Subject: Our first live gig, any tips?

Hello all,

iam0pen/o0o and I are going to do a 45 minute appearance @ a festival in the Netherlands. We have been asked to do this (so we didn't beg for it...which i think is a comforting thought...any way).

My open questions to all you experienced live performers/ bands are:

What should we do, shouldn't do?
What are crucial things to keep in mind before, during and after the gig?

And of course, can I bring my girlfriend to it?

Thanks brothers and sisters:-D

We are excited!

Here is a link to the festival:

http://www.langweiligkeit.eu

Strangest thing I should have checked before a gig but didn't:

Ensure the friend who will drive the truck to take the equipment to the gig is not using LSD. (I didn't know until after he drove the truck there. How he did it, I can't imagine.)

Stuff to think about:

Having two of everything if you can possibly manage it. As has been proven multiple times, hardware hates humans and the dumbest things can break at the most inopportune times.

Get the set list tight. Don't be jacking around between tunes trying to figure out what you're going to do next.

Hell yes, take your girlfriend!

Remember the gig needs you more than you need the gig.

I'm happy for you! Break a leg!

Make sure you have back up emergency gear just in case. If you are a guitar player, bring extra strings. If you have an extra guitar, that is also good to bring too.

Also, make sure you keep an eye on your gear. It sucks to have a piece of equipment disappear before or after a show.

Don't forget the visual - consider how you look and what you're wearing. I know this seems lame - but first impressions count on stage. You also may want to change into your stage gear just before you go on - it readies the mind. Then relax and enjoy your own set. If you're having a good time - the audience will too.
Congrats and good luck!

A few scattered thoughts from my own experience...

Yep. If you're a guitar player, ALWAYS have extra strings. AND, wire cutters, a string winder, and an electronic tuner. Picks. Always have way more picks than you need, and where you can get to them.

Tune early and often.

EXTRA BATTERIES for everything that needs them.

Extra cables.

I used to keep a battered backpack full of cables, batteries, strings, and whatnot. Everyone could count on these things being there. Coolest result... Playing at a bar in Brighton one time, guys from a band playing at ANOTHER bar down the street came in, looking for extra strings...AND I HAD THEIR GAUGE... Felt like a million bucks to be able to help out... And it's good to note that, even in giving them a set, I still had spares left for me and my bandmates...

We used to not drink caffeinated things, milk, or anything alcoholic until all aspects of the gig were done. That's a personal thing, though...

In my experience, worry and stress get in the way. So. I try to sit down days before the gig and get things ready. Fresh strings, tuned and stretched out. Pack the cables. Check the batteries. All done well ahead of time, so one can relax as the gig approaches. You're gonna get adrenalated anyway, it might as well be from good excitement rather than worry...

And similarly, rehearse 'til you know everything cold. Then, on the day, warm up with bandmates before going on. Get the voices loose if you sing. Get the fingers loose.

On stage, we used to have two rules: Never put yourself down on stage (or your bandmates). Unless there's some teasing that's part of the act. This includes apologies, and things like, "Uh, we're just learning this song..." and stuff like that...

And never say anything bad about anyone with whom you share a stage. That includes the announcer, the sound person, the act you're opening for, the act opening for YOU... they're all great people for as long as you are performing...

My best thoughts, anyway... relax and break a leg...

Ed

As to the girlfriend question...

Long ago, my girlfriend at the time and I had to work out an agreement that, while I did, eventually, want to know how we did, I did not want to come off the stage to anything but a hug and an encouraging smile...

I, at least, tend to be a little vulnerable as I finish a set, and don't want to unplug and come off stage to, "Wow, you guys were really off tonight..." or, "Hey, you were really singing flat..." Or, "You know, I STILL don't like that song..."

Two days later, I'd love to hear some of that as I prepare for the next gig... Just after, though, is a prescription for emotional disaster...

For me, anyway...

Ed

I'm sure it will come as no surprise that I've done more than my share of recreational intoxicants but I was never stoned on-stage. I mostly agree with Ejh on this but I don't get the milk part? (Not that I ever touch the stuff. The only way I can deal with it is to chuck half a can of Quik in it!)

Hi.How cool. Just go and do. Greet the audience with a smile and a wave,with an open heart. Welcome them to you and let them know how much you appreciate the chance to be wellcomed by them. Not much else.Don't worry about doing it like you rehearse it..That ain't gonna happen. Just have fun and transmit that. The more stuff you think about the less music you will create. You will understand what needs to be added as well as removed as you gig live more.You sound delighted at this opportunity. SO be delighted. Anything can happen at any time there are no found and true safegaurds. I am excited for you and hope you will enjoy every minute of your first show. In closing..Fuck everything and play. Taylor

Everything that's been said here (esp the driver on LSD...big probs there) (lol) AND:

You don't mention at what point you'll be going on. I take it that there'll be other performers (what with the 45 minute set). That sets up a whole 'nother dynamic:

Quick Entrance and Exit

Sound men/women can get pretty ornery if you're not quick and VERY nice when you are. If you're the first or last act it's MUCH easier. If you're somewhere in between...problems can and do occur.

So: the bands I've played with (and I, personally, when I play solo) practiced setting up and breaking down. And, if it was a set sandwiched between...we tried to keep the equipment setup pretty simple.

If you're new to gigging live...be careful about anything mind altering. Serious. Need your wits about ya, you do.

Good luck and have fun. Remember: the people are like you. They wanna have fun and listen to some nice sounds.

Bob

Not something you'd need to worry about as a guitarist, Alan. But for singers, dairy products of all kinds can have unfortunate stimulatory effects on the mucus membranes. You don't wanna go there if you're a singer, believe me.

This subject reminded me of Livingston Taylor's (James's brother) course on performance, which I believe he still teaches at Berklee. I saw a Canadian video at sometime regarding his philosophy of performance, which really spoke alot about how the focus is really the audience and not oneself. Wish I could remember the Canadian show I saw it on.
But I did find this article which speaks of him and a lesson he gave someone, check it out:

http://www.harvardmagazine.com/on-line/110615.html

Ah, now it makes sense. Thanks!

Hi DAM.. 4 short. Cool. I've allways been privy to the fact that rythm not music is the universal language. Glad that it has been put forth by a much more respected as well as gifted musical item than myself. I was taught this very early on by an old Italian man. I was about13-14 and spoke with such conviction and confidence that in deed "Music is the universal Language"..He soon pulled me aside,gave me a swig of his homebrewed Blackberry Brandy. And without any fanfare or consternation. Made me explicitly aware of this very fact..........I will be forever in Leonard Pioris' debt..He also showed me how to play 2 "orchestral" chords (bar chords) on the guitar. ... "G"(third fret) and a "C".(also third fret) That was my formal learning period..PERIOD. Wow take me back to a place I never seem to forget. Sweet Sunday.. Taylor

Do your preparation ahead of time, but only so that when you hit the stage you forget about everything but the music.

Chicago is a town bursting at the seems with "bar bands." Those with the biggest following, who really move the crowd, aren't necessarily the best musicians or the tightest acts. What they do have in common is the complete joy they express the moment the drummer begins to count a beat to begin the next song.

The audience is completely on your side at the moment you take the stage. Completely! They just want you to be joyful and to be lost in the moment. If you can pick up on that vibe it won't matter if you miss notes or even forget lyrics. The audience just wants to feel how much you love the music so that they can love it too. Do that and they'll follow anywhere you lead.

good luck to you guys. I hope it goes well. if its outdoors, always carry sheets of plastic to throw over the gear. I know, goofy tip # 376

You know, this, and what Taylor was saying in his first post, is really the heart of it...

Knowing myself, and knowing that I sometimes get frazzled if stuff gets in the way, I just try to look ahead and get as many silly little potential problems out of the way ahead of time as I can...

Ed

First of all, Congratulations!

Bring your girlfriend, her friends and all your friends.

Hahaha BUD you ARE FUNNY :) CONGRATULATOINS !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Oh yeah...here's another one....goofy tip #377

In the gig, they don't want to only hear your songs. Engage the audience between each one as much as you can, not like some greasy FM DJ but talk to 'em a bit.

Goofy tip #378

Say something to your girlfriend from the stage!

There's lots of very good advice here but I would say that personally I've ignored most of it for years and still had a good time (and just as importantly - so have the audience!)

The bits about spare instruments, etc. are really worth taking note of - I've found myself in live situations playing fiddle parts on mandolin for the very first time ever because I didn't have a back-up violin. Also, your band should practise together as much as possible can before the gig - but don't get too prescriptive about the songs because people often make mistakes live and the strength of your band is how you work around these.

I've learned that drugs aren't good - save them for afterwards - but I do find that a few mouthfuls of beer prior to performing helps loosen me up and I'll steadily pace beer through the gig. Maybe alcohol gives me the illusion that I sound better than I do but it makes me feel comfortable and as most gigs I do are in bars I can be safe in the knowledge that to a large portion of the audience the music sounds good because they are more squiffy than me!

The key thing is that if this is your first gig just treat it as an experience. Even if you've followed the good advice given in this forum - things can go wrong: nerves take over, people make mistakes (or completely forget what they have to play), the PA fails, the sound engineer accidently cuts the vocals, the schedule is running late and your set is cut to half an hour and you have five minutes max to setup... all sorts of stuff can happen much of which is beyond your control - try and deal with it all as constructively as possible.

At a gig you're living in the moment and it's a very different feeling from rehearsing. There are always things to learn from the experience which will help you grow as performers and the more you gig the stronger you will be.

Definitely do not get angry with or be rude to anyone (even if they're being shits to you - and you WILL encounter a lot of tossers at gigs). I've seen too many good gigs squandered this way and one of the most important rewards of a gig is being asked back (and you'll want to be asked back won't you...?)

Anyways - I've gone on too much. I hope it goes really well for you and you have a fantastic time - who knows they may even pay you and give you free beer!

KK