Securing FM9 on stage

A vulnerable time is when your band is packing up and another band is setting up and everyone is in a hurry. Lots of stuff moving around. I did sound once for a friend's band and when they were done, another band was setting up and as I was packing up my mixer and stuff happened to look up and see one of their "roadies" walking off with my mic case. Chased after him and got it back. He claimed he thought it was theirs, which begs the question that if you're setting up, why are you carrying stuff back to your car?
 
I'd approach it the same way I would with any valuables in an unsecured environment. You can make things a little harder to cart off, but you're still taking a risk if you don't have eyes on or dedicated security.

When we play casinos or theaters, everything from the stage back is restricted access, with security personnel at all times, doors that sound alarms if opened, etc. Anywhere else we play, it's a judgement call in terms of stepping away and for how long.. I also carry insurance on my music gear. I have a personal articles policy for it on my homeowners, and then a musician-specific policy that ensures it's covered for all aspects of how it gets used outside my house.
 
I never worried about it during breaks, but load in/out I would always lock my car each trip and not just leave it hanging open unless one of the other bandmates or a buddy was there to keep an eye on it.

I used to play in a band that regularly did 2-nighters and of course we left everything set up overnight. Some places we played monthly and I felt a bit safer leaving gear - they usually booked all the bands for 2 nights and had a rep for being safe - but other gigs were at places we'd never been and didn't always know what the scene was like. I never did anything preventative other than take my guitars home with me, but I used to be a little concerned that something might be gone. Fortunately it never was, but I won't do that again w/out getting insurance.
 
I always pack up and remove my FM9 and guitars immediately after we finish playing and lock them in my truck. Excluding mics and cords everything else is quite heavy and not easily walked off with. We had to put a note on this beast as if it wasn’t self explanatory…. LOL….
 

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And then there's the time loading out, one of the girls outside jumps into the back of my van to help load. Out comes her boyfriend wanting to kick my ass thinking I'm trying to steal his girl.
 
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