Enjoy the benefits of a premium membership!
Upgrade Account
-
TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
Join free Log in
Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.
Advice for first performance?
- Thread starter MrAwesomes
- Start date
Good advice guys, one last tip, should you make any mistakes, play knowing they never happened, usually no one else will know you did anyway.
Apart from the first 20 seconds or so, it was actually really goodI didn't move all that much but I didn't feel like I needed to. Just tonnes of eye contact to make up for the guitarists' constant fretboard staring.
As for the very beginning... All the amps were set up ready as there a lot of different bands going on and off, and there were a bunch of leads tangled up on top of the bass amp. Before I'd even walked within 4 meters of it the lead guitarist thought it'd be funny to start playing immediately, thinking that the two bar intro would be enough. The other guitarist plugged in in time, the drummer was already set but all I had was a bunch of tangled leads. I picked one at random and started playing... Nothing.
I don't think anyone noticed except the drummer (laughing his ass off) so I just quickly swapped the lead over and it was all awesome after that
hmmm...imagine that. The lead guitarist NOT thinking about anyone else in the band....
Turn sideways to face the drummer, lock onto his snare hand and let your body do what it may. It will know what to do.
Plus you don't have to look at that little cutie in the audience eyeing you up and throwing your concentration off.
Plus you don't have to look at that little cutie in the audience eyeing you up and throwing your concentration off.
Gaolee
Official leathers tester and crash dummy
Apart from the first 20 seconds or so, it was actually really good
As for the very beginning... All the amps were set up ready as there a lot of different bands going on and off, and there were a bunch of leads tangled up on top of the bass amp. Before I'd even walked within 4 meters of it the lead guitarist thought it'd be funny to start playing immediately, thinking that the two bar intro would be enough. The other guitarist plugged in in time, the drummer was already set but all I had was a bunch of tangled leads. I picked one at random and started playing... Nothing.
I don't think anyone noticed except the drummer (laughing his ass off) so I just quickly swapped the lead over and it was all awesome after that
Outstanding! You got a double bonus - your first gig and your first funny gig story. So, when are you going on again? There will be another gig, of course.
I don't know, because we decided to forget cover songs and start writing our own. I suppose next time will be whenever we have something good to play
I haven't played bass since I was in 6th, 7th, 8th grade when I played in my older brothers band. As I recall, we usually had 4-5 gigs/month and I remember being nervous about performing live...but it wasn't anything I didn't overcome after a couple of tunes OR after my first 'solo'.
Ultimately, I gave up playing all together when I was about 15 y/o and started chasing girls and playing football.
Now I'm 55 y/o and I'm getting ready to buy a new bass for Christmas and see if I've still "got it". I've really got the fever. My plan is I'd like to retire from my 'real job' after 38 yrs. I'm thinking I could find some 'old geezers' (like me) who would like to start a band, have a little fun, and make a little $ playing live gigs on the weekends.
Reading through this thread has made me think...what if my plan actually comes together and I find myself playing bass in a band (at 55+ y/o) in front of a live audience.
To be honest, I do NOT fear being a lousy bass guitarist because I was actually quite a good musician. I can thank Mom for my musical abilities as she forced me into several years of classical piano lessons which was a big help (for me) in playing/learning bass guitar.
My BIGGEST fear of, once again, playing bass in front of a live audience is........
TRYING TO PLAY AN INSTRUMENT WHILE WATCHING BEAUTIFUL, HALF-NAKED WOMEN DANCING IN FRONT OF ME.
Yeah, I'm old...but I'm NOT dead!!! I seriously do NOT know how y'all do it. This 'distraction' would be a HUGE problem for me. What are YOUR experiences with being distracted by beautiful women??? How do you deal with it???
Ultimately, I gave up playing all together when I was about 15 y/o and started chasing girls and playing football.
Now I'm 55 y/o and I'm getting ready to buy a new bass for Christmas and see if I've still "got it". I've really got the fever. My plan is I'd like to retire from my 'real job' after 38 yrs. I'm thinking I could find some 'old geezers' (like me) who would like to start a band, have a little fun, and make a little $ playing live gigs on the weekends.
Reading through this thread has made me think...what if my plan actually comes together and I find myself playing bass in a band (at 55+ y/o) in front of a live audience.
To be honest, I do NOT fear being a lousy bass guitarist because I was actually quite a good musician. I can thank Mom for my musical abilities as she forced me into several years of classical piano lessons which was a big help (for me) in playing/learning bass guitar.
My BIGGEST fear of, once again, playing bass in front of a live audience is........
TRYING TO PLAY AN INSTRUMENT WHILE WATCHING BEAUTIFUL, HALF-NAKED WOMEN DANCING IN FRONT OF ME.
Yeah, I'm old...but I'm NOT dead!!! I seriously do NOT know how y'all do it. This 'distraction' would be a HUGE problem for me. What are YOUR experiences with being distracted by beautiful women??? How do you deal with it???
Gaolee
Official leathers tester and crash dummy
I have "oh shiny" moments all the time caused by beautiful women. We have a female singer and drummer. They don't get distracted the same way. As long as somebody is paying attention, you can figure it out. Unless it is a terminal distraction, then you just laugh and have a gig story. There's no solution to the problem unless you wear very, very dark glasses.
