Playing A Gig In Front Of Coworkers

[ckdhaven]

I have a gig tonight that at least 15 coworkers will be at with their spouses...


I'm a part time musician in a "gig once a month" hobby band... We have a great time and play some good tunes..

However, I have a little anxiety about this one... I want to play really well.

Anyone have any advice? Besides "more beer?" LOL

[jefkritz]

depends on your coworkers, and whether any of them are your boss, but i generally try to swear less when coworkers are around

[fourstringdrums]

Treat it as any other gig. I've done those before and it was no different than any other time. Just relax, you'll be fine.

[ckdhaven]

Originally Posted by jefkritz

depends on your coworkers, and whether any of them are your boss, but i generally try to swear less when coworkers are around

Good tip!!! More?

[mblackford]

Don't sweat it, you'll be fine. Sometimes its hard crossing lines between work and personal life.

True story... I take a gig for a wedding. The couple wants music along the lines of Smashing Pumpkins and Nine Inch Nails for a cocktail hour about 4pm on a patio. I'm thinking this is not going to go over well but the wedding is over an hour drive away, I won't know anybody anyway so I take the job. The very first guest to show up... my boss of 15 years with his wife. I'm freaking out a bit but iIn the end everybody seemed to love it. I got compliments from my boss and the newleyweds want us back for another party later this year.

[bassgod0dmw]

Originally Posted by fourstringdrums

Treat it as any other gig. I've done those before and it was no different than any other time. Just relax, you'll be fine.

Yep. Excellent advice for any gig IMO.

[mjac28]

Just imagine them all naked

[pklima]

I've done it multiple times. Don't worry. Those are some of the friendliest crowds I've ever dealt with, including the big bosses. When drunk enough I've even seen them all dancing to a fairly artsy folk-rock band (not mine, another coworker's).

Actually gonna play with a couple of bands at the office Christmas party in less than two weeks - one of my regular bands plus something put together with various people from work. Really looking forward to this. Gonna do an all-Caribbean set with the regular band - Sean Paul, Rihanna, Daddy Yankee... as you can see I'm not too worried about trying to appear serious and respectable. I do that 40 hours a week anyway.

[Pilgrim]

I've done it. They really liked it.

[Jim Nazium]

I've done it too, and it was fun. One thing to remember is that you coworkers probably are not musicians, and even if you think you aren't playing your best and are making all kinds of mistakes, they probably won't notice. They will think you sound great. So relax, have fun, say hi to everyone at the break, and leave it at that.

[WokenDeer]

Then you get to go back to work as a "rock star"

[Floyd Eye]

Can't sweat that stuff bro. Play like you always do. My drummer and I both work at the same place and we regularly pimp our gigs very hard within the company. They all think we're great. Got them fooled. lol

[skychief]

Originally Posted by ckdhaven

...I have a little anxiety about this one... I want to play really well.

Anyone have any advice? Besides "more beer?" LOL

Uhhh... I got nuthin... except maybe the "more beer" part. It wont make you play really well, but it may help you not stress about it if you dont!.

[RustyAxe]

Just another gig. I've been in competitions, played for influential people, played for what I thought might be an opportunity ... every time I just tried to convince myself it's just another gig. In fact, it really is. If I think I'm going to do something special, it only means that I believe I've been holding something back, when in fact I know that I always play as well as I can, that day, in that situation.

[Texan]

Originally Posted by jefkritz

depends on your coworkers, and whether any of them are your boss, but i generally try to swear less when coworkers are around

I'm in Oil. If I swear less, they think something is wrong...Just be yourself.

[Baird6869]

Have fun and ensure you all know the material pretty well. It will be an easy one. Most co-workers are more impressed that you actually play than watching each note.

I play in a work band and our first gig was in front of 20-30 co-workers 2 years ago. Since then.... A few hundred co-workers in Vegas (MGM Grand no less), a few thousand in Mexico and 1000-1500 customers and co-workers in Montreal. We even recorded a video and original work related song that 20,000+ employees saw.

Didn't get paid a cent beyond expenses, but it can be lots of fun!

[hrodbert696]

Same principle as with any gig - only musicians notice the music, as in whether you play absolutely correctly, etc. The rest of the world only notices that they can dance to it (or not) and that people are having fun. So just relax and have fun and put on a show for them, and don't sweat the musicality too much.

[Jazz Ad]

Just do that stuff that you do. That's what they came for.

[Flyingfrets]

Originally Posted by WokenDeer

Then you get to go back to work as a "rock star"

My co-workers are aware that I play, but I deliberately don not play any work related functions specifically for the reason mentioned above. I work for the state government (which is expectedly stodgy). I don't need the assumption that I'm all hopped up on drugs, a fall-down drunk or an acid casualty (their impression of musicians at large).

We don't generally play venues that are local to my area anyway, but there have been one or two occassions we have, and a co-worker has come in. The responses were positive, but I always cringe at the thought of the petty scuttlebutt that might circulate through my office.

[dbase]

Just remember that you know how to play, they do not... That's why they are in the audience and not you... have fun with it.