Audience members will often come up want to visit after a program. I enjoy getting to know folks.

Problem is, many want to be 'helpful'....pulling cables, moving equipment etc. I appreciate these helpful gestures but they actually make it harder to get packed up and I end up having to rearrange my system just to get out of the gig.

Others experience this?

These are folks with the best of intentions but I wish they would keep hands off gear.

How does that go? The road to hell is paved with good intentions...

Hi - yes, I experience this too - most of the time they just ask if they can help, they don't start picking up my stuff. I politely say "thanks for the offer" but tell them I have a "system" and I'm OK with doing it myself.

The comments and questions I get after a gig, when the people come up to "visit", are often interesting. One of the most common is people ask me, "What do you call this thing" (pointing at my rig) ... I guess they don't see very many Tyros-like keyboards around (plus I add a small 2nd keyboard on top of mine) and they are just curious.

Sometimes the person who offers help ooks to be ~90 years old and 90 pounds (Weight) and clearly not actually able to tote equipment around - I think they just feel they "should" offer to help?!

Jim

The same as Jim and I add that it is all the exercise I get( a bit of a lie).

I just tell them, which was very often, that I had a special way of packing my equipment and everything had a special place that it went or it wouldn't fit on the cart. Then I thanked them for offering and went about my tear down routine, which takes me about 6 minutes at most.

All the best,

Gary

I once played a locked dementia room one man wanted to help me pack my gear. I had him hold the mic stand and told him it will be the last item to go on the Rock n Roller cart. This man had no outwards that I could tell of dementia. He put the mic stand on the cart, I fastened the bungee cords and he proceeded to follow me out the door, that is until an nursing assistant stopped him from leaving. That was the last time anyone helped me load the RnR cart.

Here's a photo of the load I used to haul into every venue. Like I said, everything has a special location on the cart.



Gary

Finished playing a 4th story hotel ballroom one night. The help was anxious to get home and, unbeknowst to me, one of the busboys took my hard cover KB case down to the underground garage. Problem: The keyboard was still sitting on its stand on the 4th floor. By the time I figured out what happened the busboy was no where to be found. He left my KB case on the ground next to the only car left, mine. Fortunately, no one walked away with it before I found it.
Eddie

One of the top motivators in streamlining my setup was to be able to get in and get out quickly to help the staff prepare for their next event. Sure, it benefits me, as well, but when I can tear down, and be walking out the door in 15 minutes - the staff really loves me. Even my cases store inside each other, so I just have a single KB bag to stash in a coatroom or closet during a show. The hand truck folds flat, and also fits inside the case. Club work is a different animal, but playing the outside means a new approach to the whole show. We're often a part of the ambiance, and the total package is more important than any one part. Working together with party planners is paramount to the bigger buck$$$$$, so I like to be their best pal during setup and teardown.

Good responses all.

Glad to hear it's sort of a universal problem.