eating before singing

I'd like to know how you all deal with eating before performing or practicing. I've had bad experiences with Italian food, especially pizza, as the dairy does bad things to my throat, but as a result I've become reluctant to eat at all prior to performing, even prior to band practice.

Then, I have a beer or three (another issue, I know ) and I end up woozy because there's nothing in my stomach.

Now, believe me, I can afford to skip a meal now and then, but I wonder whether it's really necessary. Do you abstain prior to singing? For how long? Any kinds of food you find better to eat before performing than others?

A few weeks ago I saw Ryan Adams and the Cardinals here in NJ, and a woman standing next to me in the crowd said she ran into Ryan and the band having dinner in a local restaurant right before the show. Now, I didn't think to ask whether Ryan was eating, but he was certainly in fine voice that night!

I usually eat light before a show ... a salad or bowl of soup. Nothing heavy, spicy, or voluminous.

I find it hard to sing on an empty stomach. But eating right before singing is also bad, so I guess you need to find a balance, either what Cherri suggested, or eating two or three hours before a show, so you don't get hungry, but you're not loaded either.

Light snacks. Preferbly non fiberous. the fiberous stuff tend to realy irratate the throat. Also No on cracker or anything of a course hard texture. Ramen noodles are good.

Great Question.

Especially since I'm contemplating my dinner for my Friday and Saturday shows this week. I typically do NOT like to eat anything and sing best (air intake and diaphram expansion use) on an empty stomach.

However this causes another problem being under the lights for 4 sets of songs in an evening. And after some 45 songs I'm whipped! I almost passed out last year after not eating and had the bar owner bring me a Coke during a song on stage!

I'm going with some protein bars in my gig bag and lots of water. I like to keep a pitcher of cold water neaby on stage while I sing. A bar before I sing and then another split in two between sets 3 and 4.

I LOVE to drink but simply don't on my stage nights. Maybe 1 drinks sipped all night then one after. Sucks cuz we get drinks as we all know...cheap or free while we play! arghhhhhh

I would agree with the comments on here. Eating light, like a protein bar, 1-3 hours before is ok. I actually prefer to sing on an empty stomach, as long as it's not growling and to the point I lose focus I'm so hungry.

I get reflux if I eat and then try to sing. No dairy, no tomato-based sauces...

This is the route I normally take. Nothing worse than runnin' out of gas onstage.

My suggestion is fruit salad.

You get extra fluid from the juices in the fruit, and it is noramlly easier on the digestive tract.

Pasta (i., no tomato sauce) isn't bad if you eat a little.... note I said a LITTLE - like say a cup or so and with a little butter, or I prefer Olive Oil with a little salt and pepper (normally I'd eat garlic in this, but not before a performance - I wouldn't want to risk having an upset stomach on stage.)

You need to think like an athlete... look at what and how long distance runners consume, because in reality you performance is just as critical to you, as their performance as an athlete is to them.

On stage, take a thermos of Hot Water & Honey, making a "tea" out of it... not so hot that you can't drink it, but you want it hot enough to help keep your throat muscles warm and relaxed. Cold drinks cause the throat muscles to contract, which actually makes you work harder.

I would stay away from proteins just because they take a long time to digest and you don't want that laying in your stomach all night. So I wouldn't eat any proteins from around 4 hours before a performance until afterward. A bite or two of a protein bar might not be too bad, but i wouldn't eat awhole one (keep in mind that unless you are a body builder, 1 protein bar contains enough protein for you to not have to eat the rest of the day.)

And while you shouldn't drink alcohol, lets face it - most of us who are playing in bars do it. For me it will usually be a 7&7 or two, and sorry, but I never turn down Jaegermeister.

I eat light before a show, and very little if any dairy. The last couple of times I've actually ordered a burger at the bar and just eaten the meat off of it to get something in my stomach. I don't drink alcohol at all, so I usually drink water or diet coke. Sugar drinks cause phlegm throat problems.

I know that my pre-show diet isn't healthy, but most of the time I eat a LOT better than that. I just do that when we play.

I more often than not will not eat before a show for no other reason than I've run out of time to do so. Once I get off work, drive to the club, set-up, soundcheck, drive out of town to where I live, grab my wife and kid (assuming she's even ready), head back into the city, drop the kid off at the sitter's, head back to the club, tune up, greet fans/friends and 'press the flesh' , there's no time to eat a proper meal so I usually ending up running to a 7-11 at break and grab a taquito or something equally vile lol (guess I need to start throwing a protein bar or something in my gigbag lol)

Dairy and citrus will produce phlegm. Not good unless you're in a punk band and spit is your friend.

I usually don't eat before a show, but will have a larger lunch than normal many hours beforehand. One (1) shot of Kamikazi for each band member before the show, then it's water for me until we finish off. After we break down, a double-shot of Grand Marnier on the rocks caps the night.

When I get home, a peanut-butter and honey sandwich on multi-grain bread, and I'm right as rain the next day.

I do not eat for a few hours before a gig. I need the air space for both singing and sax playing. Plus I don't want the food to "repeat" on me.

I also only drink a mixture of green and oolong tea on the gig (one bag of each in a thermos bottle). The warm liquid is good for the vocal chords, and the tea gives it a nice flavor and doesn't affect my performance in any way.

Of course we are all different. I worked with a guy on a cruise ship who ate a huge meal before his show. It didn't seem to adversely affect him in any way.

Drinking cold liquids or any alcoholic drink has never been known to do anything but hurt a performance. That's why I stick to the tea and save anything else for after I'm done.

Insights and incites by Notes

i usually eat about an hour to two before the show but enough that i don't feel quite full or bloated while not really feeling hungry. as long as the stomach is settled before you go up on stage then you're good to go and ready for some drinks!

I eat when I'm hungry. But I try to get that out of the way at least one to two hours before going on.

One time, I ate a burrito before a show, was singing something, threw up a little, and caught the puke in my mouth before it came out.

I think maybe you should not do that.

Brian V.

Note to self: Avoid burritos.

I learned my lesson, and how, back in the early 90s.

I was doing a show at a San Fran venue, I think it was the I-Beam, and I hadn't eaten much all day, so after soundcheck, I went to one of those greasy-spoon hole-in-the-wall burrito places, and wolfed down a mystery-meat burrito about the size of a dachshund.

It caught up with me just about the time we hit the stage, so I had to do the next hour and a half feeling VERY uncomfortable at both ends.

Never again.