I think that the more you play there you will get more accustomed to the acoustics and will be able to adapt. I once played a bar where the owner made me set up on a piece of plywood on the pool table. My head actually brushed against the ceiling.If I raised my sticks too high the tips would stick into the acoustic tile ceiling. I eventually got used to it and we always had alot of fun when we played there.

Bring a carpet. It wont fix it. But it will help.

I had my kit on a rug I brought, plus the riser had one. I 'm going to try using coated emporers on all the drums and wear earplugs. Hopefully the combination of the mellower heads and the plugs will make it tolerable to play.

You just have to say to yourself it is what it is. I know full well it can ruin a gig for the band, although 9 times out of 10 it still sounds great out front.

I remember doing a Jazz gig in the foyer to an Arts museum. A big grand space with shiny wooden floor and a high glass roof. My Ride Cymbals (both Constantinoples) were just out of control!! There was nothing I could do. I had to play soooo minute I could hardly play. I had to use brushes for every tune in the end which I felt got repetitive for both me and the listener.

What kind of music are you playing? Loud rock or more mellow music?

You have already done the one thing I would do for a bad acoustic situation. Some places don't work well. Wood snare. Some things you just cannot fix.

I assume you tried different tunings? I've found higher tunings are needed for those kind of situations. Lower tunings are great when there's a room to properly reflect the lows, but in small club settings where they've dampened everything or outdoors, you have to bring them up a bit. Sound reflections can be wacky.

Maybe try bringing some foam panels or anything to absorb some of the sound bouncing around. Try playing with in ear monitors also. My old band used in ear monitors 100% of the time. The whole band used them. We played a lot of clubs in Germany with terrible acoustics but at least we could hear ourselves :)

Yes very important, but when the rest of the band kick in and the sound goes BOOOOM around you its horrible. You just can't make anything out.

Mark, simple solution... 'in-ears!' Just have the mix that's going out to the audience played into your headset. Easy fix.

I played a circus tent one time and I couldn't hear the band! The amplifiers and PA were all out in front of the drum riser and below me. When I counted off the first number I thought nobody had started playing because I couldn't hear a sound from where I was sitting. It was like I was playing by myself. The guys in the band immediately turned around and gave me looks that silently screamed, -'WTF are you doing?' It was a train-wreck and a half. We had to stop playing because we were getting boo'ed off stage. When we got backstage the lead singer wanted to assault me. Lucky we were working split-sets with another band, so when it was our turn again, we took my drums off the riser and set the drums up on the floor in-between the bass and rhythm guitar amps. I was fine for the rest of the night and we won the crowd back. They boo'ed at first when we came back on stage. You had to see the other drummers face when he came off stage the first time. The cat looked shell-shocked! I knew he had a rough set and I couldn't figure out how he got through it. He thanked me for moving the drums after our set. Sh*t happens, you just have to be ready for it or at least be able to adapt quickly.

John