So, what do you drink while performing?

I had a 2-set show to do last night after already having done a 1-hour show in the middle of the day.

I've been battling a sore throat since the day before and was worried I wouldn't be able to make it through the second show. It is a fun restaurant crowd that likes the big (kinda loud) production numbers that can be tougher to pull off if your voice is already ragged.

Anyway, I drank Gatorade as usual and made it through the night fine, but it was brought out in an earlier post that sugary drinks probably aren't the best thing when your throat is sore...I've tried warm tea as well as lemon water before, but both of them seemed to make my vocals go downhill faster.

What do you use that works in this situation?

Gatorade is not an energy drink, quite the opposite, it relaxes your muscles and might be a wrong choice if you need all your strength.

I usually just get a light meal before singing and then drink water (not cooled, it's actually better to drink it slightly warm if you can handle it).

I suppose it's good if you can get warm tea during a show but I guess that's a bit far-fetched But tea, especially with honey (no milk!) is good for you.

Tylenol Cold & Sore Throat syrup. Daytime formula.

Water - lots of it. Maybe some warm tea, but don't overdo the caffeine (which will actually dry your throat out).

I'm religious about drinking plenty of water earlier in the day before a gig. When I do this, my voice is fine no matter what I drink DURING the gig.

In fact, my gig drink of choice lately has been iced mochas, which have dairy, caffeine, and sugar, usually three big no-nos for singers. But all that water earlier in the day seems to do the trick for me.

Not that I'm recommending mochas to anyone else for gigs. Not at all. Any one of those three components in a mocha can quickly KILL some singers' voices.

I'll tell you what I don't drink--beer or soda. Because if I do, I have to burp.

If I'm feeling sick, water.

If my voice is fatigued and rough, I have a sip or two of B&B (brandy & benedictine) which I keep a small flask of in my bag. It can help to tighten things up at the end of a night. Used too frequently or too early, it can have the opposite effect.

Warm tea with NO SUGAR and water. No sugary drinks. Always a bad thing.

Warm Twinings Lady Grey tea is amazing while singing. It has a hint of lemon and orange in it as well, so it really feels it refreshes your throat on the way down. And that works wonders for me because I get into the habit of singing from my throat when I really get into a performance.

When I was gigging 3-4 times a week, every week, I drank cool water and on breaks would suck on a Halls Myntholyptus Lemon flavor cough drop.

Now that I play only about a gig or two a month..................Cabo Wabo Tequila shot (or two) before the show and Rockstar sugar free energy drink during the show (cool but not ice cold)..........

PS.........since getting in-ear monitors, I haven't had the first problem with my voice getting rough.................god I wish I'd had them in the 80's. If your a vocalist in a rock (or loud of any kind) band, save your money and get some good in-ear monitors................your voice will thank you for it!!

I drink:

-WATER-

-Beer-(I know...I know)

-Clear Voice-(singers spray...if throat is hurting)

p.s. Clear Voice actually works pretty well.... but it's a temporary fix that is good to have on hand.

P.s.s. I don't DRINK the spray... I spray it..of course. lol

Soy latte at the beginning....Then wine....Then more wine.

Water, a Beer, or a Shot of Whiskey. But never more than one before I play.

Water...........

...

Room temperture seltzer, which is sometimes really hard to find outside of NYC. I work the burps into the song Micwalt, and the wine is for after the show Jack.

Jack Daniels. Not right before, but a couple of rocks glasses worth in the few hours leading up to the show. Helps with the nerves, too. And as cgbrad mentioned, Cabo Wabo Tequila is great too.

Water

Beer

Repeat as needed :-)

I like beer well enough...but it seems to make my singing voice go downhill faster than anything. I've learned to stay away from it until after the show.

First post here, and I'm glad I found this forum.

Day of show, I always drink tons of room-temp filtered water. Before, during and after performing.

Shortly before going onstage, I like to have a shot of Patron Gold and 2 Coronas. All with lime.

On a couple occasions I've had tea with lemon before performing, but it didn't seem to make much difference...

What I generally avoid on day of show :

- Soda, of any type (don't drink much soda anyways...)

- Dairy, of any type (includes food)

- Coffee

am

Oh, the only place I ever played that said I couldn't have water onstage was the cabaret lounge at the Tropicana in Las Vegas (in 2006).

I quit that gig after four days.

am

In Roger Love's book he says the first thing he did with Def Leppard was to make them stop drinking some warm lemon juice concoction. That got rid of Joe Elliot's phlegm problem. Roger says no citrus, caffeine, dairy or hot drinks (and a bunch of other stuff).

Yeah I've heard the "avoid citrus" rule. I disagree with it based on my personal experience.

am

After every set i drink a cup of hot Traditional Medicinals Throat Coat tea. That stuff works great.