Tips for first time performers

Inspector #20 said:
What about paying some hot chic to throw some hot dogs in your face?
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Seriously...

This was an off-night for me. I HATED my tone. Everything sucked. I was super bummed out. I felt like it was my worst performance ever.

This tall blonde, older woman was just totally rocking out the entire time and she came up to me as we were breaking down and told me, "Your Hotel California solo made me wet...."

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That always stuck in my head because i HATED my tone that night...BUT she was diggin' it.
 
Inspector #20 said:
Seriously...

This was an off-night for me. I HATED my tone. Everything sucked. I was super bummed out. I felt like it was my worst performance ever.

This tall blonde, older woman was just totally rocking out the entire time and she came up to me as we were breaking down and told me, "Your Hotel California solo made me wet...."

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That always stuck in my head because i HATED my tone that night...BUT she was diggin' it.
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Does anyone else hear the 70s porn music in the background right now? BOW CHIC a BOW WOW
 
LiveeviL2000 said:
Thats the same advice you gave me 2 years ago, and it's so true.

100% spot on about the audience ... except for that guy who stands there in the corner with his arms crossed watching every movement of your hands, he's a tool!
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That’s the one I would concentrate on ha ha..
Besides the good looking females.
And I would just smile !!

Cheers
 
I‘ve been playing live for many years and joined a new band last summer. We’ve been gigging quite a bit.

Here are my thoughts…

Check and double-check your rig. Make sure everything works and use that rig at your practices so you’re sure you’re comfortable with it and that you’re comfortable with the sound of the rig.

Practice with the guitars you intend to use on the songs you‘re playing.

If you plan on switching guitars or doing any tuning changes at any point, make sure everyone is aware of that and practice making those changes.

If you plan on stepping on pedals or ramping any volumes or switching pickups during any part of a set or song, go through all those motions while practicing, even if you’re practicing unplugged. That’s right. For example, if I’m practicing a song at home and I’m practicing unplugged, I will still step on imaginary foot switches on the floor as if I were stepping on the real thing. Or, if there are any swells, I’ll pretend I’m ramping the volume control. The point is, you want to be instinctive in your motions. Don’t just assume you’ll remember to flip a switch or turn a volume control. Practice all of that.

The areas where bands often have the biggest foibles are at the “tops and tails” - the beginnings and endings of songs. Insist during practices that any uncertainties as to who is starting and how a song is ending are worked out.

Get the set list worked out as soon as possible and practice those songs in order when you practice at home. However, there may be songs you have to do over and over by themselves.

If you have solos, practice them over and over and try to relax.

Practice in front of a mirror and try to practice so that you’re not staring at the guitar all the time.

Get to the venue early and give yourselves plenty of time to get set up and sound checked.

The main point is, practice, practice, and practice with the goal of not having to think too hard as you go through the evening. But, you don’t want your attention to drift, either. Pay attention to what the rest of the band is doing.

If the band has the opportunity, visit the venue beforehand and get things in your mind about where to set up, where the power is, and things like that.

I may think of more, but this comes to mind.

Good luck!
 
mcblink said:
To be clear, I don't have any. I've never performed before.
I'm gonna be getting my cherry popped in about a month. Our band booked a gig and we've put together a set and have been practicing at least once a week, more if everybody can make it. Gonna have to be an instrumental set. We had a vocalist once but he quit due to health issues.

But I'm still terrified and it's causing me to stress out about it. I'm not enjoying it. This is supposed to be fun, right? Well right now, it's not fun at all lol

It's at a biker bar. You can ride your Harley inside, right through the place. Pull up and park right at the bar. Seems like a cool place, if I liked going to any bars, but I really don't. I do like beer, but I don't like going to the bar to drink it lol

So now I'm supposed to go to a place I hate and do something that scares the poop out of me and this is supposed to be fun?!

I think I'm maybe overthinking myself into a minor mental crisis? Lol


Okay so help me guys. Everyone has heard stuff like "oh, just pretend the audience is all in their underwear" and stuff like that, but I wanna hear about stuff that real people with real experiences use to deal with jitters, butterflies, whatever the hell this is...
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For whatever it's worth man, I haven't played live since I was 16 so dont feel bad lol but, I did play a few of clubs and local festivals along with @froman5150 ( garage band!).

Minus playing at my highschool talent show that ended in a full scale riot ( true story regrettably but that's a whole other tale for another day lol), the first show I happened to play was at a very rough ass redneck bar when i was still 15 ( place was cool and let us perform for a cover cage while underage, as long as we stayed away from the bar and had an adult with us). Minus the bikes, its kind of the place you're talking about: rough crowd, very drunk, most of them angry and even got threatened by a group of 3 dudes while on stage lol

The absolute best advice I can give is the following man, again for whatever this is worth, whether you want to follow my little knowledge or not is totally up to you lol

First thing: obviously, talk with the owners and go in early, set up your gear and do a soundcheck. This is one of the best ways to fight the jitters early, cause you get a feel of the place, the stage itself and the acoustics. Makes you feel a lil more at home I guess.

Second thing: before you go on, do a lil warm up if you got the space to do it and I didn't have this fortune back then; but there is nothing in the world wrong with having a few drinks for "liquid courage". Obviously, don't get smashed cause that's a whole other can of worms lol

Third thing: now it's show time, game on! You say this is an instrumental show? Not a deal breaker man, it happens a lot! Best thing? Interact with the audience. The old schticks of " How's everybody doing tonight?!?" "How's the drinks?!?" "Everyone having a good time tonight?!?" etc, just anything to get them to interact back with you, cause then you both take the edge off of yourselves but you ease the crowd up too by making them think you aren't scared and there to have a good time too.

Fourth: Now your into the set. Best advice if you got stage fright like everyone has? Don't shy away from the audience and just look down at your instruments, but look THROUGH and ABOVE the crowd when you start off. Looks like you are looking at them but you are really looking beyond them, near the back of the room, kinda seeing them in your peripherals. As you get a lil more relaxed? Start with the eye contact and focus on one specific person at a time, kinda get them into what your doing. You'll begin to win them over quickly. By the end of the night? You'll probably be just having a full on hang out with the crowd

Most of all man? Have fun! It's a blast getting on any stage, I don't care what size it is. It takes brass balls to do that and I commend you already!
 
And remember you are now in the entertainment business. And train wrecks are bound to happen, just play right through them. I had posted a video a while back of us playing Sunshine of Your Love in front of an audience of 300 coworkers. We came out of the solo and the drummer and bass player both stopped. I looked over at the lead guitar player/singer and within a 2 count we went right back into it. I doubt many in the audience even picked up on it. On Roadhouse Blues the singer forgot the opening line. I was playing the intro and it wound up being about a 36 bar intro :pound-hand:
 
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Thatbastarddon said:
Choose water. Choose not to indulge in the leaf. Until the game is over….no celebration. Then…go to town if you like…
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Lol very true. Might sound like the best show in the world in your mind. Then someone shows you a video the next day of how it really went down and there you are strumming and blanking out like you just got hit in the head with a brick
 
Session 5 said:
I don't like hot dogs..
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Oh dear, my brothers from the Great White North ..tsk tsk..how can you not love some ultra processed meat tube full of nitrates, smothered within inches of it's life by mustard, relish, ketchup, chili, onions, cheese or any other goofy condiment you can muster, placed between a white bun that's loaded with enough gluten and flour to kill a goose?

'Murica!!!!!
 
Don O said:
And remember you are now in the entertainment business. And train wrecks are bound to happen, just play right through them. I had posted a video a while back of us playing Sunshine of Your Love in front of an audience of 300 coworkers. We came out of the solo and the drummer and bass played both stopped. I looked over at the lead guitar player/singer and within a 2 count we went right back into it. I doubt many in the audience even picked up on it. On Roadhouse Blues the singer forgot the opening line. I was playing the intro and it wound up being about a 36 bar intro :pound-hand:
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Some bad poo has happened....

Many years back got together with my original band I played with I started, my bro on drums and a bass player. My current guitar player joined us. It was for a big outdoor festival in my home town an a big stage literally in a field!

Always a great time. We decided to ressurect an old original tune we did back in 83. Never had time to practice but as long as we each did at home we are good, right? First song in.

Well, the song is in C# but bass player - who wasn't overly schooled in music to begin with - practiced it in D.
Think it sounded ass? I was appalled....
 
Don O said:
And remember you are now in the entertainment business. And train wrecks are bound to happen, just play right through them. I had posted a video a while back of us playing Sunshine of Your Love in front of an audience of 300 coworkers. We came out of the solo and the drummer and bass played both stopped. I looked over at the lead guitar player/singer and within a 2 count we went right back into it. I doubt many in the audience even picked up on it. On Roadhouse Blues the singer forgot the opening line. I was playing the intro and it wound up being about a 36 bar intro :pound-hand:
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Y'know, those are actually good examples of how to get out of a "mistake" that no one notices. Call it artistic license. No one hears that as they didn't really hear a mistake, as such.
 
Don O said:
And remember you are now in the entertainment business. And train wrecks are bound to happen, just play right through them. I had posted a video a while back of us playing Sunshine of Your Love in front of an audience of 300 coworkers. We came out of the solo and the drummer and bass played both stopped. I looked over at the lead guitar player/singer and within a 2 count we went right back into it. I doubt many in the audience even picked up on it. On Roadhouse Blues the singer forgot the opening line. I was playing the intro and it wound up being about a 36 bar intro :pound-hand:
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There is something about that song that’s cursed. Its the song I lost my pick on.
 
Vito, you need one of these..

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