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Drinking Before Playing?

#201
Rather than how I "feel", I tend to think about how drinking makes me THINK I sound. I've had nights where I tied one on and was sure I was the next (insert bass icon here), the next day I listened to the tape and realized I sounded like crap. I think the danger in "taking the edge off" is having one too many and losing your feel.I
 
#203
I don't drink during gigs normally, sometimes at the end of the night i'll have a beer but experience has taught me not to drink, one think i have to be in control of is my playing. I got really drunk at a gig once and there were technical problems with my gear, i was too drunk to figure out what it was, and still to this day i dont know. But a lesson learned and all that.
 
#204
well in my band the guitarist has a beer the DJ A shot of tequila and the drummer has a glass of port, me and the singer dont though. The Dj sniffs though about a half gram, during the set but he cant be seen properly due to his table + he uses one of those bullett things. Everyone has a joint though apart from me though (i have two). I fear for my Dj's lfe.
 
#206
5 gin and tonics before the show, 3 during and 2 more after!
Not good for being able to "play", but it makes the stage show more ...engaging?

I've done this a few times, but lately it's been like 2 beers at most...just so I can realize when i'm out of tune!
 
#207
1 or 2 before the gig and then depending on the crowd 1 per set or we get smashed. Usually we just have a bit to drink though. we played a private party this saturday and the people didn't come to see us...you could tell...so we said screw it and turned up really loud and got pretty drunk. We got more compliments after getting ****faced than while we were sober. Some people think that loud music is better than good music....got the cops called(again) that made it all worth it.
 
#208
I won't even smell a beer if I am driving since the cops around here love to wait around bars at closing time. One time I was at a bar meeting someone I was letting go (I owned a computer repair company) and wanted to let him go in a public place since he had a reputation for violence (reason he was being let go) I didn't have anything to drink, I was sick as a dog with the worst cold I ever had in my life. I knew the barmaid there and she saw how crappy I was feeling and offered me a couple of nyquil liqagels (sp?) I took them about 10 minutes before I left and as soon as I pulled out of the parking lot I got pulled over by a cop. He asked if I had been drinking and I told him no. He then asked me to submit to a breathalyzer and I agreed thinking it would prove I hadn't drank - I was wrong! It showed me as right over the legal limit even though I hadn't had anything except pop and I got arrested for DUI.
 
#210
I'll have a couple before the show, maybe 2 Belgian Abbey Ales, which I can usually stretch from setup up until we start. Then usually 3 during the show. I only drink beer (and water) while I'm playing, no liquor, and the beer is always some delicious Asheville microbrew that I sip on for awhile, otherwise I wouldn't bother.

We've also been known to imbibe other mind altering substances before playing, but that's for another thread altogether ;)
 
#211
Hey all,

Thanks for the great thread. This is an interesting topic, with as many answers as posts.

I've noticed that for myself, whenever I drink before or during playing, my extra-fine motor & musical skills are completely lost. The past couple of gigs, I've had WAY TOO MUCH to drink. Sure, I'm still decent enough to play through the cover tunes we play, but there are LOADS of mistakes (missing the downbeats by playing fills that don't fit, playing too loud, missing syncopated hits, etc.). No one notices or calls me on it (my bandmates, audience, etc.). I'd like to be held to higher standards, even if only by myself. I'm only as good as my last gig, which unfortunately means I'm just another mediocre bar player who misses cues on cover tunes but has several empty pint glasses on his amp.

I've got a couple of gigs coming up with new bands - one is a female folk singer, a jazz gig, and an Allman's tribute band, all of which require learning 20-30 new tunes. The folk singer wants me to play upright on some of her tunes - and an out-of-tune bowed upright is enough to get out the rotten tomatoes. I've also begun training for a half marathon, which means during the next two months, I'm going to avoid drinking as often as possible. I'm looking forward to playing these gigs completely sober, and seeing, as an experiment, whether I am capable of being the player I think I am.

ian
 
#213
GOX42 said:
I have been known to get smashed before playing... sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. anymore I try to drink less and less but it depends on other people around me really (that's just me though)
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This is the most emotional posting I've read on TB.

I used to play with the late great Canadian blues legend Richard Newell, aka, King Biscuit Boy. A great blues musician. Keith Richards said he was his favorite harmonica player. Rich was also a drunk. Getting so bend out of shape was the norm for just about all his life. I'm sure it started as something to calm the nerves before playing. Then in the early 70's when he had a record deal with had some well received albums out and there were bigger and bigger crowds coming to the gigs the fear of failing took over and it was the only way he could cope with it.
On and off the stage he and the band would be drinking and drinking hard. The crowds would come and drink to excess and the bar owners loved it. A day off from playing was a good excuse to kick back and relax with some more drinks. As the years worn on there were more and more days off but that didn't stop the booze. People would stop by his house with beer and liquor at all hours of the day and night cause there was always a party at Rich's. When Rich complained about the lack of gigs these people would hand him a drink and say, "Its OK Rich, its OK. Have a drink."
In 95 I did a cross Canada tour with Rich. I told him I'd only go if he promised not to drink and he said "OK." We did 28 dates in 33 days and Rich didn't touch a drop and played great. He was out walking everyday and was in great spirits. But when the tour was over we all returned home. I got kicked out of the band and called a control freak. (The manager said I was trying to take over the band. I believe it was because the manager wasn't sure what to do with a clean and sober Rich). Soon after the band broke up and Rich returned to the bottle.

When you're drinking hard in your 20's and 30's you can't see the end and figure you've got your whole live to change. When you're still drinking hard in your 50's and 60's you can't remember the beginning and all you've got to look forward to is the end.
 
#214
Found this thread wondering how many of you feel you can get away with playing drunk compared to those who wouldn't risk it. I was starting to think I was in the minority for being scared of drinking too much before a show.
For me: Vodka Lemon Lime x 2 or 3 (first one mixed with Red Bull) @ rehearsals.
At gigs I'll always have one or two before going on but I'm very strict about not being "drunk". At one of my first gigs I was a bit paranoid about that and downed about 1.5 litres of water before playing... Nobody ever has to remind me to slow down on the drinking because I know I'd only humiliate myself if I went over my limit and I'm self-critical enough as it is.
I don't think it messes with timing to have a couple of drinks. Drummer wouldn't hesitate to let me know if that were the case. Biggest downfall is the increased risk of getting beer in your amp when it's doubling as a coaster.
There's gotta be a drink onstage while playing. Maybe a couple depending how long the set is.
I've known for a long time that I cannot play while drunk. Not even badly, I just can't do it at all. The guitarists both seem to be able to play while tanked (one of them maybe a tad more convincingly than the other).
 
#216
Each person has an own tolerance level. Usually , I drink 2 or 3 beers (maximum) before the gig.

Once , the rest of the band (not me) was drinking too much before the gig (whiskey) and the show was the worst in my life.

The singer fell out the stage (too dizzy).
I broke with the band.

Now in my new band, nobody drinks too much before the gig, but the keyboardist drinks wine before the gig and plays better !
Go figure...
 
#220
jaywa said:
3 or 4 beers before you play a note is a bit much, IMHO. I'll often have one about 10 minutes before I go on just to take the edge off. Then keep myself strictly to one beer per set, and try to match water for beer ounce for ounce. I don't drink at all after the show is done cause that's load-out time and I'm tired enough by then the way it is.
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I drink microbrews (usually Summit Extra Pale Ale), which are usually higher alcohol content than, say, Bud. I try to only have one before we go on. Two if it's a long wait. Four fairly strong beers wouldn't be a good thing for my performance.

KO
 

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