First real gig

[DSims63]

Well everyone, I am no longer a virgin. This past Saturday I had my first gig. We had the opening set for a show funded by Sweetwater called Big Kids Rock Night. The band I play bass for, The Late Arrivals, were the opening act. I did gain one valuable lesson from it. I had envisioned a lot of things that could go wrong; I flub some riffs, singer forgetting lyrics, me and the drummer not locking in, and so on. And every single one of the catastrophes I dreamed up, happened. All of them. But the thing I learned was that it wasn't a big deal. The singer missed his cue, we just drove around the corner and he jumped in on the second pass. I missed a riff and no one noticed. Me and my brother the drummer not synced in, took a few more passes and found the groove. Mistakes aren't the end of the world. I still don't have a real burning desire to play out, I look at it as a necessary evil to improve as a musician, but I know next time I will not be as nervous.

 

[BioWeapon]

Seems like a great first gig to me. I did an acoustic+bass duo as my first and the idiot guitarist played the wrong chords entirely...
The second was worse!

 

[pacojas]

congrats on getting out there! i hope you got some great memories and a tape to go along with them.

 

[buldog5151bass]

It gets better ...
It gets worse ...
It gets in your blood.

 

[BassCliff]

Hi,

And a big pile of CONGRATULATIONS to you! Performing on stage is something most people will never do. I hope that soon you will develop a love for and enjoy sharing your hard work and talent with the masses. Then it really gets fun! Keep up the good work. Break a leg!

Thank you for your indulgence,

BassCliff

 

[Helaskold]

Killer! Looks like a sweet venue, certainly topped MY first show!

 

[Marriedwithbass]

I didn't even have a drummer for most of the songs on my first (and so far only) gig.

A mate of ours sat in for our last song but he had never heard it before.

I'm amazed that it seemed to go OK to be honest, we weren't even the worst act on that night lol

 

[Major Softie]

YAY!

Nerves definitely contribute to mistakes. When you are all more comfortable up there, you'll make far fewer. But, as you saw, it's not a lack of mistakes that is required to give a professional performance, it's much more about how you handle them: make them invisible, make them a new part of the performance, make them something that everyone can get a laugh out of.... Whatever choice is right at the time, THAT's what makes a show.

I've seen Jeff Dunham (the ventriloquist) have things go wrong a couple times in performance: dummy legs that won't stay on the table, wigs flying off the dummies, him getting tongue-tied, ect.. They always end up being the best and funniest parts of the act. They end up being so funny, you're really not sure if it was a great cover of something going wrong, or a planned gag. THAT is a sign of great professionalism.

 

[Emanuel Apascaritei]

Congrats!

And you´re a lucky guy that your brother is a drummer. This way you can always get together and practice.

 

[GKon]

Congratulations! I hope, all in all, that you enjoyed yourself!

I really like your band name!

 

[TinIndian]

I relearned thst same lesson when I did my first gig in 20 some odd years a few years back. Nervous as heck before the first set and about the middle of the third song I realized that no one was throwing anything at me. After that it was like I'd never been gone. Fact is the only real sin is to stop playing. Most in the crowd won't notice a mistake as long as you act like nothing happened.

 

[hrodbert696]

Congratulations on your first! Glad you enjoyed it, and I totally agree with the lessons.

 

[Gravedigger Dav]

I don't think I can recall very many gigs that were spot on perfect. Things go wrong and people make mistakes. It always amazes me that the band can come off a show thinking what a miserable night it was, how many wrong notes and broken strings, etc. Then audience members start coming up and praising you for such a great show. I sometimes want to ask which club were you in tonight?
But, it is addictive. Welcome to the club.

 

[MrLenny1]

That's the real world man.
Every live gig varies a lot, expect that most gigs.
Most of all enjoy, have fun.

 

[DSims63]

Thank you everyone, I don't intend to stop. I took an early retirement from my job and this is what I plan to do with myself. I just want to grow as a musician and I learned a lot getting ready for and performing at this show.

 

[DSims63]

Congratulations! I hope, all in all, that you enjoyed yourself!

I really like your band name!

One of my co-workers came up with the name. She was listening to me try and come up with a name and she said,"You should call yourselves The Late Arrivals because you all came to the music scene late in life." It is a true statement, most of us just started playing in the last 2 years and the average age is 55.

 

[rust_preacher]

Congrats Dsims63! A bold move to quit on your day job to make music! And, as others have said, it will get better!!

 

[Ironbar]

One of my co-workers came up with the name. She was listening to me try and come up with a name and she said,"You should call yourselves The Late Arrivals because you all came to the music scene late in life." It is a true statement, most of us just started playing in the last 2 years and the average age is 55.

LOVE it! I could be in that band as I'm 47 and only picked up the bass a year ago!

 

[Crusher47]

Right on, Congrats!!

 

[xUptheIronsx]

Welcome to hell!!!!

Seriously, you are lucky. Nice place to have a first gig. My first gig was in a dive bar about the size of the drum riser your drummer is on. wouldn't have changed it for the world though

...and recovery from mistakes is one of the greatest tests for us as musicians. Sometimes, recovery brings on musical situations that we would not have encountered. Many times, a mistake at a gig found it's way into the real structure of the song. "Hey, we did that twice accidentally this weekend, but it was sort of cool. Lets keep it!"