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first time playing in front of a crowd AHHHHHHH!

6

60's Bluesman

Feb 7, 2010
410
4
Michigan
#1
my friend asked me to play bass with him on the drum and his brother on guitar at his open house a week from today. prolly to most of you this would be nothing but ive never played in front of more then like 6 people before and now im playing in front of like 200 people....and my god am i nervous:eek:

any tips?
 
#5
skwee said:
If you can concentrate on the music, you won't have to worry about being nervous. Be in the moment, and try to "take the stage". You'll do great!
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+100 on this one. I played my first gig when I was 14 and was too excited to care. The next time I stepped on stage I was 17 and nervous as could be. My band was opening for Overkill in front of about 2000 people. I focused on and let my self get lost in what I was doing. Had a blast and the moshers broke the barrier in front of the stage while we played. :D
 
#10
Concentrate on what your familiar with "your Bandmates". My first time on stage I didn't look at the crowd for like the first two songs. I stared at my Bandmates and just tried not to mess up. After a couple of songs I relaxed enough to turn to the crowd. This is a learning experience for you so don't push yourself to "play the crowd". Relax and get the feel of the crowd. Oh yea...there will be at least one guy/gal in the crowd that will be LOUD in his cheering and so forth. Tune him/her out as fast as you can at first. Good luck and have fun. You`ll remember it always ;)
 
#14
Congratulations. Here's a bit of practical advice: on the first song, consciously try to play a bit slower than the tempo you settled on when you rehearsed. Nervousness always makes you speed up, but you won't feel as if you are playing too fast.
 
#15
I just did a pretty big gig last night w/ a band of crazy seasoned pros who've all been gigging together for a hundred years . . . I was soo nervous I nearly blew chunks during set breaks. Just gotta get through - only way that feeling stops is by doing it a thousand times. Chalk this gig to 1 - 999 more to go!

Oddly, I get psyched up for a show by listening to crazy good live shows in the car on the way. Usually The Josh Dion Band "live". Gets me thinking about being at that level and gives me something to strive for . . . but then there's always cabbage :D (that's a great one btw - can't wait to try that!)
 
#16
My first gig was in front of maybe 50 people.... 5 years later I was playing for between 5,000 to 14,000. The fear is always there, but once that crowd gets going its all adrenaline after that. The rush is a drug in itself. Get addicted to the rush and there is no going back. You'll do fine, just tell yourself "Im the ****"... and say it out loud. Its a confidence booster, seriouisly you should try it and you'll feel much better. Play long play strong and play it loud! :bassist:
 
#17
60's Bluesman said:
my friend asked me to play bass with him on the drum and his brother on guitar at his open house a week from today. prolly to most of you this would be nothing but ive never played in front of more then like 6 people before and now im playing in front of like 200 people....and my god am i nervous:eek:

any tips?
Click to expand...

Congrats! I haven't played out much either, but my advice is SMILE alot! Get into the music, dance a little, make cool rock'n'roll faces too! :bassist::D:cool:
 
#18
Make sure your equipment is working and your bass is tuned properly.

Warm up before hand, don't leave reality, focus, face the audience even if you forget your part (you can take a quick peak at that one guitarist that plays bar cords for the root ;) and if you make a mistake move on as only 10 people will know and 5 of those people are in your band.

After a few measures or minutes, whichever comes first, and it's sounding good the nerves will leave and the excitement will enter. Then try not to play too fast, stay in the moment and you'll remember it forever.

Of course have fun and enjoy your new addiction!
 
#19
If you truly love playing bass and have practiced your tunes to the point of confidence (which we all hope you have), just remember:

You are the best man for the job. Play to serve the song, to serve the band. Those who really matter will truly appreciate great bass playing. Give it to them and you will have many opportunities in the future :hyper:.
 
#20
I've played in front of large crowds since I was 8-9 yrs old, so its a non-issue to me. ( in fact I dont get a kick out of it anymore either).

Think of it as a martial arts excersize, where you have to control breathing, never look into their eyes, staying focused on the groove of the tune only. As said, defeintely warm up your hands prior. I used to run "spiders" up and down the fretboard.

If that don't work, imagine the audience is all NEKKED! It will help your ego maintain calm.
 

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