Ok, so I'm a solo musician, and I play with a laptop. So having a monitor is pretty essential for me.

A few of the gigs I've played at recently didn't have monitors with their PA. These are small venues, to be fair. So up to now I've had to make do with the old 'turn the PA speaker so it's kinda facing you' trick, or wearing headphones, which restricts movement somewhat and also looks a little bit silly with two cans stuck to my head.

So i was thinking about what my next major musical investment would be (as you do) and I was thinking of maybe getting a single small monitor, just so I can have one to bring to my own gig and so I know exactly how to set up my sound how I like it.

There's the pros. The cons, however, are multiple:

1) cost

2) extra things to carry / convince friends to carry (i'm a solo musician, I also don't have a car at the moment)

but finally, and this is what I wanted your opinion on

3) do I really need a monitor? Is my experience of turning up to a gig without a monitor in site common? Or would this be a waste of time?

Any advice/random anecdotes would be most appreciated.

Cheers,

RB