First "Real" Gig as Frontman... Advice Sought.

Hey guys/girls. I'm normally in the Keys Synths & Samplers area. Got my first "real" gig as lead vocalist/frontman next month. Been doing lead vox forever but never as front man. Covering old Genesis/Gabriel, complete with costumes.

Anyway, the advice I'm looking for is about endurance and throat care. Since the material is vocally pretty brutal (e.g., "Return of the Giant Hogweed", "The Musical Box", etc.), I'm wondering what the best stand-by vocal aid is. I've heard negative things about the sprays, saying they just numb your chords and you keep singing and tearing them up. Warm tea with honey and lemon seems to be popular. I'll be trying things out while practicing as the gig approaches, but I was interested to hear your thoughts.

The most important thing is proper hydration. Drinking water on stage does little or nothing to help the cords, as they are located inside the respiratory tract and the body needs time to process the liquid and get it over there. Start drinking more water the day before and continue up to a few hours before the gig.

There's nothing wrong with soothing the throat during the gig with water or some other appropriate drink, but avoid cold drinks--at or close to room temperature is best.

People will beat me up for this, but I have had no bad experiences with a few swigs of wine--at moderate levels the calming effects outweigh any concerns about dehydration and falling off the stage.

Water...a LOT of water. I do 90s covers which are pretty brutal on the pipes! 3 hours a night...

make sure you poop and pee before you get on stage. seriously.

I forgot to add that at least one PBR tall boy per set as well

I forgot to add that at least one PBR tall boy per set as well

alcohol ruins your vocal cords, boy. you're not going to be able to adduct them properly and your mix voice is going to sound like cat screeching.

but u do earn valuable street cred with the indie hipster when they see u sippin that tall boy.

Bah, I usually always drink during a gig...just don't get hammered. Plus it's kinda tuff when the PBRs are free!...{censored} the hipsters!!!

my hipster trap

Ha! Nice

my hipster trap

HAHAHAH!!! That's classic.

I'll go with what I learned works the best for me. Get a thermos and take some warm/slightly hot water and mix some honey with it. Sip that between songs. Also, get a little spray bottle and put some water in it, spray that into your mouth while you inhale, just a couple of sprays. you're not gonna drown doing that, and it will get a small amount of mist right onto your vocal cords to help lubricate them directly. Sort of like singing in the shower.

And yes, go to the bathroom first.

Don't eat a heavy meal (I like some juicy raw pieces of fruit, personally. Grapes, oranges, etc.)

I also take Potassium, Magnesium.

For every alcoholic drink you take in - you have to drink 8+ ounces of water to help minimize the drying effects of the alcohol.

A drink or two won't kill you, but you've got to load up on water during the night because the alcohol will displace the water in your system.

And Congratulations!

All good stuff... thanks, guys. Experimentation will begin. That Hipster Trap is AWESOME. And staticsound... I was thinking I'd change the choreography a bit, and keep the dwarf clear... so he doesn't trot upon it.

Masturbate 17 minutes prior to going on stage. Eat watermelon.

Water yup, I'll usually have a couple beers too but beware of the burpage, shots are better but you run the risk of getting a little too loose, more than any thing though, doing a good half hour to forty five minutes of vocal warm-ups will help vocal endurance immeasurably. hums, Lip roll, tongue trills, etc. I usually drive my self to gigs so I can warm-up in the car. while people that drive by see me doing em' like I'm some f**king lunatic, but it works. Feel free to waste money on fancy throat sprays and the like but endurance is gained through practice and proper technique.

agreed. nobody wants to see another Fergie pee debacle