how to recover from a disappointing gig

[Hamer Player]

I was NOT pleased with my gig this past Saturday. Bad crowd, bad performance, bad everything.

 

ANy tips for getting back in the saddle?

 

To top it all off, our singer is on a 3 week hiatus, so that doesn't make regrouping easy.

[worthyjoe]

I'm not sure if this is at all helpful but maybe don't touch your instrument for a few days or even a week if you can. I do this every once in a while and it helps clear my head and refresh my desire to play.

[Stash]

Go sit in at a jam session somewhere and play different material than you play in your band. That should clear your head and make you want to get back in the game. Good luck.

[Lee Flier]

Yeah I hate it when that happens... especially when you don't have anything else booked for awhile so you can't get back into it right away.

 

Sometimes a little break is good like worthyjoe said... but sometimes if you take a break after a bad gig it can be really frustrating too. Maybe since your singer is away you should get together with the rest of your band and just jam and have fun, or work on some new songs, or have a house party and play at it... something to make it fun again and release some pent up frustration.

[zookie]

I've said it before in these forums, so forgive me if you've heard it before, but a gig ALWAYS happens here and now. You play a note on the guitar and it resonates for a short time and fades to be replaced by the next note.

 

We're all searching for that magic combination of events that leads to a moment where you and the crowd are completely united in one common purpose; a moment where music happens and it feels like the sound isn't really coming from your hands, but is everywhere. The energy is coming from the band AND the crowd and it's a wonderful thing.

 

Doesn't happen everytime. Hell, you're lucky if it happens at all.

 

My point is, the gig is over. It would be over whether or not it went great or it sucked. The art you've chosen exists only in the moment. Now it's time to set up your gear at a new time and place and search for that magic moment all over again.

 

And have fun searching!

[fastplant]

The worst is when you've played some great shows, but then you get in a slump of like 4 or 5 bad shows. Best thing to do is to look for ways to ensure the next show is a good one. Try and recruit as many of your friends as possible to come out, learn a few new tunes. And try to make the most of the night. Keep doing this till you get the show you want.

[EugeneBr]

To NEVER recover from a bad gig one should follow these simple steps:

1) Keep thinking about it. It should be your first thought in the morning, and then throughout the day you should constantly remind yourself how awful that gig was. Each time you smile or feel good, cut it short by recalling that gig.

2) When thinking about it, concentrate on feelings. Oh, it felt so miserable, etc, etc. Don't try to analyze and draw out lessons.

3) Never trust anyone who was there and says it wasn't so bad, and actually they had a great time. Plainly, they are lying to spare your feelings.

4) Always assume everyone you meet in the future has been to that gig or has heard of it. Even if they didn't, they surely will, and it will ruin any good feelings they have towards you.

Millions of people have found this instruction very helpful to NEVER recover after a bad gig. Join the club!!!

[HuskerDude]

You're gonna have bad gigs, and you're gonna have good gigs. The nice thing is that the second you walk offstage, the bad gig is over. You'll have a good one next time, don't worry about it.

[wheresgrant3]

Hamer.... was it the bar... or the band?

 

We always blame a bad night on the bar... it makes us feel much better

[JacieFB]

Originally posted by wheresgrant3 Hamer.... was it the bar... or the band? We always blame a bad night on the bar... it makes us feel much better

 

Or blame the town...I've done that for years...complained about my home town/city not being into the music scene or even specifically my band.

 

Universal truth: everywhere you go, you've got a segment of people trying to make their scene better...bringing in touring bands and getting out there themselves (as we do)...and you have a segment of people that just rely on the old, "this town has no scene" thing. (I've been guilty of that, too.)

[scotski]

Don't let it get in your head. We had a bad show followed up by about a week & half period where the drummer was unavailable to practice & it worked BIGTIME on us mentally.

 

Definitely don't overanalyze it. You just had a bum gig, that's all.

[JacieFB]

Sometimes you can work your bums off to promote and it's just a bad turnout anyway. But if you played poorly, then I would suggest taking a minute to catch your breath and then practice practice practice. Everyone's right, you can't dwell on a bad night, but you can learn from it.

[ulank]

Originally posted by Hamer Player I was NOT pleased with my gig this past Saturday. Bad crowd, bad performance, bad everything. ANy tips for getting back in the saddle? To top it all off, our singer is on a 3 week hiatus, so that doesn't make regrouping easy.

 

Drugs. They're the cause for bad gigs and the solution for coping with them.

 

Much like alcohol, minus the puking and nasty hangover.

 

[Stopmakingsense]

When I have a bad gig I look back on the worst one I can remember and it makes me feel better.

 

It was Marching in the rain in a high school marching band to glorify the football team.

 

SMS

[THB]

Just put it behind you and move on Hamer.

 

 

{censored} happens.

 

 

[MrKnobs]

No matter how badly you stink up the place, the sun still comes up the next morning and pretty much no one but you remembers that you sucked, believe it or not.

 

Most people just don't care because they have a lot of stuff going on in their lives that's more important to them than your band.

 

So really what it's all about is what you think of it. The two ways to deal with that is to either (1) practice hard and play more shows for experience, or (2) decide "It's all good."

 

I recommend both.

 

Terry D.

[Bruther_Bill72]

If it wasn't for an occasional lousy gig, how would you appreciate the really good ones?

 

(I can usually recover from a bad gig by thinking of that little tidbit of wisdom.)

 

The other thing I've noticed with my band is that whenever we have a bad gig, it's not because we're sucking to the audience, it's because we're all tired and have other stuff on our mind. We go on autopilot or something along those lines. Most of the gigs we've had where we've thought we played really horribly or thought that people hated us, the folks at the show never knew anything was wrong or up. They still enjoyed themselves and told us so.

 

--BB

[Bruther_Bill72]

If it wasn't for an occasional lousy gig, how would you appreciate the really good ones?

 

(I can usually recover from a bad gig by thinking of that little tidbit of wisdom.)

 

The other thing I've noticed with my band is that whenever we have a bad gig, it's not because we're sucking to the audience, it's because we're all tired and have other stuff on our mind. We go on autopilot or something along those lines. Most of the gigs we've had where we've thought we played really horribly or thought that people hated us, the folks at the show never knew anything was wrong or up. They still enjoyed themselves and told us so.

 

--BB

[Base]

Excuses are always good, bugger up the solo?? The bass player was putting you off!! Missed an intro?? Somebody shouted at the bar and distracted you!!

 

Ok, I have no advice, since I've never played a gig, but how many gigs have you played? What's the ratio of good to bad?? I imagine it's pretty good as you are taking this so hard you clearly care about your performance. You have to be truly lousy (or truly amazing) for most people to remember a small band, otherwise they will just forget you, so at worst you have a clean slate to impress the crowd with your amazing show next time!!!!!

[Rekel]

Originally posted by Hamer Player I was NOT pleased with my gig this past Saturday. Bad crowd, bad performance, bad everything. ANy tips for getting back in the saddle?

 

Here are a few thoughts from my perspective and experience. First you have to accept that these things can happen. Life is full of ups and downs and they are there for a reason. I see you say alot of "bad" this, "bad" that but you have to realize that it is up to the performer(s) to break the (vicious) cycle of "bad". Zookie made a good point and it describes exactly how I feel about live performances, and I have done thousands of them.

 

If you think the performance was bad because a bandmember(s) repeatedly make mistakes at the same spot, same song on various gigs the solution is to go back to the rehearsal place and work them out. If these mistakes are caused by technical inabilities, then either lower the bar or find someone to replace this person if you don't want to do that. Tough one, I know, and depending on the bands ambitions.

 

If the monitors sound/mix isn't what you expected or nowhere near the quality you had during soundcheck try not to take it out on the monitormixer in an agressive way. And especially not in full view of the audience . Make sure you've talked to the person before soundcheck and establish a clear sign language to give him directions. Lots of bands totally lack in that department and it only adds to the confusion which could have been easily avoided. (BTW, don't forget to thank these folks after your gig if they did a good job. many people forget this but the monitormixer usually doesn't and will remember you the next time )

 

The worst thing bandmember(s) can do is give the 'offending' member bad looks while on stage. You can 'fool' 99% of the audience with an occasional bum note by making up for it in several visual ways (smiling, jumping, joking, etc) but you can never fool them displaying an angry attitude towards each other. They will notice that immediately and it will turn a initially 'good crowd' fast into a 'bad' crowd. Another thing, if you can, try to play gigs that are more or less in line with the programming of the venue in general and fit your style of music.

 

Also, never 'discuss' mistakes right after a gig with eachother while adrenaline still flows freely, like in the dressingroom. I have seen that happen all too often and it only makes things worse. Reserve a little time for evaluation like during the next rehearsal or better yet, make a separate appointment to do just that. Record your gigs occasionally (e.g. 2 track straight from the FOH console or even a strategically placed mic ) and evaluate those but keep in mind that you are missing the visual part so don't be too critical and use a microscope.

 

Lastly, some musicians think the crowd/gig was bad because not enough people showed up to see/hear you. Let this never be an excuse for an average performance but play for those who did come to see the show. The ones who did't shouldn't affect the gig. How could they? They're not even there . Oh yeah, treat every gig like it could be your last.

 

Sorry for the long post but I hope it will help you, and hopefully others, somehow.

[JacieFB]

 

Originally posted by Rekel Also, never 'discuss' mistakes right after a gig with eachother while adrenaline still flows freely, like in the dressingroom. I have seen that happen all too often and it only makes things worse.

 

 

Excellent point. Even saving it for the dressing room is better than a show I did a few months ago. I played with a guy who actually said, mid-set, "This BLOWS...we're never playing here again!" And then as soon as the set was over as we were loading our gear off the stage, he's telling me how much the club and the performance sucked.

 

Such bad form.

[Jimi Ray Halen]

Do what I do - go home after the gig and go over every part that I screwed up. Because I remember them and I can't sleep anyway.

 

But having a bad night goes with the program. It takes a long time to be able to play at a consistently high level nearly every time.

 

Maybe someday........ (wistfully gazes out of window)

[garyd]

Token Poison quote: 'Every rose has it's thorn'

 

Even the best gigs have moments of complete shoddiness, in similar fashion all bad gigs will have moments of brilliance. Try and take away only the good, and keep the avoidable problems that came up as a mental note in the back of your mind.

 

If you try and make the good conscious and the bad subconcious, generally speaking you'll be happier and you will, whether you realise it or not, work on the things that went wrong.

 

At least, it's always worked for me. Occasionally band members have had to be replaced, but that might not be the case here.

 

[Matter-Eater Lad]

I'm pretty much suicidal after a gig where I play crappy. "Blackness, blackness, dragging me down..."

[P.Bagley]

I question whether it really was a bad gig. I've had nights when I went home thinking we really stunk up the place. But I record the gigs onto a 4 track. Crappy old cassette tapes. Two mics for a stereo instrument image of the stage and a line feed from the board to help with vocal clarity. Nothing more, just a simple little snapshot of what we sound like.

 

You know what I've learned? Most of the time when I think we had a bad gig it turns out that the recording sounds pretty darned good. Not great, there are always mistakes, and there always will be mistakes. But over all the band's sound is pretty tight, well balanced, and the performance is much better than I thought at the time.

 

It works both ways - sometime I think we really sounded good on one song or another and later I learn that it was close... Not as good as I thought. It gives us something to work on improving.

 

So the bottom line is that you need to relax and just enjoy the moment when performing. This will come with time, and you'll still have off nights now and then. We can't help it.

 

For instance, last Friday's gig was one of our best - at least best for the place where we played. Not because we had the most people there, and not because we played flawlessly. More because we had fun, and the crowd had fun, and even the fat guy with the bass stepped out to the dance floor and staggered around kind of in time (too bad I can't dance!). People loved it. I've never heard so many positive comments in one night.

 

Relax. You are better than you think you are.

 

- Paul