My pastor was giving the sermon and totally "in the zone."  Then it happened.  Stepping to one side of the podium, his foot snagged a microphone cable.  He didn’t fall but his train of though was broken...by one lousy cable. 

Typically, I deal with stage cable management by using length-appropriate cables.  I also place microphone stands out of the way and move excess cabling out of the way.  For a while, I used black electrical tape to hold down the cables.  Have you ever tried to get electrical tape off of a cable?  The stuff is so sticky that resorted to using my pocket knife to cut it off.  Swiss army to the rescue!  But those days are over...

Gaffer's tape, how I love thee. The best part, oh the best part is how it works.  Gaffer's tape is a strong, cotton cloth pressure sensitive tape with a high quality synthetic rubber adhesive which leaves little or no residue when removed...and it's easy to tear by hand.  Also, it comes is a wide range of colors and widths.  This means I can use as little as I need and it will blend in with whatever I'm securing it to. 

It is likely named for the gaffer, the head of the lighting department on a film crew. When cables are taped down on a stage or other surface, they are said to be gaffed or gaffered.

Gaffer's tape can be used to tape cables, mark cue spots, fix drum heads, and hold/fix most anything.  Therefore, you can tape down loose cables, mark cue spots for a dramatic performance (nativity play, anyone), and tape up the mouth of anyone who complains about the mix. 

The tape can easily be removed and thrown away.  No more time spent pulling tape apart or trying to remove the remnants of the adhesive.