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Do you drink alcohol before a gig?

Do you drink alcohol before going on stage?

  • Nope. I stay 100% sober before a gig.

    Votes: 42 35.6%

  • Well, I'll drink one or two. Just a social drink.

    Votes: 59 50.0%

  • I drink more than three before going on stage.

    Votes: 11 9.3%

  • I get absolutely loaded, that's when I perform best.

    Votes: 6 5.1%
  • Total voters
    118
#42
Munjibunga said:
So far, we've seen pretty much all of the standard, stupid excuses for drinking before/during a gig. There's only one set of ears to which you sound better after a few drinks: yours. To the rest of us (especially musicians) you suck. We hear every flub you make. As far as nerves, I want 'em. I also want to hear clearly. Also, I want to feel superior to the drunken nitwits stumbling around on the dance floor. I am their audience.
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I totally agree that one should not become inebriated before performing, however, I hardly think that having a beer or a drink before a performance is going to hamper one's skills to the degree that you imply. If at all.

I have read a few messages here by people who have multiple drinks before performing, but they appear to be the minority.

I have a drink (singular) before I play because it relaxes me. Maybe it's an excuse, maybe it's all in my mind, but it helps. If I don't relax before I play, I get so keyed up that I get physically ill. Everybody reacts to stress differently, and reacts to alcohol differently. If you can't do it, don't berate those that can. Just don't drink. Hell, I'll even buy you a mocha. :)

Cheers,
Chris
 
#43
no4mk1 said:
I totally agree that one should not become inebriated before performing, however, I hardly think that having a beer or a drink before a performance is going to hamper one's skills to the degree that you imply. If at all.

I have read a few messages here by people who have multiple drinks before performing, but they appear to be the minority.

I have a drink (singular) before I play because it relaxes me. Maybe it's an excuse, maybe it's all in my mind, but it helps. If I don't relax before I play, I get so keyed up that I get physically ill. Everybody reacts to stress differently, and reacts to alcohol differently. If you can't do it, don't berate those that can. Just don't drink. Hell, I'll even buy you a mocha. :)

Cheers,
Chris
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well said chris. It is a very individual thing the whole issue, Alcahol or not, you can either play the instrument or not. And if you are someone who overtrashes themselves and plays like poop, well you are soon going to be out of a job/band. I am one of a fortunate few where I actually live on the main street of town where all the clubs are, so lucky for me, i can walk home and get the gear the next day. If I had to drive home after a gig well, I wood be drinking alot less at gigs than what I do now.
 
#45
Mike Dimin said:
Since most of us, I assume, perform at night, here is an interesting stat. 25% of all cars on the road after 11:00pm are being driven by someone whose blood alcohol exceeds the legal limit (at least here in the US).

Nice thought, huh?

Mike
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Good point Mike. Let's not forget that more accidents happen as a result of people talking on phones and being tired. But then, that's more socially acceptable.... ah, the world of political correctness is wonderful.
 
#47
my drummer is the only one of my band that drinks during gigs. i started another thread on what happened 2 weeks ago when he and his girlfriend went at it.

didn't mention however that a year ago he woke up strapped to a gurney, all banged up, not knowing how he got there. he got up and walked out of the hospital (luckily) but was lost. he found in his pocket a towing receipt, called them, and went to get his car. when he got there they laughed at him, the car was demolished. he passed out at the wheel at 5 am on the bklyn bridge. i dont' even have to go into "what could have" been. somehow, he didn't even get arrested???

when i was younger i used to get trashed before going on stage. we thought we were great. we had about 30 friends that loved that we did that, and came to every single one of our shows. it never occurred to us that we were clearing everyone else out of the clubs we were playing, and we were. if there were 230 people in club and we jumped on stage, there would be 30 very loyal fans there by the time our 45 minute set was up. if we did happen to notice that everyone left, we thought it was great because nobody but us knew what good rock and roll was anyhow.

ps. if you wonder why we hang on to our drummer - his incidents are very few and far between, and as much as he may drink and mess up - he's never, ever let us down. he's truly one of the nicest guys i ever met also, and he's a phenomenal drummer.
 
#48
On stage people dont want to see you flop around like a drunk monkey (...could of used a better term) they want charisma, confidence, and a fun performance. A few beers helps me do all that, and to anyone who says musicians play worse when they have a few beers is just wrong, I play better when im not thinking "damn, everyone is looking at me, am I good enough, oh crap, missed that note, whoops, maybe I should play it now anyway, damnit, did it again, maybe next... DAMN, you suck so bad, you suck you suck you suck." or something like that... I play better when I forget about how well im playing with a few beers, and ive been told that by musicians, this isnt just my oppinion. I still like to be able to keep my head so im not out of tune or playing the wrong song, a few beers dont stuff me up, it helps.

Another thing, I was given dexamphetamine pills for adhd by my doctor, its crazy to play bass while on the dex with a few beers, apperently its bad for my liver to mix the dex and beer so I dont do it much, but its a wacky experience. Im just so happy its legal... i dont do any other drugs by the way, ive had friends who have become totally drug f***ed cause of it, im against hardcore drugs, so please dont call me a drugo...
 
#49
Hi, my experience is that I don't play well when affected by alcohol or other substances so i might have a beer or two before a gig and no more.
Its a strange situation because I dont drink at my day job but don't feel quite so restrained at a gig.

Other people seem to have a different experience and thats ok by me, although I have to say i don't know how some people manage to play so well in that condition.

i've been told that the Coffin Cheaters, a local biker group who used to run Bindoon Rock here in Perth, had a strict policy of allowing musicians two cans of beer before the gig.

I can't confirm that, but I like the idea.

After the gig might be a different matter depending on who's driving.

Cheers

Smack
 
#50
I once DJ'ed at a private party after I'd had a few beers. I accidently ejected the CD that was playing instead of the one I wanted to cue up. :rolleyes: Since then I've realised that I need to be really focussed when performing.

Anyone interested in the effects of alcohol on blood alcohol concentrations should do a Google search on "ethanol clinical pharmacokinetics". Found two good resources:
Invalid Link Removed
where you'll find the Drink Me! Excel spreadsheet:
http://www.health.auckland.ac.nz/pharmacology/staff/nholford/Ethanol_PKPD/Drink%20Me!.xls

and

[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMER: You absolutely shouldn't be using the Drink Me! spreadsheet as a planner of how much you can drink and get away with it, compared to the legal limits. Rather it's an interesting tool to see just how the alcohol levels can build even if you're spacing your drinks, eating etc. Note also that the levels given are the Blood Alcohol Levels (BAC) in g/L and not the % values used in calculating the alcohol legal driving limits (you would have to convert them).

Personally I like to be completely sober when I play, then have a beer or two afterwards (provided I'm not driving).
 
#53
I completely agree with what mike said. It's not acceptable to drink in the workplace and if you ever find a job where it is allowable to drink during your lunch hour mail me an application. If you look at professional musicians they don't drink on stage. Even the ones that pretend they are if you watch real closely don't actually drink anything or they empty out the bottle before the show and fill it up with water. Mostly they do it for effect and getting the crowd to drink more to make the bar more money. I don't have a problem if you think it helps you then good for you but if you need the help are you really sure that playing up there is your thing? If you're not confident enough with your music to play completely sober why don't you go and practice for another month and try the gig next month
 
#54
It's called stage fright and has nothing to do with talent or preparedness. I get up on stage because I feel alive while I am up there. I love every second of it. However, the couple hours before are torture, and a drink helps me calm down. Some of the most famous and talented artists of all time (Andres Segovia for one) had horrible stage fright before performances. While I am not in that league (or close to it), my nerves have absolutely no basis in feelings of inadequacy. Frankly I find it insulting that you would question a musicians competency because of stage fright.

BTW... I work for an engineering firm, and it is common to have a beer while attending lunch meetings.

Do what's right for you. Don't moralize other people's behavior if it is not effecting you.

This thread asked if folks drank before a gig, not if folks got drunk before a gig. There is a difference.

Cheers,
Chris
 
#55
marineman227 said:
I completely agree with what mike said. It's not acceptable to drink in the workplace and if you ever find a job where it is allowable to drink during your lunch hour mail me an application. If you look at professional musicians they don't drink on stage. Even the ones that pretend they are if you watch real closely don't actually drink anything or they empty out the bottle before the show and fill it up with water. Mostly they do it for effect and getting the crowd to drink more to make the bar more money. I don't have a problem if you think it helps you then good for you but if you need the help are you really sure that playing up there is your thing? If you're not confident enough with your music to play completely sober why don't you go and practice for another month and try the gig next month
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There are those who drink at gigs because they are nervous, others drink because they like the taste, and THEY want to. Big difference. If the band, or the bar manager doesn't have a problem with bandmembers drinking, well then it all comes down to personal choice then, doesn't it??????. If you lack self control and don't know when to stop with the drinks, Well you will lose your gig don't you??? I don't get nervous anymore. I play at least 250 shows a year and I like to have 5 or 6 drinks a night. Luckily, I don't have to drive home!!!! :) :)
 
#57
I wasn't trying to insult those who have stage freight or whatever and feel a drink helps calm them down but there's a difference in stage freight and nerves. Everybody gets nerves (butterflies in their stomach) before a gig and you'd be weird not to but stage freight is something that one drink won't really get rid of. To me a musician with stage freight is like a submarine captain with claustraphobia. It can be done but seems like some better career choices could be made. And what kind of engineering do you do where you can drink at lunch? Just interested because i've always worked at an ambulance company where you can't drink for obvious reasons or at a steel erecting company where you're walking on I beams 100 feet above the ground so you can't drink for obvious reasons. Sorry to anyone offended by my views but like you guys i'm just expressing my opinion
 
#58
I don't drink. Once I was talking to a clubowner and was telling him I didn't drink and he told me that it would be bad for his business if bandmembers didn't drink because when bands are doing a 4 hour long gigs they usually drink for more than half of the money they get paid. I think it's very sad that musicians are playing to drink not drinking to play like the once who have stage freight.
 

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