First Real Solo Gig!

[HarpNinjaMike]

Last night I had my first solo performance...well, sorta. I had played 3-4 songs solo as part of larger gigs, but never a featured set ( an hour and fifteen minutes).

 

I do a one-man-band set with a looper, effects, and harmonica.

 

The venue was a really classy place with a great stage. The FOH was all top end powered QSC stuff and the sound man went so far as to email me early in the day to make sure he was prepared for my rig.

 

The sound was exceptional. My playing was not, lol. I did fine, and it was a fantastic experience for my first run, but there are plenty of bugs/details to work out. It was a lot of fun. There were about 20 people there, and the headlining act which was a six piece funk band (they were awesome and had a crowd of about 30-40 when I left).

 

The band after me came up right away when I finished and were checking out my rig and complimenting me on how fun and unique the set was. That was really reaffirming as if I could fool a few educated musicians, I might have a chance at this.

 

Anyways, I play the same set tomorrow, which will hopefully be more relaxed. I've never had stage freight until last night. I can totally see, though, why people play solo/duo. It is almost automatically more intimate and there really is no way to hide on stage. With a full band, for example, no one really notices when you screw up a riff or lyric. On your own, it echoes through the club like thunder.

 

FWIW - the club is really "jam" friendly and fit my music really well. I guess my stuff is sorta upbeat driving blues. Not blues rock, but sorta like the later R.L. Burnside or Otis Taylor kind stuff.

[stunningbabe]

Though I am not a soloist or in a duo...I agree that it CAN get overwhelming when you 1st start to perform solo. We should always always strive to improve...no matter how many praises/criticsms we get.

 

COngrats on your 1st ever gig. Hope that you will get even more from now on.