First gig coming up, I think I am gonna hurl...

[dazed1]

Well I finally got a gig for my originals only band. It is my first time playing out ever. We were only supposed to play a short fifteen minute set but after the promoter listened to our demo he wants us to play for an hour. The others in my band have played out before, but this is it for me. I am the lead singer and rythm guitarist. Any tips or tricks, prayers, sacrifices etc. would be appreciated. Now excuse me, I am going to go to the bathroom and hurl.

[vanlatte]

Originally posted by dazed1 Well I finally got a gig for my originals only band. It is my first time playing out ever. We were only supposed to play a short fifteen minute set but after the promoter listened to our demo he wants us to play for an hour. The others in my band have played out before, but this is it for me. I am the lead singer and rythm guitarist. Any tips or tricks, prayers, sacrifices etc. would be appreciated. Now excuse me, I am going to go to the bathroom and hurl.

 

Bah, just relax and have fun!

 

Well, don't get TOO relaxed (read: drunk).

[THB]

All you can do is relax and do your thang, amigo.

 

 

 

When in doubt, refer to SpacedCowboy's sig.

 

[Brian Krashpad]

There's no magic to the prep, unlike the magic you'll feel onstage.

 

Have fun. If you drink, do so responsibly-- save the party for AFTER the set. Doesn't mean you can't have one or two before and bring another onstage with you, but know your limits. Bring a spare of everything in your signal chain, if you can manage: batteries, chords, hell I bring a backup head and leave it in the van just in case.

 

Get practiced up, and then let it go. Mistakes will happen. Just keep plowing ahead. If you cover well, 95% of your audience will not even notice, and 90% of those that do will not care. You are an entertainer, so do that.

 

Make eye contact. Smile. Be crazy, within what feels good to you. People WANT their entertainers to be over the top and larger than life.

 

Lastly, remember, that if it goes south, no one will even remember it next week. If it goes great, some people may remember it for the rest of their lives.

 

That's a no-lose sitch, baby.

 

 

BK

[Cassius]

Ouch, an hour long gig is pretty harsh for your first. Have maybe one or two beers over the hour or two before your performance for dutch courage and get up and do your best.

 

Dont think you'll play it as perfect as reherasal, know you'll make a few mistakes so when it happens you'll shrug it off. Audiences have a habit of not noticing them at all!

[brassic]

Already said here before but worth saying again. If you make a mistake, don't pull a "who farted?" face and just carry on as if nothing happened. The average audience member won't notice your mistakes, and those who do will forgive you...unless they're assholes.

 

Just remember that 95% of the people watching you would never have the balls to get up onstage and do what you're doing. You'll get respect just for being there.

[Cortfan]

Where's your gig? What time? What kind of music? I work in Memphis, just might come wish you well, if I'm not working. If you're really nervous, go hurl before the set, then just grip it and rip it.

[SpacedCowboy]

I'm gonna let you in on a little secret, dazed...I have been in the "gigging" business for damn near 15 years, and my band mates have had almost that much as we've all done the cover band thing forever.

 

But when we all stepped out collectively as our current band doing our own songs, believe me...we were scared out of our wits too. I still can't remember the show, it was that edgy. So trust me...we all know how you feel.

 

My advice? Use that combination of nerve-tearing, nauseating fear and can't-wait-to-get-out-there excitement to your advantage and go out there and slay 'em within an inch of their lives. And be grateful for that combo of excitement and fear.

 

Because before you know it, if you keep working in this business, pretty soon those moments will happen less and less and you'll be a jaded old "seen it and done it" coot like the rest of us.

[flemtone]

Step 1- No hurling on stage, unless the music requires it.

 

Step 2- No music that requires hurling on stage.

 

Step 3- Pace, walk about, tune your instrument, drink water. Don't drink any alcohol. No herb. No other pharmaceuticals. No beer. No shots. You need to be clear. You need to be in the zone.

 

Step 4- If you're as nervous as a long-tailed cat in a rocking chair factory, you'll be ready to play. A case of nerves will usually mean you're going to be concentrating on what you're doing. Concentration is key.

 

Step 5 (and this is the really important one!) - KNOW that you're going to do fine. This is your chance to 'come out' as an Originals band. Get friends, family, co-workers, everyone you know to come out. Give away tickets. Tell 'em you'll buy them a drink AFTER your performance. If you have a band-friendly crowd, they'll pull you through it. The audience is your best friend or your worst nightmare. Stack it with your friends and you'll shine.

 

Also, some pre-gig hints:

1-no citrus juice that day. No milk. They'll phlegm you up. If your throat's a little 'iffy', find zinc + echinacea (sp) cough drops. They'll do wonders.

2-practice. Make crib-notes if you need them. Get new strings in case you snap one 10 minutes before the show.

3-consider some crowd banter. Something to make them like you. My favorite is:

"Is everyone having a good time?"

"Yeah!"

"Well, we're gonna put a stop to that right now..."

This shows them that you don't take yourself too seriously. If they like you, that's half the battle.

4-Write a small 'journal' of the day, from start to finish. You'll want to remember your first gig. Believe me, it won't be your last.

5-afterwards, step off, go to the bar, get a cold one, and look back at the stage you just left. Remember that stage for the rest of your life.

 

SpacedCowboy is right. Use that combination of excitement and fear to your advantage. I don't have 15 years of on-stage experience, though. I have 35. Trust us.

 

Good luck, and welcome to the Real Time!!! You'll do fine.

 

peace,

Tim from Jersey

[vanlatte]

 

Originally posted by Brian Krashpad Make eye contact. Smile. Be crazy, within what feels good to you. People WANT their entertainers to be over the top and larger than life. BK

 

 

THIS is good advice! Nothing more dull than watching a band stare at their shoes.

 

People connect when you look at them.

 

Well said, Brian K.

[zookie]

You already have lots of good advice in this thread.

 

The day of the gig you'll be really antsy and nervous. Don't let it get your stomach in knots.

 

Try to work off that nervous energy somehow. Tune your guitar and pack your gear. Heck, mow the lawn if it helps channel that energy.

 

While onstage, you'll probably tense up and grip the guitar so hard your hand will feel sore. Nerves also have a way of making you think you need to play the songs faster. Your adrenalin will be pumping so you're prone to play faster. It will feel ridiculously slow (like slowmotion) but check your speed and play at a steady and slow pace. For one hour you should have about 11 or 12 songs, more or less depending on how long the songs are. Don't try to blast through 30 songs.

 

Be who you are. If you're scared {censored}less, step up to the mic inbetween songs and tell them this is the first time you've played this material and you hope it all goes well.

[-=Pennywise=-]

Hey Dazed1, I fedex'd a box of DEPENDS to your door directly, they should be there in an hour!!

[JacieFB]

Here's something that I've found to be helpful in fronting a band...it's a practice method. For the first few years of playing in bands, practice sessions were all of us positioned in a circle with the amps pointed in so that we could all hear and see everyone and everything. That works really well for writing even to this day. But it doesn't work for the stage. And you can tell the bands that play to each other. You don't want to be this band. At least a few times before the show, arrange your practice space so that the amps are "backlined", and you and the other guitarist(s), bassist, ect. are facing out with your asses towards the drummer just like it will be on stage. Pretend there is a crowd out there. It may feel cheezy, but even practice a little crowd banter. Play the songs in the set list exactly how you're going to play them live. It'll also help the drummer get accustomed to not being able to hear {censored} from his spot on stage. It'll help him/her figure out how to just play the beat without having a ton of cues from everyone else. And he/she will learn how to look for subtle cues, like watching your hands on the back of your guitar for changes.

 

Part of fronting a band comes from you, your own energy. But part of it is knowing that you can depend on your drummer, guitarist, bassist, keyboard player, etc. You all have to know that you're all gonna be there. And if you miss "1" at some point or make a flub, you have to be able to find each other smoothly and quickly without having to study each other's hands or whip around like you just got smacked on the ass.

 

If you can, invite some friends or family members to your practice space a couple of times ahead of the gig. Have them stand there in your faces and watch like a crowd. (Ideally, the crowd will come up and watch you like this...but be prepared for them to chill in the back of the room. In this case, you have to work even harder to not just play to yourselves...you have to extend to the back of the room and get those people.) Anyways, have your friends give you critiques. Take the advice you get, if humanly possible.

[Terry Allan Hall]

Originally posted by flemtone Step 1- No hurling on stage, unless the music requires it. Step 2- No music that requires hurling on stage. Step 3- Pace, walk about, tune your instrument, drink water. Don't drink any alcohol. No herb. No other pharmaceuticals. No beer. No shots. You need to be clear. You need to be in the zone. Step 4- If you're as nervous as a long-tailed cat in a rocking chair factory, you'll be ready to play. A case of nerves will usually mean you're going to be concentrating on what you're doing. Concentration is key. Step 5 (and this is the really important one!) - KNOW that you're going to do fine. This is your chance to 'come out' as an Originals band. Get friends, family, co-workers, everyone you know to come out. Give away tickets. Tell 'em you'll buy them a drink AFTER your performance. If you have a band-friendly crowd, they'll pull you through it. The audience is your best friend or your worst nightmare. Stack it with your friends and you'll shine. Also, some pre-gig hints: 1-no citrus juice that day. No milk. They'll phlegm you up. If your throat's a little 'iffy', find zinc + echinacea (sp) cough drops. They'll do wonders. 2-practice. Make crib-notes if you need them. Get new strings in case you snap one 10 minutes before the show. 3-consider some crowd banter. Something to make them like you. My favorite is: "Is everyone having a good time?" " Yeah! " "Well, we're gonna put a stop to that right now..." This shows them that you don't take yourself too seriously. If they like you, that's half the battle. 4-Write a small 'journal' of the day, from start to finish. You'll want to remember your first gig. Believe me, it won't be your last. 5-afterwards, step off, go to the bar, get a cold one, and look back at the stage you just left. Remember that stage for the rest of your life. SpacedCowboy is right. Use that combination of excitement and fear to your advantage. I don't have 15 years of on-stage experience, though. I have 35. Trust us. Good luck, and welcome to the Real Time!!! You'll do fine. peace, Tim from Jersey

 

All first-rate advice!

[worthyjoe]

 

Originally posted by dazed1 Well I finally got a gig for my originals only band. It is my first time playing out ever. We were only supposed to play a short fifteen minute set but after the promoter listened to our demo he wants us to play for an hour. The others in my band have played out before, but this is it for me. I am the lead singer and rythm guitarist. Any tips or tricks, prayers, sacrifices etc. would be appreciated. Now excuse me, I am going to go to the bathroom and hurl.

 

 

Holy crap. How far away is the gig?

[GCDEF]

If possible, allow plenty of time for setup and sound check. If it's your first time, you'll be nervous enough even with everything going right. If something should fail, and equipment will fail at the wrong time, or if you can't hear yourself or your bandmates properly, it'll be that much harder. Make sure if you have enough equipment handy that if anything goes south you can swap it out. Make sure your stage sound is good. If the sound on stage sounds bad to you, no matter how good it sounds out front, it'll shake your confidence and distract you, which is bad.

 

Above all, don't take it too seriously. People watching are all there to have fun, and you should be too. When things are going well and you know you're kicking butt, and people are up and dancing and having a great time, it's a fantastic feeling. Let yourself have fun with it. There really isn't anything to be scared of.

[dazed1]

Thanks for all the advice guys. Our equipment load out is gonna look like Noah's ark. Two of everything. The old two is one and one is none mentality. The gig is gonna be in the Paridiso shopping center behind Houston's this coming Saturday. We start at 5:30pm sharp. Allegedly. We are gonna setup at 4:30pm or so and work the bugs out. The promoter said "rudimentary" PA system, so I am probably gonna bring my own just in case. I know it is probably overkill, but I just wanna have the equipment aspect sorted out. Its the one thing I can control out of this whole deal. Come on out and see the show if your in Memphis.

[cacheek]

Not sure you who the guy is, but the drummer for porcupine tree had really good advice. He said something to the effect of "everybody gets nervous before going on stage. once you're up there it's cool." Once you play those first few notes, you'll feel better.

 

The advice here is really great too. Don't drink beer or take anything. Water is good. Keep hydrated. One thing I can add is don't lock your knees b/c it'll make you pass out. Stay loose and think of all the women (or men) that will adore you afterwards.

 

GOOD LUCK! YOU'LL DO FINE!

[Singin' Dave]

dazed,

 

All of the above is excellent, wisened advice to which I would only add one thing.

 

One the day of the gig, try to minimize your stress. You'll already be feeling nervous (a good thing!!) but do your best to trust that you are prepared and have your tools ready for the job.

 

By this I mean, don't tinker with your songs' structure or timing etc. last minute - let em be and let em breath on gig day. Also, don't get too caught up in gear. While you do need a back up amp, a back up guitar, some extra cables and maybe a mic or two, don;t let the diddling and worry about gear get in the way of relaxing and slowing yourself down before the gig. Too many times when i;ve had gear failure at a soundcheck do i start wigging out and that can carry over to a distraught sounding performance.

 

In this vein, unless you clear it ahead of time with the show promoter, I wouldn't worry about bringing your PA. Just get by with theirs and understand that there's may suck but that's on them not you. The promoter will not want you swapping out speakers, mixers etc. for your 1 hour slot. There will be shows in the future for your full rig to shine.

 

Bottom line is have fun - you play music for it.

[GCDEF]

 

Originally posted by Singin' Dave dazed, In this vein, unless you clear it ahead of time with the show promoter, I wouldn't worry about bringing your PA. Just get by with theirs and understand that there's may suck but that's on them not you. The promoter will not want you swapping out speakers, mixers etc. for your 1 hour slot. There will be shows in the future for your full rig to shine.

 

 

I wouldn't play any gig if I didn't know ahead of time that I was going to be using a decent PA. If somebody says "rudimentary" to me I'd expext a 6 channel power mixer, speakers on sticks and no monitors. I'd skip a gig before I played like that, especially the monitors. I think he should either bring his own, or at least get more details.

 

dazed1, and hour isn't very much setup time.

[JacieFB]

 

Originally posted by GCDEF I wouldn't play any gig if I didn't know ahead of time that I was going to be using a decent PA. If somebody says "rudimentary" to me I'd expext a 6 channel power mixer, speakers on sticks and no monitors. I'd skip a gig before I played like that, especially the monitors. I think he should either bring his own, or at least get more details. dazed1, and hour isn't very much setup time.

 

 

Not meaning to bust balls too hard, but that kind of attitude is the kind that gets bands a "holier-than-thou" tag and a bad reputation. Some of the best shows I've ever played happened on an under-sized PA with no mics on the amps or the drums. It's very raw...and there often seems to be less separation from crowd and band.

 

It's fair to ask for more details...possibly even to offer to bring more PA. But don't just show up with a PA and expect them to accomidate you. And by bringing your own, you've upped your stress level by about a 1000% day of show if you haven't had lots and lots of practice at setting up your PA in many many types of environments and making it sound good. Plus, it is now fair game for every other band to use and abuse your PA that show or you'll REALLY get the holier-than-thou award for the day.

[GCDEF]

 

Originally posted by JacieFB Not meaning to bust balls too hard, but that kind of attitude is the kind that gets bands a "holier-than-thou" tag and a bad reputation. Some of the best shows I've ever played happened on an under-sized PA with no mics on the amps or the drums. It's very raw...and there often seems to be less separation from crowd and band. It's fair to ask for more details...possibly even to offer to bring more PA. But don't just show up with a PA and expect them to accomidate you. And by bringing your own, you've upped your stress level by about a 1000% day of show if you haven't had lots and lots of practice at setting up your PA in many many types of environments and making it sound good. Plus, it is now fair game for every other band to use and abuse your PA that show or you'll REALLY get the holier-than-thou award for the day.

 

 

It's not a holier than thou attitude, it's a realistic attitude. Some people have no idea what a band requires and will go for whatever they can get the cheapest. I would be very scared if somebody told me all I had was a "rudimentary" PA. That may be one mic, and a powered speaker that's barely adequate for karaoke. I'm not suggesting they go in with a rider that requires 2 18 wheelers worth of stuff, just to make sure when they get there, they'll have what they need for the job.

 

I do take my band somewhat seriously and try to present our music in the best possible light. That reflects pride in what we do and a professional attidude, not an ego trip.

[JacieFB]

 

Originally posted by GCDEF It's not a holier than thou attitude, it's a realistic attitude. Some people have no idea what a band requires and will go for whatever they can get the cheapest. I would be very scared if somebody told me all I had was a "rudimentary" PA. That may be one mic, and a powered speaker that's barely adequate for karaoke. I'm not suggesting they go in with a rider that requires 2 18 wheelers worth of stuff, just to make sure when they get there, they'll have what they need for the job. I do take my band somewhat seriously and try to present our music in the best possible light. That reflects pride in what we do and a professional attidude, not an ego trip.

 

 

I see what you're saying, and I agree with you. I'm used to dealing with promoters in a variety of situations...some of which...like the good ol' basement shows, for example...don't have anything that any of us would consider adequate and that is insulting sometimes. But if you don't use that stuff and immerse yourself in that environment, then you can quickly become "outsiders". Not that being an "outsider" is always a bad thing, but some awesome, very organic shows happen in that environment. And if it's good enough for all the other bands, why isn't it good enough for everyone?

[dazed1]

As for the PA, I am not talking about rolling in subs and 2x15 cabinets or anything like that. I just want control over my monitors. (and to at least HAVE them) Thats more important to me than anything. He said it would be OK to bring it. We have practiced many times setting up and tearing down at a friends house, outside and inside, and I have an experienced buddy who is gonna run sound for me. As for letting other bands use it, our stop time is 7:00pm. The next band does not come on until 9:00pm. So no- unless they up some bucks they aint using my rig. We set up and tear down the whole shebang in about 20 minutes. Its not a complex system, just two 12" monitors and two 15" mains on a stick. The only thing micked is the kick drum and my vocals. Since we kinda have to be carefull with our spl I am not real concerned about projecting out that far anyway. No worries about that anyway. I would not and will not get behind a less than satisfactory rig unless I had no other option. The first impression could very well be your last impression with some folks, so we want to try to sound good. If the stage volume is good and we can all hear each other we will do well. I was not going to tear down his already setup PA. Just place mine in front, cable it myself and use my mixer. Only thing I would steal would be the power. Saw a Black Crowes show where the opening act did somthing similar, only with just the monitors. No worries!

[GCDEF]

 

Originally posted by JacieFB And if it's good enough for all the other bands, why isn't it good enough for everyone?

 

 

It may not be good enough for anyone. I was going to play one show where the "PA" was provided. When I asked about it, I was told it was a 4 channel powered mixer and a pair of Bose speakers. No monitors. Maybe you could play with that, but we couldn't.

 

Sounds like you have it well under control there dazed1.