What are the must haves for gigging?

Someone said needle nose pliers. I bring a Swiss army knife with screw drivers, knife and pliers. I also bring a bunch of plastic tie-wraps to keep the kit from moving while playing. Hook up about 8 of the long tie-wraps together going through the bass drum lug and tie it to the thrown. The hi-hats also tend to walk, you can tie the hi-hat to the bass drum and then to the thrown..

Also gain an understanding of how to fix the equipment if broken. Set the kit up, and tune up the kit, before the gig and tear it down and do an inventory. An extra snare chord or plastic is helpful.
 
1) stick bag
2) drum key
3) moongel
4) towel
5) Bass drum/snare/ 2 toms/ ( great if you could do with just 1 ideally.. ) & a hi hat
6) 2 cymbal- ( a ride and a crash )
7) drum throne
8) rug
...

Yep, that's about the bare minimum. I never carry moongel. Oh ..... earplugs. Hearing protection. Carry as many, or as few drums and cymbals as you see fit. One band I was in (for about two years) .... I only used kick and snare. No toms.​
For probably 10 years I carried a spare snare and kick pedal. And never needed 'em. Then went 20 years not carrying 'em. And never needed 'em. But that's a comfort level you need to decide, for yourself.​
 
Thanks for the good advice everyone! Like Harry said, I'm sure I'll eventually figure out what I feel comfortable having for myself, I will probably take my extra snare just in case but honestly can't see replacing a head during a gig...don't think I'm that competent at this point. If I did, it sure wouldn't sound like crap anyways because I'd never get it tuned to sound well enough. However there were some basic things I never thought of such as the drum key (duh!).

Next week we practice at one of other girls houses so I can start getting a sense of what tearing down the kit and putting it back up will be like. I have a rug I plan on using on which I will mark placement of the drums with tape before then so I hope that will help somewhat. At least I have a couple of months to get it all together!

Talk about feeling like a noob all over again! Lol
 
As you mentioned practicing taking down and setting up your kit Mary.
That is important to be proficient at.
Being able to set up your kit accurately and quickly eliminates stress.
I have memory locks on every possible piece of hardware on my kits.
When I move a kit and reset it everything is exactly like it was and that is very comforting for me.
 
Here's my two cents:

Kit (obviously).

Carpet. It doesn't need to be drum-specific. Check out remnants at a carpet store.

Sturdy throne with a backrest.

Stick bag. I have a spare set of sticks under the seat of my truck just in case I forget my stick bag. Haven't had to dig them out yet.

Spare snare.

Drum key.

I'm not big on carrying around lots of spare stuff. I've never broken a head or a cymbal. I have a 60's vintage Speed King pedal that's built like a tank and has never let me down. When I'm packing my kit (usually the day before the gig) I tune everything up and make sure that everything is in good working order. If I need a cymbal sleeve or a felt it gets replaced then. Same with heads. I clean and lubricate the Speed King every four to six months. Cymbals get cleaned about every six months.
 
To me, its about, 1- Protecting your valuable instruments, and 2- Figuring out what you can't get through the night without, and have spares or parts. Here's what I use:

Cases/bags for drums and hardware
Cymbal case (I prefer a hard case over a bag, but that's me)
Rug (I use a rubber backed 4'x6' carpeted entrance mat, like you'd see at the entrance of a business)
I have a small plastic hardware box containing the following- Multi tool, spare pedal spring, gaffer's tape, duct tape, snare cord/straps, spare hi-hat clutch, and extra drum keys.

With the 2 tapes, I can field repair just about anything. I can't fix a clutch, pedal, or strainer with tape, so I have those spare parts ready to go. I used to bring felts, washers, beaters, cymbal sleeves, and all other manner of stuff, but if you maintain your kit properly before you head out to the gig you probably won't need them.
 
OMG, I almost forgot.
No drumkit is complete until it has a drink holder. :)
 

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Lots of excellent suggestions there Mary. +++++ on the DRUM CASES to protect your valuable drums. Helpful in case some drunk knucklehead volunteers to carry your gear and drops a drum.
Ouch. (I carry my own gear). Definitely spare snare, as it seems to take me a while to change a head and tune it.

Oh - bring BF for transport - cheerleading - applause duties.
 
Everything has already been mentioned, but I'll single out one that I feel is worth repeating: The rug. Without that, you're screwed. You'll end up playing somewhere on a hard floor like tile or concrete and it will be a complete disaster without a rug.

Also, moon gels, or some other damping device. Even some duct tape and paper towel that you can attach to an unruly drum. Especially if you're still honing your tuning skills. You'll drive a sound person crazy, especially one who isn't very good, with unwanted overtones coming from the drums. Especially that tom that acts up even when you're not playing it by vibrating sympathetically with the rest of your set.
 
...Next week we practice at one of other girls houses so I can start getting a sense of what tearing down the kit and putting it back up will be like. I have a rug I plan on using on which I will mark placement of the drums with tape before then so I hope that will help somewhat...

Great idea. I use these also:



http://www.samedaymusic.com/product--PTRPR9022
 

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Absolutely bring a rug -- unless you're ABSOLUTELY certain the stage area is carpeted... even then I often use my rug overtop -- drum key(s), spare snare (gaffers tape can get you through broken tom/bass heads)... that's the bare minimum....

a little flashlight helps with setup/tear down in a dimly lit area... a spare kick drum pedal (or the tools necessary to tighten/repair the thing (in my case, allen wrenches, spring, spare chain)...

double/triple check you have everything before you leave (checklist might not be a bad idea the first few times) -- once you get into a routine load-in/out will be a breeze and you'll automatically know if you have everything...

Probably wouldn't hurt to go over all your gear ahead of time and make sure everything's in good working order... stuff will still come loose, break, wear out after awhile - but you'll see it coming most of the time!

Good luck!
 
double/triple check you have everything before you leave (checklist might not be a bad idea the first few times) -- once you get into a routine load-in/out will be a breeze and you'll automatically know if you have everything...
Definitely. I pretty much have left one of everything at home at one time or another. Not so bad when you are 5 min. from home, but when you are 120 mi. away it could be a problem.
 
I don't really have anything new to add but here's my gig list.

- Kit (of course) -- with each piece with it's own hard case.
- Hardware (in a hard case)
- Spare snare
- Cymbal case with appropriate amount of cymbals.
- Pedal
- Drum rug -- with Velcro tape to mark pedal and stand positions (less permanent than duct tape.
- Stick bag with appropriate amount of sticks, brushes, mallets, metronome, drum keys, stick wax, batteries (for metronome and forgetful guitarists). I also have a small keychain light attached to my stick bag strap. It's helped me find that lost drum key, felt, etc, in the dark a few times.
- Spare heads -- usually snare and kick.
- A multi compartment hardware box that holds a bunch of felts, wingnuts, spare beater, moleskin (for bass drum head) spare hi-hat clutch, screws, and a Leatherman multi-tool.
- Bottle of water.

That's all I can think of right now since I'm not packed for a gig at the moment.

Oh, also a multi-cart too. It helps making load-in/load-out much easier. However, you may be able to use your...assets to get some folks to help you.

Just be careful with letting others handle your drums. I've had issues with this in the past...
 
I don't really have anything new to add but here's my gig list.

- Kit (of course) -- with each piece with it's own hard case.
- Hardware (in a hard case)
- Spare snare
- Cymbal case with appropriate amount of cymbals.
- Pedal
- Drum rug -- with Velcro tape to mark pedal and stand positions (less permanent than duct tape.
- Stick bag with appropriate amount of sticks, brushes, mallets, metronome, drum keys, stick wax, batteries (for metronome and forgetful guitarists). I also have a small keychain light attached to my stick bag strap. It's helped me find that lost drum key, felt, etc, in the dark a few times.
- Spare heads -- usually snare and kick.
- A multi compartment hardware box that holds a bunch of felts, wingnuts, spare beater, moleskin (for bass drum head) spare hi-hat clutch, screws, and a Leatherman multi-tool.
- Bottle of water.

That's all I can think of right now since I'm not packed for a gig at the moment.

Oh, also a multi-cart too. It helps making load-in/load-out much easier. However, you may be able to use your...assets to get some folks to help you.

Just be careful with letting others handle your drums. I've had issues with this in the past...

Some of this seems a little unnecessary if it's just a local show. The shows in my area, are usually 4 bands per show, and we're a friendly music scene, so if anything malfunctions or breaks, somebody will always let you use a piece of their equipment, and trust you with it. And the other bands will almost always help you carry your gear, and they are friendly and careful, so we always know we can trust them. Heck, at my last gig, I let somebody borrow my most prized guitar for his set, because he was having problems with his. He treated it well, and appreciated the help greatly. There's almost always a drum rug at our venues, but it is a good idea to always bring one just in case, especially when it's a venue you haven't played yet.

On the other hand, if you're the only band playing and/or it's out of town, it's probably a good idea to bring the extras
 
Other than your kit:
Duct Tape, plenty of drum keys, extra snare head, extra bass drum pedal.
 
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