I've been using BIAB for gigs for over 10 years now. I'm a sax player that plays dinner music in restaurants. Before RT and RD it was a little easier because you didn't need a fast computer. I don't use set list I just like to play what comes to mind so while one song was ending I'd pull up the song list and find another tune. After RT's that became a bit of a problem. That's when I broke down and bought a new laptop. Since my music is mainly for background, the time between tunes isn't that big of a deal. I must say though that my new laptop loads most songs between 3 to 6 seconds. I don't use surface controllers much but I like the Tranzport. I've used it on occasion and it worked great. If you aren't familiar with the Tranzport it's a wireless controller that works up to about 30 feet. Good luck with your setup!

Dell Studio 16 Laptop i7 with 256 gig SSD
BIAB, Reaper, Encore, Sibelius
Roland SD-50