 40 degree angle. I was working in a Peddlers style organ trio so there was a C3 Hammond and a Leslie to manage.

Looking back it was bonkers dangerous and I wouldn't contemplate doing it now.

[Cat Burrito]

I have an Orange 4x10 cab and an Orange 1x15 cab so I would like to respectfully suggest everywhere that is outside of my kitchen!

[stewblack]

1 minute ago, musicbassman said:

....call that hard ???

 

[Lozz196]

I think our worst one was a place in Cardiff, no parking so quick unload in street, then load in to venue up 3 full flights of external iron stairs. At a time when the singer had had heart surgery so was carrying even less than usual.

[pete.young]

The Royal Horseguards Hotel, near Northumberland Avenue. Nowhere to legallly park, load in down a narrow set of concrete stairs into the basement, through the kitchen (whilst they were doing a live table service) dodging portuguese waiters, up 2 floors in a cranky goods lift with those slide-across doors (also being used for the food service) and into the venue.

Load out much easier, the Liberal Club which also forms part of the building had closed so we were allowed to load out down the huge front staircase.

[BigRedX]

Pub in Leeds in one of the arcades. Nowhere to park the van, so we just pulled up onto the pavement outside the arcade entrance and unloaded. Then all the gear had to be carried through the arcade to the pub, and up a flight of stairs to the room where the gig was. Repeat in reverse for the load out at the end of the evening.

In the 90s there used to be a gig venue in Nottingham in a nightclub down an alleyway off a pedestrianised area where the bands played on the 3rd floor (and there was no lift).

The Chameleon in Nottingham is pretty bad. There's only one space to (illegally) park while you unload and if it's occupied by a bus or taxi, you have the choice of either circling round the one way system to see if it's free when you come back or parking a long way away and carrying everything. The entrance to the venue is down a dark narrow alley way and the gig room is up two flights of stairs, one narrow with a door top and bottom and the other not so narrow with a door at the bottom only.

[King Tut]

1 hour ago, Silvia Bluejay said:

You may also remember The Victoria Club in Aylesbury. No legal parking in front of the club, and the hall is up two flights of stairs, requiring a quick load into the entrance hall downstairs - while keeping an eye on parking wardens - followed by carrying everything up the stairs. Same in reverse at the end of the night.  *shivers*

I hate the Vic club with a vengeance. Buggered my arm up helping load a sub down those stairs. Ended up turning gigs down there.

[BrunoBass]

The load in / out pain is frequently exacerbated by morons who refuse to move even half a metre to allow you through with that heavy cabinet you’re carrying. They know you’re there, they can see what you’re trying to do, they can even hear you politely asking if ’I can just squeeze through please mate?’, but no, stand immovable in your way they will. Some pathetic macho territory thing I expect. 

[gary mac]

9 minutes ago, BrunoBass said:

The load in / out pain is frequently exacerbated by morons who refuse to move even half a metre to allow you through with that heavy cabinet you’re carrying. They know you’re there, they can see what you’re trying to do, they can even hear you politely asking if ’I can just squeeze through please mate?’, but no, stand immovable in your way they will. Some pathetic macho territory thing I expect. 

Goes with the territory with pub gigs Real bad case of it during the load out at a Buntingford, Herts pub gig last Friday night. 

[MacDaddy]

39 minutes ago, BrunoBass said:

The load in / out pain is frequently exacerbated by morons who refuse to move even half a metre to allow you through with that heavy cabinet you’re carrying. They know you’re there, they can see what you’re trying to do, they can even hear you politely asking if ’I can just squeeze through please mate?’, but no, stand immovable in your way they will. Some pathetic macho territory thing I expect. 

 

27 minutes ago, gary mac said:

Goes with the territory with pub gigs Real bad case of it during the load out at a Buntingford, Herts pub gig last Friday night. 

Hah! The old soak, sat (in the way) at the end of the bar. It's where he sits, and he's sat there for the last 20-30 years and nothing is gong to move him!

[chris_b]

3 hours ago, musicbassman said:

I used to do some Thames riverboat gigs back in the '80's

Me too. Depending on the tides the gangplank could be like climbing up and down a ladder whilst carrying carrying your gear!!

[E sharp]

I just refuse to play sh*tholes like this now - as do the band , and frankly anyone who I've depped with over the last couple of years .

I mean you get the odd tricky load in , but some of the ones that I've read here ... I just wouldn't bother .

Perhaps I'm in the minority?

[chris_b]

I've got Barefaced cabs and a great trolley so I can park anywhere. Load-ins don't bother me anymore. The rest of the band might not be so happy, though!

[Silvia Bluejay]

We have the whole of the PA in our car for every gig, as well as the bass rig and, for Damo And The Dynamites, the double bass and the guitars with their rig (as well as Damo himself, but he hasn't needed to be carried anywhere so far!). I also have lights, roller banners and photo equipment to carry.

So yes, we now tend to select only those venues where parking and load in are not too much trouble.

[Roger2611]

My worst was Edwards Number 8 in Birmingham many years back, we were putting in a 20K PA for a Banghra festival, we were promised 8 burly roadies to get the gear in and down (or up) two flights of stairs, either way we had no help in or out at the end of the night, so it was down to 3 of us to man handle the entire rig in and out, that damn near killed me!

[TheRev]

Beese's riverside bar in Bristol.

Lovely old place with a great beer garden right on the river. It does actually have a car park but its about 40ft above the pub, which you reach by 60-odd uneven steps.

If you dont fancy the steps, then you can take a water taxi but only if your set finishes before 10 so you can get the ferry back across the river to the ferry car park before it closes.

 

[alant]

8 hours ago, Silvia Bluejay said:

You may also remember The Victoria Club in Aylesbury. No legal parking in front of the club, and the hall is up two flights of stairs, requiring a quick load into the entrance hall downstairs - while keeping an eye on parking wardens - followed by carrying everything up the stairs. Same in reverse at the end of the night.  *shivers*

Know it well !

 

[FinnDave]

Anywhere in Reading is a bloody nightmare - nowhere to park and very closely monitored bus lanes all over the place. And once you've found somewhere to park that looks like it might be OK for the evening, it's still a bloody long way to schlepp amps and cabs to wherever you are unlucky enough to be playing.

I've played gigs there where the band has collectively paid more in parking and bus lane fines than they have been paid. I refuse to go back there. Mind you, I've agreed to play in Oxford early in the New Year, parking is a nightmare there as well.

Edited December 23, 2019 by FinnDave

[Lozz196]

5 hours ago, BrunoBass said:

The load in / out pain is frequently exacerbated by morons who refuse to move even half a metre to allow you through with that heavy cabinet you’re carrying. They know you’re there, they can see what you’re trying to do, they can even hear you politely asking if ’I can just squeeze through please mate?’, but no, stand immovable in your way they will. Some pathetic macho territory thing I expect. 

Pushing into them with a 410 and then saying "thanks" usually does the trick. Like most bully-boys - and geese for some reason - they back down when it`s taken straight to them.

[dave_bass5]

Worst for me has to be the high walkway over Tower bridge. Not only can you not park on the bridge, therefore have to wheel or carry all the gear from the south side, you have to use the service lift which doesn't have a button, you have to phone someone to come down. When we played it it was a free for all with the caterers and DJ etc.

[arthurhenry]

1 hour ago, TheRev said:

Beese's riverside bar in Bristol.

Lovely old place with a great beer garden right on the river. It does actually have a car park but its about 40ft above the pub, which you reach by 60-odd uneven steps.

If you dont fancy the steps, then you can take a water taxi but only if your set finishes before 10 so you can get the ferry back across the river to the ferry car park before it closes.

 

Yes! Was thinking of adding this one myself. At least they provide a PA and food,  though the gig itself it can be hit and miss.