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[Dave Garoutte]

I just finished a great holiday party gig.
Except for the two battery powered up lights that walked off.
Wreaks havoc on the bottom line.
May all your events be theft-free!

[Bob Faulkner]

Sorry to hear Dave.  Over the years, I've had a few small things walk away, though, nothing like lighting.

[Ivan Beaver]

I did a show on Christmas day years ago.

I had just bought a brand new Carver PM1.5 amp and didn't have a chance to rerack the amps in a larger rack-so I set it on top for the show.

The band walked off with it--------------

I would have been MUCH better spending Christmas at home

Yeah-it sucks

[Debbie Dunkley]

I just finished a great holiday party gig.
Except for the two battery powered up lights that walked off.
Wreaks havoc on the bottom line.
May all your events be theft-free!

Sorry Dave - darn it!

I seem to spend half my strike time placing items where they will be safe from the hands of folks I don't know very well until they are actually in the van. Between Chris and I we do quite well keeping an eye on things - so far!!!

[Steve Crump]

For me it was about five years ago and it was a Presonus 16.0.2 and I am 99% it was the band's "pick up" drummer.

[Scott Holtzman]

For me it was about five years ago and it was a Presonus 16.0.2 and I am 99% it was the band's "pick up" drummer.

Frankly I don't understand how anyone can take something and then get any enjoyment out of using it. 

How do you become so devoid of basic morality?

[John Roberts {JR}]

Frankly I don't understand how anyone can take something and then get any enjoyment out of using it. 

How do you become so devoid of basic morality?

People rationalize lots of bad behavior to serve their personal self interest.

JR

[David Allred]

People rationalize lots of bad behavior to serve their personal self interest.

JR

We live in a world shifting toward "my truth", unfortunately.  "My truth" is that I need (or deserve) this more than the person I am taking this from.

[Helge A Bentsen]

You can sort of reason why people do certain things.

Like the stagehands who "helped" themselves to a pair of DT770 headphones between FOH and the door while rolling out my mixer. At least I hope they can enjoy the sound quality from a proper pair of headphones, DT770 is a huge step up from the crap passing as "headphones" in most stores these days.

What I'm having a harder time with is the kids in the neighborhood who have decided to use my trailer as a place to practice their art "skills". Not impressed by what they have achieved so far....

[Bob Faulkner]

Frankly I don't understand how anyone can take something and then get any enjoyment out of using it. 

How do you become so devoid of basic morality?

From a social science perspective, a person's (many... certainly not all) self-worth and status (especially in the USA), is determined by their possessions.  Unfortunately, their self-worth is the guiding compass for what they determine as acceptable behavior.

[Mike Caldwell]

I had a Sennheiser body pack system walk away while packing  up at an outdoor show a few years ago.
The stage is in a public area and I'm sure someone and helped themselves to a shiny briefcase figuring something good must be inside.
In this case I know it was not the band.

Just a month ago between two pallets of equipment for an install job I had six Sennheiser wireless handheld systems, three Denon media players, three Sennheiser body packs and a Ui24 all stolen.
My supplier shipped me replacements and dealt with the loss claim.
 My supplier had pictures of my pallets being loaded and at that time the missing items could be seen through the wrap on the pallets.

The real kicker was that my delivery was about two weeks late due to the shipper loosing my pallets of equipment and then when they finally show it's not all there!
Needless to say I was on a first name basis with New England Motor Freight for about a week and a half.

[Ivan Beaver]

People rationalize lots of bad behavior to serve their personal self interest.

JR

Back in the early 80s, I lived in a "band house".

One day I noticed a good number of my mics were missing.

The band took them.

I asked why-they said "Well you have so many and we don't, and we needed them".

They did not borrow them, they stole them, with no intention of returning them

[Dave Pluke]

Except for the two battery powered up lights that walked off.

Bummer!

I did a party a couple of months ago and corralling the battery uplights was the first thing I did when the music stopped.  Had they disappeared before then, I'd have been out of luck.

Beyond that, getting everything into big, bulky cases can minimize the shrinkage.

Dave

[Dave Garoutte]

Apparently some homeless person grabbed my lights during load in.

Then tonight at my NYE gig load out, my expensive hand truck vanished!  You can imagine how I felt.
Turns out the venue had a similar one and put it away.
What a relief!

Happy New Year all my friends here on PSW!!!!

[Scott Slater]

About 5 years ago I was doing a gig and during load in, a 6 space case with 2 fairly heavy amps walked.  These were my monitor amps, so we had to make due by splitting up the main amps to free up channels for monitors during the gig.

The next day I got a call from the local police department stating that they had found a case with my company name on it a few blocks away from where the gig was.  Apparently the thieves found the case to be too heavy to lug much further.  At least I got them back undamaged.

Another time during a festival, I caught a guitar player packing up my e906 into his bag.  I told him that mic belongs to us, and he just said "my bad" and handed it back to me.

Happy New Year!

[David Allred]

Apparently some homeless person grabbed them during load in.
Then tonight at my NYE gig load out, my expensive hand truck vanished!  You can imagine how I felt.
Turns out the venue had a similar one and put it away.
What a relief!

Happy New Year all my friends here on PSW!!!!

Exact same thing happened to me at a hotel / conv center.

[Will Knight]

In the early 70’s, I headed up a 9 piece college band and since I owned the transportation, was also the “EQ” guy. Our last spring gig before school was out got cancelled due to scheduling conflicts.  Too tired to unpack my van, I left the gear inside overnight.  Next day, van is there..but all my gear was gone.  A Peavy PA 4 speaker columns, my Sunn Coliseum Bass Amp and 2-15 Cab, my ‘63 pre-CBS Fender Precision Bass (purchased from a local Pawn shop for $100!) and several Shure mics and mic stands.  Needless to say, completely devastated (and was not insured {DUH!} lesson learned by dumba$$ college student me).  Band subsequently broke up - or at least I left them for a variety of reasons.  5 months later, heard the group was practicing someplace and went to see them...and SURPRISE!!  There stood everyone in silence...or perhaps shock...as I looked around and saw.....Peavey PA Columns?!?...Sunn Coliseum Bass Amp?!?...Sunn 2-15 Cabinet?!?!...former band mates??...

Took one heck of a long time to get over that episode.

[Steve-White]

I just finished a great holiday party gig.
Except for the two battery powered up lights that walked off.
Wreaks havoc on the bottom line.
May all your events be theft-free!

Sorry to hear your loss.  When I end a show now, we hit the stage from both sides grabbing all the mics.  They’re usually the first thing to walk off.  It’s difficult to be everywhere at once and those that steal are looking for an instant of opportunity.

The worst theft so far for me was back in 1984, I lost my truck and much gear in a domestic separation.  A buddy had a DJ business and loaned me his GMC step van for transportation and to haul my gear - in turn we setup all his DJ shows turn-key.  The man is a class act and good friend that really helped me out in a time of need.

Anyway, every few weeks he would need the van and I would unload it at my shop and drop it off at his apartment and lock it up. I had a set of keys to it.  One weekend he called and said he needed the truck, so I unloaded Sunday afternoon after the weekend jobs and dropped it off at his apartment parking lot and locked it up.  I unloaded all my gear and left his stuff in the van, about 1/2 his DJ PA was in it - a pair of JBL 2395 horn/lens, 2441 drivers on them, 4 x 2405 slots, amp rack full of Ashly & Crown, etc.

Dropped it off Sunday night, got a call from him Tuesday saying he needed truck, I said I dropped it off Sunday night.  He called cops, never questioned me - they found truck a day or so later, empty of course.  Got truck back, none of the gear.  Just glad I unloaded what I did or they would have really hit a bonanza and totally crippled us both.

Getting ripped off really sux.

[David Allred]

In the early 70’s, I headed up a 9 piece college band and since I owned the transportation, was also the “EQ” guy. Our last spring gig before school was out got cancelled due to scheduling conflicts.  Too tired to unpack my van, I left the gear inside overnight.  Next day, van is there..but all my gear was gone.  A Peavy PA 4 speaker columns, my Sunn Coliseum Bass Amp and 2-15 Cab, my ‘63 pre-CBS Fender Precision Bass (purchased from a local Pawn shop for $100!) and several Shure mics and mic stands.  Needless to say, completely devastated (and was not insured {DUH!} lesson learned by dumba$$ college student me).  Band subsequently broke up - or at least I left them for a variety of reasons.  5 months later, heard the group was practicing someplace and went to see them...and SURPRISE!!  There stood everyone in silence...or perhaps shock...as I looked around and saw.....Peavey PA Columns?!?...Sunn Coliseum Bass Amp?!?...Sunn 2-15 Cabinet?!?!...former band mates??...

Took one heck of a long time to get over that episode.

....and???

[Dave Garoutte]

....and???

Did you involve the police?  And the big question, where is the P-Bass??

[David Allred]

Did you involve the police?  And the big question, where is the P-Bass??

Concealed carry? 

[Will Knight]

....and???

Asked the band what the F^&* was going on....got silence in return....left and filed report with Police....who eventually investigated and...turned up with nothing...

...have not seen or spoken to any of the members since....still angers when I think about it today, 45 years later...

[Will Knight]

Did you involve the police?  And the big question, where is the P-Bass??

Never found it. 

[Don T. Williams]

I provided sound for a club that got lots of up and coming (and sometimes on the way  back down) acts in the late seventies and all through the eighties.  I lost a few mics as "souvenirs" to a mostly drunken audience.  One night the lead singers mic, complete with XLR connector and two feet of attached cable disappeared at the end of the set.  Club manager got on the PA and said they were locking the club down, but would first turn his back and give the audience 30 seconds to return the mic.  It worked!  Apparently the souvenir seeker couldn't figure out how the unplug an XLR and just cut the cable.

[ProSoundWeb Community]