How Does Your Band Set Up on Stage?

DrummerCA35

Senior Member
We are a 5 piece band. lead singer/guitar/bass/drums/keys. All of us, including me, sing some backup.

How does your band set up on stage? Does everyone except the drums set up in one line, and then the drums in back (obviously)? Or, do you have a few people in front and a few in back (ie the bass player is in back next to the drummer)? Does your band have everyone except the drums in front creating a wall of people blocking the drummer from the audience view? Or does your band have more of staggered setup?

Thanks for any replies...
 
Set-up is often governed by the size of the stage. For example, since the keys take up some width, they may not fit across the front with the others, so they'd go in the back next to the drums.

Also, if the lead singing duties are even shared by 2 or 3 members, they would probably be up front. If the keyboard player has several songs he/she sings, they may bi in the front (and pout the bass player in the back next to the drums, assuming he/she doesn't sing much lead.)

But there are really no rules apart from space limitations. Depending on the band, the drummer may be in front.

Bermuda
 
We are a 4 piece, so I am usually at the back, center, or in the corner. The Bass, lead, and Rhythm all sing and are in the front. I don't mind :)
 
We set up according to the stage layout and size. Mostly, it's a straight line in front of me.

One thing: I'm a creature of habit, and I like having the bass player to my right. And it's not like I spend much time looking at him. I actually don't look at him very often. But it brings order to my world. I'm weird that way.
 
I'm happy to live at the back somewhere. I have to sing as well but I like being in a corner, sound projects better.

The other plus side to being at the back in a wedding band is that it's harder for drunken idiots to get near you when they have a wander on stage or trip on a monitor.

My pet hate is when you've set up and somebody decides you need to be six inches further over.
 
We set up according to the stage layout and size. Mostly, it's a straight line in front of me.

One thing: I'm a creature of habit, and I like having the bass player to my right. And it's not like I spend much time looking at him. I actually don't look at him very often. But it brings order to my world. I'm weird that way.

I'm right handed and I prefer the bass player to my left, so I can watch his plucking hand easily.(assuming a right handed bassist)

Plus the bass player has a better view of my kick drum pedal. His amp is closer to me too so I can hear him better. (not always a good thing lol)

Lar are you a southpaw?

Drummers live in the back. It's a law I think because I never saw a drummer set up anywhere else.
 
I'm right handed and I prefer the bass player to my left, so I can watch his plucking hand easily.(assuming a right handed bassist)

Plus the bass player has a better view of my kick drum pedal. His amp is closer to me too so I can hear him better. (not always a good thing lol)

Lar are you a southpaw?

Drummers live in the back. It's a law I think because I never saw a drummer set up anywhere else.

Same here.

I gotta have the bass player on my left. He can see my foot, I can hear his amp without my ride cymbal washing over it, he can also hear my hi hat better on my left.

One exception is with the jazz gigs, one of the bass players has to be away from his amp to hear it well (strange hearing issue...) so he will set up on one side of my kit with his amp on the other, usually next to the piano.
 
Trying to figure it out ahead of time never works. Just play in the spaces you can fit.
 
General rule of thumb is singers up front, guitarist near the front, drums in the back, and line of sight between the key players. Everything else is pretty much up to size of the stage/playing area and how many people sing lead on any songs. Unless you always play in the same place, or have a touring stage setup, it's not likely you will have a constant setup or can do much more planning than that.
 
Lar are you a southpaw?
Nope, I'm a righty, which means it makes no sense at all, right? Hey, I never said I was logical. I guess I'm just used to it and I feel like that's where I want the bass player to be. Maybe it comes from seeing John Paul Jones set up shop there or something.
 
Me middle back, bass on my far left, keys far right and often a little back. Two guitars middle each on either side of me.
 
As much as possible I try to get everyone to set up like our rehearsals. Where they want to get around on the stage is there business, but the amps and proximity to the drums is important. I don't want the bassist deciding that on this particular night he would rather set his amp on the other side of the drums. Volume too! Guys practice on 2 and get on stage and crank up to 6. That's a big mistake a lot of people make. Practice like you perform and perform like you practice. No amps behind me is a big one too. The line starts past my snare drum so when I look left or right I can see the backs of the amps. Of course some places are just too small for that kind of comfort level, and then sometimes the stage is huge which is weird too, with everyone and their gear so far away.
 
One thing that bugs me with the really big acts is there is like 20 yards between each member. Even if I was on a big stage, I prefer having band members in close proximity. It feels more tightknit that way. I really don't think I would enjoy it nearly as much if my guys were waaaay over there, you know? But that's usually never a problem with the gigs I do lol.
 
One thing that bugs me with the really big acts is there is like 20 yards between each member. Even if I was on a big stage, I prefer having band members in close proximity. It feels more tightknit that way. I really don't think I would enjoy it nearly as much if my guys were waaaay over there, you know? But that's usually never a problem with the gigs I do lol.

I like big stages, makes me more diligent/attentive in watching the other players. Small stages I can just sort of focus ahead and catch everyone in the field of view...big stages challenge that, and I enjoy the added presence required.

F
 
One thing that bugs me with the really big acts is there is like 20 yards between each member. Even if I was on a big stage, I prefer having band members in close proximity. It feels more tightknit that way. I really don't think I would enjoy it nearly as much if my guys were waaaay over there, you know? But that's usually never a problem with the gigs I do lol.

I did some workshops with a former MI instructor who would rent some place with a big stage so that garage/bar players could get used to having people 20' away. I actually kind of like it. You can discriminate between instruments better without it all being muddled together. Last weekend I played in a small restaurant and the guitar player tiped his Vibroluxe back so he could hear it better which was good, but it was pointed right at the two lead singers who couldn't hear anything else. Another gig with those folks and I had the Leslie right next to me, obliterating everything else. I love festivals and corporate gigs were you have some space to yourself.

edit: Oh, and bass player to the left. Guitar that solos to the other side. Keys to the other side of the bass player as a lot of keyboard players tend to play big washes that take up space. Guitar is usually more rhythmic. The band mentioned above has both a Hammond player and a key player who does pianos and horn lines. So those guys are outboard on either side (except that one gig where I got stuffed in the corner with the Leslie).

Who do people think that drum sets fit into corners anyway? The footprint is basically rectangular. And corners tend to put the bass amp in front of you. So in a bar/restaurant without a large monitor, all you hear is rumble and no articulation. In my old corporate band where things were louder and everything was in the PA, the bass player would turn his cabinet at the drums and use a bass combo amp on top to hear himself. The audience got it from the PA. Kept the stage volume down and allowed the drummer to hear him clearly.
 
Pretty standard I'd say. Depends on the venue though.

I usually like to have my bassist on my right and closer to me for easy communication. We have twin vocalists/guitarists yet some sound guys insist on trying to set the ladies center and stage right which makes no sense at all. Far left and right just feels better and can only help isolating the vocal mics from the drums.

I do have a thing about orienting my bass drum stage right though. I like my body to be perfectly centered towards the front.


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I really dig the look of having the drummer up front and off to the side, angled towards the audience (like Mutemath).

A couple of local bands here do it, and I think that it's a killer stage look.

I say put the most charismatic/constantly moving people up front. I hate watching bands where everyone is standing still except for the bassist and the drummer, but they're hidden in the shadows.
 
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