All good points but I hope you didn't just overwhelm the poor guy with details and possibilities!!Words of advice:
Rookie Mistakes:
- Pack your bags the night before and double check to make sure you have everything you need. Bass. Strap. Patch cables. Amp/cab. Speaker Cables. Tuner. And whatever other "bare minimum essentials" you think you need to get through your set.
- Pack a dedicated go-bag with a multi-tool, screw driver, snippers, extra strings, extension cord, an extra patch cable that you know isn’t broken, nail clipper, spare t-shirt, and a protein bar or something else to eat that won't upset your stomach. These items now live in this bag until they are needed. Bonus points: pepto bismol and advil.
- Confirm with the venue/promoter what, if anything, you as a band may need to bring. Sounds like it's a serious venue, so hopefully nothing other than your own guitars and amps.
- Confirm if backline (amps/drums) is being provided. If so, please consider using it and resist the urge to insist on setting up your own amps. Backline is often provided (a) to save the band effort and make your job easier, but also primarily (b) to reduce hassle and streamline changeovers between bands. The production team is probably counting on you using whatever they have provided to help make the night run smoothly and seamlessly.
- If backline is being provided, confirm what, if anything, is not included. eg. Typically drummers will bring their own snare and cymbals (breakables).
- Show up on time. If soundcheck is at 7:00, you should be on stage, fully setup and roughly dialed in, ready and waiting for your queue to make noise at 6:59.
- Be crystal clear with the sound techs what you need for your stage setup (talking bare minimum... number of vocal mics, etc). Don't be shy or make concessions because you think it's too much work for them. Tell them what you need and they should do their job to make that happen, or tell you why they can't.
- That being said, you should also be flexible, and if you can't get what you want, trust that the sound person will do everything they can to make you sound good in the mix regardless of circumstances.
- Do not, under any circumstances, be a jerk to the sound person.
- If you make a mistake on stage, don't sweat it. Try not to make a face or act embarrassed (it's hard sometimes). Just smile, figure out what you did wrong and move on with the song and try not to make the same mistake when that part of the song comes around again.
- Write your setlist down on a separate piece of paper for each band member. I don't care how many times you've played through the same set. Write. It. Down.
- Hydrate, and bathroom break immediately before you're scheduled to start.
- Tune before you start. And for the love of god tune silently.
- Breathe.
- Act like you're having fun.
Etiquette:
- Showing up without a critical piece of gear.
- Showing up late.
- Arguing with the sound person over minor details (like what brand of microphone they give you, or type of DI or other gear choices, etc.) They know the PA and the room better than you do. Trust them to do their jobs, and do whatever you can to make it as straight forward as possible for them. Help them help you.
- Noodling during sound check. DO NOT MAKE NOISE while the sound person is working on other instruments. If you must noodle, mute your amp.
- Being sheepish about your monitor mix. If you can't hear what you need out of your monitor, tell the sound person.
- Being out of tune, and/or tuning by ear at full volume on stage with the PA engaged.
- Noodling at full volume between songs.
- Dead air on stage between songs... Keep the set list moving as smoothly as possible. If you need a break between songs to tune, signal to the band that you're tuning so they don't start the next song before you're ready. Someone should thank the crowd, tell a story or a joke to fill the time.
- If things really do go south, resist the urge to trainwreck the song and start over. If you can, turn your volume down until you figure out where you're at and come back in when you're ready. However, if the band absolutely must stop and start over, do it gracefully... don't get upset or point fingers, do laugh or make a joke, apologize, and start again.
- Be on time.
- Be professional and courteous to everyone involved in the production for the evening.
- Don’t play past your allotted time.
- Get everything off the stage ASAP after you’re done playing. Don't disappear to sign autographs until all your poopie is cleaned up and out of the way.
- Don't sneak beers into the venue. If you must, drink them outside in the parking lot and dispose of the empties discretely.
