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Hitting the stage .....Any Last Words?

#81
This is a very timely post from the OP. The Classic Rock/Southern Rock band I play in had the opportunity to play a new venue this past Saturday night. I had booked the gig for us and obviously we wanted to make a good impression so the owner would have us back. We all made our mistakes here and there for the three set night, but we had the best show and the best time with the crowd that we have ever had up to this date. Yes I was nervous but as the crowd started liking our material we really got into the show. At our age we do this for fun and make a little money as well. We have five members and four of the five graduated from high school together so we have history you might say. I remember telling my girls when they played softball, "Just Have Fun". That's exactly what we did. :)
 
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#82
I believe if you don't have some feeling, it means the event is just not that important to you. The trick is to manage that energy, and change it good energy. Even the best gig is not as scary as drag racing motorcycles. But they are the same, as once the burnout's over, it's time to rock and roll!
 
#83
mrcbass said:
The real trick is managing how you react to unexpected issues.
Click to expand...

Yes, arguably the bass guitar is fortunately the most likely thing not to fail equipment-wise, or at least in a 3-piece band. So I just try to see he humor in the others having issues, but do try to help out wherever I can.

Like one night the drummer's kick drum decided to walk away from him on the slippery floor, and was taking most of the kit along with it. He forgot to bring a rug. Played a full set with my foot on the floor against the kick to keep it in place! Then the always-brung roll of duct tape was used to save the day once again! We now look back on that fondly; hey, we pulled it off!

Not panicking when something goes wrong is a learned behavior. Thinking ahead a little and knowing exactly where the spare instrument, mic and speaker cables, wireless batteries, duct tape, tuner cleaner and such makes playing more comfortable, too. Heck, I know worst caseI can get the spare amp out of the car and have it going in under three minutes, what is there possibly left to panic about?
 
#84
OogieWaWa said:
Yes, arguably the bass guitar is fortunately the most likely thing not to fail equipment-wise, or at least in a 3-piece band.
Click to expand...
Yeah, that's true, but there's lots of other things in my "station" that can. Wireless (bass and IEM), mics/ feed back from monitor (before IEMs), getting your mix (it's amazing how distracting it is when you can't hear what you need), making sure your tuning pedal is not in tuning mode when you're trying to play (why am I not putting any sound out?!), stepping on your power supply and turning off your entire rig (amp, pedal board, wireless, monitor), some drunk piling on "stage" mid song, etc. No matter how solid your rig is, there are plenty of potential, unwelcomed distractions that you simply can't prepare for.
 
#85
velascorp said:
Hi All.
Talking to my nephew , who is in college now , the conversation of "nerves" right before one goes on stage to play came up.
He is my brother's son and has been playing next to his father since he could hit a drum. He point blankly said "never"....... as it has always been a part of his life .
He then asked me . My answer was I sometimes still feel the anxiety , but hope to welcome it. I try to flip it and make it work for me.
I then told him, "On bigger gigs right before my foot his the stage, I repeat the Kevin McAllister line form the movie Home Alone , right before the bad guys come.

"This is it... don't get scared now." .... then I try to "wreck the house". (He liked this)

Wondering,.... does anyone else have a quick , pep talk , or mantra or saying before going on to the stage or venue? I or some of us could use it. THX MV
Click to expand...
Practice, Prepare, get there and setup early, relax and enjoy
 
#86
velascorp said:
Hi All.
Talking to my nephew , who is in college now , the conversation of "nerves" right before one goes on stage to play came up.
He is my brother's son and has been playing next to his father since he could hit a drum. He point blankly said "never"....... as it has always been a part of his life .
He then asked me . My answer was I sometimes still feel the anxiety , but hope to welcome it. I try to flip it and make it work for me.
I then told him, "On bigger gigs right before my foot his the stage, I repeat the Kevin McAllister line form the movie Home Alone , right before the bad guys come.

"This is it... don't get scared now." .... then I try to "wreck the house". (He liked this)

Wondering,.... does anyone else have a quick , pep talk , or mantra or saying before going on to the stage or venue? I or some of us could use it. THX MV
Click to expand...
if you can play it during band practice, you can play it on stsge.
 
#88
velascorp said:
Hi All.
Talking to my nephew , who is in college now , the conversation of "nerves" right before one goes on stage to play came up.
He is my brother's son and has been playing next to his father since he could hit a drum. He point blankly said "never"....... as it has always been a part of his life .
He then asked me . My answer was I sometimes still feel the anxiety , but hope to welcome it. I try to flip it and make it work for me.
I then told him, "On bigger gigs right before my foot his the stage, I repeat the Kevin McAllister line form the movie Home Alone , right before the bad guys come.

"This is it... don't get scared now." .... then I try to "wreck the house". (He liked this)

Wondering,.... does anyone else have a quick , pep talk , or mantra or saying before going on to the stage or venue? I or some of us could use it. THX MV
Click to expand...
The firs time we played at one of the max security prisons here in Arkansas was a butt puckering experience. After that nothing bothers me any more.
They were a captive audience and couldn't leave during my solo...heh heh heh
 
#89
Never really had a problem with bass-playing, because I started out by hiding behind the other guys and only gradually moved to the front to become the main singer. As others have said, if you know your stuff you can just get on and enjoy it. But solo work is very different - I'm doing a Leonard Cohen session in March, just me on guitar and vocals, and the thought terrifies me. I know the stuff backwards, (it can sound better that way...) but sheer nervousness can get me making huge gaffes, which are really obvious coz there's no-one else there. I don't agree that people want you to have a good time - THEY want to have a good time, and that will depend on me getting it right. No pressure, then... Well, I offered myself up for it, so just have to do what I do and hope they like it.
 
#90
The only time I feel uncomfortable is between songs. Those dead spots where I'm not playing or there's no music coming from the stage are only for a few seconds, but I feel like a doofus just standing there, so I use the time to make scan the crowd to see who's really enjoying it (or not), make eye contact with any friends, or check out any pretty girls.
 
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#91
Like someone else mentioned, I am addicted to that feeling. I gotta play frequently or I go into withdrawl. My wife can recognize it.

I truly hate it when a gig gets cancelled at the last moment, after you are prepared for it. It is such a let down, I get almost depressed.

The gigs almost always go too fast. I get in that zone, and then the night is over.

The adrenaline gets my fingers doing things I don't remember afterwards. I love hearing live recordings of a band I'm in, as I am almost always amazed with that "what the heck did I just play there?" thing. I almost count on it - that is, if I haven't had time to fully "realize" a song before a gig (filling in or new-song-to-the-band), I don't worry too much about it. I know that in-the-moment, on the stage, my playing is at least half again as good as when not on the stage. I guess it took me many years to harness those butterflies and put them to use. Plus its hard making such tiny little fasteners and leashes.

Although it is a bit weird seeing video of my performances. I move in ways I'm not aware of while playing. Not quite cringe-worthy, but still... ;)
 
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#92
velascorp said:
Hi All.
Talking to my nephew , who is in college now , the conversation of "nerves" right before one goes on stage to play came up.
He is my brother's son and has been playing next to his father since he could hit a drum. He point blankly said "never"....... as it has always been a part of his life .
He then asked me . My answer was I sometimes still feel the anxiety , but hope to welcome it. I try to flip it and make it work for me.
I then told him, "On bigger gigs right before my foot his the stage, I repeat the Kevin McAllister line form the movie Home Alone , right before the bad guys come.

"This is it... don't get scared now." .... then I try to "wreck the house". (He liked this)

Wondering,.... does anyone else have a quick , pep talk , or mantra or saying before going on to the stage or venue? I or some of us could use it. THX MV
Click to expand...
"Show Me To The Stage!!"
or
"Let Me At 'Em!!"

My first big show was opening for Michael McDonald in The Charleston Sternwheel Regatta, which was arguably the biggest event in the state at the time. It was an outdoor event in the middle of the city where they block off a 4-lane Boulevard for about 5 city blocks. The crowd was estimated at 100,000 people.
I was ready. My band was ready. Theres nothing better than total confidence in your bandmates when the pressure is on.
I hooked up, played my a$$ off, messed with the front of the crowd, the whole RockStar bit. The keyboard player told me after the show that his uncle had said to him about me, "He looked like he had done it a hundred times, like he belonged on that stage." That may be the best compliment I have ever gotten.
Well, there was the time, recounted somewhere else on this site, when the guy came up to me after a show which was a contest with several other bands in it, and said, "There's someone who would like to meet you."
I followed him to the side of the audience area, where a man was sitting under a tree. He had the dark glasses and cane and although he was blind, he had been listening all afternoon to the bands in the contest.
I said hello to him and he said, "I've been here all day, and youre the best bass I've heard."
 
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#93
I still get a little nervous energy, after 30-plus years. I figure that's a good thing, because we know our band is prepped and ready, we're going to bring it, and the audience is going to have fun with us.
That being said, someone said that a lot of energy goes into being nervous, so try to alleviate that. A few pages ago, someone here suggested exercise; great, great suggestion.
And — depending on the scenario — don't worry about being perfect. I believe it was Miles Davis who said 'If you're not making any mistakes, you're not even trying."
 
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#95
No "mantra" per se but here's how I view stage fright: I'm a musician/entertainer, it's just what I do. When I'm up on that stage, that's where I'm supposed to be. The people in that crowd (or other musicians in the crowd) aren't supposed to be up there or else they would be. Obviously I can do something they can't or they would be. They look up to me. I can't let fear or anxiety stand in the way of my purpose or why I'm meant to be where I am. You don't see a firefighter doing that. If they allowed fear to make them hesitant at all, the people inside would burn up. But no, they jump right in there & OWN IT. My motto has always been, "Ain't nothin to it but to do it!" Trust me, audiences are not there expecting you to fail, they want to see you succeed, they're rooting for you. You just gotta go up there, embrace it, & have fun. If my 1000+ gigs in my life have taught me any one thing, it's this: The more fun you are having on that stage, the more fun the crowd will have. It's automatic. And the first time you are able to just relax, let loose, & get "that reaction" from the crowd, it'll be a game changer for you for life and before you know it, you"ll be as comfortable on a stage in front of a crowd as you would be at home in your PJs. When I take the stage, or hell, even while we're just setting up, I am always giddy-as-a-schoolgirl excited, knowing how awesome it's going to be & how much fun everyone's going to have. I'm always very thankful that I've been given such a wonderful opportunity to be where I am & I always let em know; by thanking everyone for coming out AND by making them have fun because I am. The moral is this: Smile, have fun, be confident & friendly, project an attitude of gratitude & you can never go wrong. And also (as if this comment isn't already long-winded enough), mistakes? Oh yeah, you're gonna make em. We all do. No matter how much we practice no human is immune to em. But if you learn to just blow past em & laugh em off, your audience will too. I GUARANTEE IT.
 
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#96
My band is a bunch of old farts playing for fun in my music room. We only gig a couple of times a year. So, each time seems like a new, and exciting, deal. Because I want so badly to perform well, I always get extremely nervous, to the point of shaky hands and the jitters. The best way to handle that that I have found is to be sure that the first song is one where I play a simple bass line. Nothing too fast or intricate. By the time that first song is over, I have settled into the groove and the nerves are gone. From that point on, I am relaxed and ready to put on the show that the audience paid their hard earned money to see.
And.... don’t get me wrong. That first song is a good one, we always want to get the attention of the crowd right out of the box. But, there are a lot of really good songs with simple bass lines.
 
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#97
velascorp said:
Hi All.
Talking to my nephew , who is in college now , the conversation of "nerves" right before one goes on stage to play came up.
He is my brother's son and has been playing next to his father since he could hit a drum. He point blankly said "never"....... as it has always been a part of his life .
He then asked me . My answer was I sometimes still feel the anxiety , but hope to welcome it. I try to flip it and make it work for me.
I then told him, "On bigger gigs right before my foot his the stage, I repeat the Kevin McAllister line form the movie Home Alone , right before the bad guys come.

"This is it... don't get scared now." .... then I try to "wreck the house". (He liked this)

Wondering,.... does anyone else have a quick , pep talk , or mantra or saying before going on to the stage or venue? I or some of us could use it. THX MV
Click to expand...
I get a little nervous leading up to the first note, but I've only been playing 45 years, I'm sure it'll go away;)
 
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#100
There is always some level of anxiety before I play. The better prepared I am the less the anxiety but once the first note is played that almost always go away. I make sure to hit that first note like I own it. If it’s the wrong note (which happened a few weeks ago) then hit the next note like a boss. A wrong note is not the end of the world. The point is to have fun.
 
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