A Modern Day Touring Drummer's Gear Requirements...Holy Smokes!

Jeremy Bender

Platinum Member
This is Shakira's drummer giving a rundown of his on stage set-up for live performances. Quite the elaborate and expensive investment in gear.
 
Yeah, that's a crazy cool setup. Expensive, especially considering what I've read about salaries for touring back-up musicians, though I won't pretend to know what Shakira pays.
 
Would be nice the see the panic when both laptops die..?

Anyway, i think 99,9% of the audience would not notice any difference when half of that whole set up would be removed..

Thats the sad part of things like this..

Allthough there will also be people who maybe say that remaining 0,1% is the difference between having a pro show or not..
 
Anyway, i think 99,9% of the audience would not notice any difference when half of that whole set up would be removed..

I agree, and have often thought that when guitarists (I also play guitar—very, very poorly) change their guitars every song. I mean...if you're in an 80,000 seat stadium, chances are you're not really going to hear the difference between the Strat and the Tele and Les Paul, especially once it's gone through however many pedals and the rest of the sound system.

But the guitarist can tell the difference, and I think that's really the key. And the same thing here: as you said, 99.9% of the people wouldn't be able to tell the difference, but Shakira (in this case) would, and she's the one that really matters.
 
Well, certainly taking a big rig like that on tour is the exception, rather than the rule. But doesn't it all comes down to doing justice to the music. Here's Pat Mastelotto's rig .... and he was only one of three drummers King Crimson toured with.
 
..as you said, 99.9% of the people wouldn't be able to tell the difference, but Shakira (in this case) would, and she's the one that really matters..


Not quite sure about Shakira herself, but thats why i wrote also that last sentence..:

"Allthough there will also be people who maybe say that remaining 0,1% is the difference between having a pro show or not.."
 
I say if the music needs it, then it needs it. Steve Jordan has a video of what he was using with John Mayer and he carried about seven different snares. Although as an audience member, if he played one kit all night I’d be happy.
 
That's pretty neat. It's cool that in the current days we get such an inside view of what goes on in those enormous arena shows.
 
I say if the music needs it, then it needs it. Steve Jordan has a video of what he was using with John Mayer and he carried about seven different snares. Although as an audience member, if he played one kit all night I’d be happy.

7? I can’t imagine why I’d need more than 3 or 4 on any one gig. Is John Mayer’s setlist really all that diverse? Lol
 
So, he basically has a 6 pc kit with a side snare, a bunch of e-pads, and then some auxiliary percussion.

Complicated? Sure, but I don't see as being more stuff than plenty of other drummers who go out with huge kits.
 
In that scenario, you're hired to do a job, & the required elements are specified. Do you need all that stuff for a show to sound good? --- almost certainly not, but the hiring artist / production believe you do, so you either get with the program, or they get another player.
 
In that scenario, you're hired to do a job, & the required elements are specified. Do you need all that stuff for a show to sound good? --- almost certainly not, but the hiring artist / production believe you do, so you either get with the program, or they get another player.
My thought exactly. He's not doing it for himself - he's tasked with executing what the music director (and/or) artist requires. So if he needs it, he needs it. I think in Pat Mastellotto's case though, he's not a sideman and a creating member within King Crimson, so he uses what he uses for self-expression, which is cool too.
 
If anyone has a diverse set list, it's me! I use one snare.

Now I’m trying to figure out who would have an even more diverse setlist than you. Maybe somebody who tours with a musical revue that does a bunch of different styles? But even then, I doubt there’d be much more diversity. Al’s audience is, I’m guessing, more tolerant than most of extreme and sudden stylistic shifts in a show.
 
It probably depends on the gig.

This is the requirement for this gig.

I don't really consider a 6-piece + aux snare and some sort of multipad usual. The rest is for reproduction, backup and technical convenience.

There's no additonal percussionist, so.....

Compared to some metal and prog guys this isn't much at all.
 
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