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1st gig...at 54 years old

#61
Well done! More power to you.
I am 58 and have played as part of a four piece gigging covers band for the last 6 years with my 22 year old son (on guitar).
We have a great time and it has been a source of connection between us through the "teenage years".
Just take the time to enjoy it while you are doing it.
Get pics.
 
#66
This SOO cool!! Be prepared, have fun, and when it comes to jitters, just do like I do and bolster yourself with the knowledge that 99.9% of the people in the audience really wish they could do what you are doing!!
 
#72
Although I highly doubt I'll be as confident as our show-stealing pal in the above video, I am overwhelmed by the well-wishers and friendly responses here.
Being a person who usually internalizes everything and keeps emotions closely guarded, I can feel myself becoming more focused on the fun aspect of this gig and way less on the "don't screw this up" factor. Practicing together today at 1PM - can't wait!
 
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#73
Man, I'm 47 and I've been gigging most of my adult life, and even though my girls don't play anything, some of my fondest gig memories are getting them up on stage to rock out with the old man, lol!

This really is a great story, my friend! As was stated before, not everyone that plays gets to play a live gig, even fewer get to do it with their kids! Enjoy it, relish the moment, and know that you get to do something that many of us wish we could do!

You may make a mistake or 4, lol, but, trust me, even if you've played a thousand gigs, you'll still make them. Just practice your butt off and go out and have a good time with your boys!;):thumbsup:
 
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#74
My brothers son is a drummer and did some stuff with us before he got off into electronic music. He does a night a week at some club in town. I need to drop by one night and embarrass him in front of his friends.
 
#75
so...we're roughly 2 weeks into this thing now, and I can actually feel myself gaining some confidence with every rehearsal.
It's funny, my youngest is in High School, my oldest is in College (locally) and works at a drum shop and I work weekend nights. Carving out rehearsal time has been the biggest chore.

Chris (22) has completed writing the music for 6 songs and has 3 more to finish. None of them have any lyrics yet, but that's his gig. If I had to classify the music, it's a little like prog rock but simplified. There are a few odd time signatures, but nothing too crazy. It's all fun to play.

To practice, I transcribed the notation for the songs into a notebook and I video record and upload all the rehearsals. I try to listen to them often and now I'm looking to find areas within the songs to do things a bit more creatively than I was at our first rehearsal. Since we're a 3-piece, I feel I need to add some color, and I don't want to hit root notes all night. I can tell I'm getting a bit confident, because now I've got the amp up louder and the blinds are starting to shake.

One thing that amazes (ok, disgusts) me is that Nick (the drummer) never takes a note, never seems to care what we're writing or talking about and hits changes like he's been playing these songs his whole life. He makes me laugh, so I think he's going to make this gig a bit easier on the 'ol ticker.

Anyway, I appreciate the support and even though I rarely post on the board, I'm glad I started this thread - even jotting down my thoughts and reading some helpful replies has really helped quell the nerves (no offense, Joe).

We're opening a Thursday night (Nov 12th) show at a place called "Deep South" in Raleigh, and I think we have about 45min-1hour to play and get off the stage.

BTW, I had "fly in a squirrel-suit" on my bucket list, but after I saw the following video, I scratched it off and replaced it with "hit root notes with the boys on-stage"
 
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#76
Well, we did it.
It was an awesome feeling to finally haul a truckload full of gear with a different purpose.
Although we weren't really ready (all of the songs were brand new and most of them took shape over the past week), we had a blast.
Musically, both of my kids said that they were really off last night. It really didn't matter to any of us really. It was a special night.
A few family and friends there made it really special.
Special shout-out to TB'er "Geoff_in_NC", who showed up to watch the set. That was truly awesome, and I so greatly appreciate it. Capped off a great night in my life.

Thanks to all for the encouragement and kind words.
 
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#77
As he says, I went and saw Steve and his boys' debut. They did a great job. The music was pretty much just like Steve described above. I'd classify it as prog metal, but I'm not up on all the different genre names. LOL

Steve says he was really nervous and afraid of messing up, well it certainly didn't show. He (and his boys) looked like they were veterans.

The only thing at all negative from last night was that the sound guy had the vocals mixed too low for me to understand.

So now you've got the bug! When's your next gig? :bassist:
 
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#79
Congrats Ack!!

I joined my first my first band and played my first gig about 3 years ago at 47. Now we gig about once a month and having a great time.

I'm still waiting for my first time to play with my son on stage.
 
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