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How to prepare for a first live performance?

#41
If you nail the takeoff and stick the landing, nobody in the audience will know what kinds of train wrecks happened in between. Which also means count your mistakes. First to 100 wins! The whole point of this is to be relaxed and have more fun than the audience. That's my solution to all problems.

The ritual I have may or may not work for you:
1. Put together a notebook of the charts of all the songs. It doesn't go on a music stand necessarily, but it's good to have on top of the amp in case of a brain cramp.
2. Review the set list a few times and go over anything that's a little shaky so it's right there in front of brain when time comes. If you blank, no problem. Just stick the landing, but this helps keep the blank mind at bay.
3. Depending on the length of the show coming up and where it is, I will sometimes drink an energy drink. It doesn't have much effect on me since I drink way too much coffee most of the time, but it's a ritual.
4. Always, always, always head for the can for the last minute nervous leak before going on. There's nothing worse than having a full bladder half way through a set. Talk about distracting!
5. Make sure you have everything you need. I don't carry two of everything since two of some of what I use would take too much space and cost too much (upright bass, Acoustic 360).
6. Stay as loose as you possibly can and move on stage. If you are dancing around and moving, then music flows easier.

Those are my six steps to a perfect show, but it's only perfect if I get to 100 mistakes first. It's a competitive thing.
 
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#42
Some good stuff here!

Communication is important during live shows. Lots of bands practice facing each other. Figure out how to make eye contact with each other without having the benefit of being directly in their line of sight all the time. Try doing your remaining band rehearsals setup as though you were on stage and face the pretend audience. While you're in the orientation, play your set as though it is live. Don't mess around between songs. Make sure the right person counts off songs without too much lag time following the previous song. Maybe even have the singer introduce songs as though there is an audience listening. This way, if they say something embarrassing, you can correct the dialogue before the show.

Also - do your remaining practices without alcohol, 420, etc. Avoid booze before the show. Bring water and hand towels (in case your hands get sweaty) to the show.
 
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#43
Know what you're playing.
Know where you're going.
Get there a little early.

There's no need to feel nervous. But most of us feel a little anxious no matter how long we've been playing so it's perfectly normal. Just know that most times the waiting to go on and start playing are more nerve wracking than the actual performance will ever be. So if you do feel tense, keep in mind that nearly 99% of all musicians stop feeling nervous or jittery once they start playing. And so will you.

As others suggested, don't stop a song until it's over. If you make a mistake, just blow past it and push on towards the finish. It happens. And nobody is going to laugh at you because you made a mistake. Nine times out of ten they either didn't catch it - or they forgot about it a few seconds later as long as you didn't do anything to make them notice or remember it. Like suddenly stop playing. Or stand there with a scowl or horrified expression on your face. Just let it go, act normal, and your audience will as well.

Keep an eye on your equipment. There are some people who steal things. Don't be a victim. And if you leave it with somebody to watch (even for a minute), keep in mind that there are a lot of distractions (i.e. pretty girls and boys) at live venues. So make sure you trust the person you're leaving your stuff with to be responsible and not get too distracted if "distractions" come their way.

Lastly, have fun. If for no other reason than live performances of music usually pay squat unless you're an established name in the marketplace. And even if there's prize money being dangled in front of you, keep in mind that for most local competitions, the winners are predetermined more often than not.

So since you're not going to get rich on a debut performance, make it a point to at least have fun. And learn from the experience. Otherwise why bother?

Like a friend of mine who hosted jams used to say after somebody played particularly well and got a big reaction from the audience: "The man's/lady's name is _______. Give him/her a big hand and please...remember their name. Because that's all they're gonna get for it tonight folks!"

Good luck. I'm sure it'll all go well.
 
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#44
DChalo said:
Title says it all. I have my first live performance in a couple weeks, and there is no dress rehearsal on a stage or anything. I have never played on a stage, so this is kind of troubling for me. What can I do?
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I have my first live performance in a couple weeks, and there is no dress rehearsal on a stage or anything. dress rehearsals are very rare, even for touring acts: more of a theater thing. if you have a sound check, however: that's about all the pre-show acclimation/orientation you're going to get. fortunately, it's enough.

I have never played on a stage, so this is kind of troubling for me. not sure what you mean by "troubling": seems the other posters are giving you advice based on the potential for 'gig jitters' --- is it anxiety about the performance, or something else? do you know the music?

What can I do? my advice: imagine what you are going to do on your second and third live performances to make things better for you: if any of those things seem like they might have benefit, incorporate them into your first performance. (totally serious!) :thumbsup:

be sure to post back after the gig to share your experience(s).
 
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#45
I'm a little concerned by all the posts that seem to think alcohol is a great tool for solving problems (like stage nerves). I often have a beer or two over the course of a gig, but to enable me to pull off the gig? - HELL no. As often as not, that's a great strategy for thinking you did a lot better than you really did, while actually playing in a way that makes sure you're not invited back for a second gig.

The most important single piece of advice anyone has given is to know your music backwards and forwards. The drummer starts a beat or the guitarist hits his opening chords, and muscle memory will kick in, and you're off.

The live environment has a lot of distractions. The mix will sound different than it did in practice. People might cheer or applaud when, of course, no one did in practice. People in the crowd might sneer at you, or try to flirt with you, or come up to ask if you take a request WHILE YOU"RE PLAYING. The venue might leave a TV with a football game on. People might ignore you altogether and make you wonder if you suck. Eventually you get to the point that none of this fazes you, but in the meantime, focus on the music and worry about the rest when you're done.

Don't sweat mistakes. In live performance, as soon as a mistake happens, it's gone, poof, history. It's not like it's going on a recording to be memorialized for all time. All that matters is the NEXT note. So if you (or a bandmate) screws up, ignore it and KEEP PLAYING.

I think it was @lokikallas who mentioned moving around. That's a good point - remember that people come to see a show, not just to hear music. Artistes may howl, but it's true. Dress appropriately, depending on your genre. Do try to let your body get into the music, move, sway, dance, bob your head, leap in the air, whatever. Make eye contact with the audience, smile or snarl or whatever.

At the same time, as a caveat, two things - one, do all this stuff PROVIDED that you're comfortable in the music and can do them without throwing yourself (or your bandmates) off. A cool dance move is rarely worth a trainwreck. First things first. Secondly, if you're going to move, COMMIT to the move. It's WAY better to plant your feet and own your spot on the stage than to kind of meander around uncertainly like you think maybe you should be moving somewhere but you're not sure where.

A final thought - you said you can't rehearse on the stage before the show, that's normal. But if you've never played live before, you might try hitting an open mic or two, which is about as close to a gig environment as you can do apart from actually gigging. Just to get used to being on stage and in front of a crowd.
 
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#46
DChalo said:
Title says it all. I have my first live performance in a couple weeks, and there is no dress rehearsal on a stage or anything. I have never played on a stage, so this is kind of troubling for me. What can I do?
Click to expand...

Remind yourself why you started playing the bass in the first place; for most folks on this forum it was to eventually perform on stage with your mates.

Bingo, you are there; relax and enjoy the experience! An earlier post mentioned playing in front of a mirror; this is sage advice, the bathroom mirror worked good for me when I was 15... check what those bass faces really look like before someone shows you a cringe worthy video.

Just before you take the stage take some deep breaths; it's show time...!

I was 15 on my first live performance. The main pressure that I had going on was that it was a paid performance. I struggled/worried that we weren't good enough to get paid. Half way through the first song I thought to myself 'heck ya we were good enough to get paid!' I broke out in a huge grin and enjoyed myself immensely...! Still do!
 
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#51
Don't go on an empty stomach.

Stay hydrated. I usually have a low cal Gatorade with me at a gig, along with water.

Free your mind of worry as it won't do you any good. Do what you can to put yourself in a relaxed state, although you will probably be pretty excited.

Be confident with the material.

Know what gear you need, maybe even make a checklist.

Bring backups for things that commonly fail...mainly cordage and strings.

Remember that at the end of the day, it's only music, so have fun with it. The audience is simply there to have a good time, NOT judge you. Have fun with them!

As for alcohol...i would personally avoid it, as even one or two beers makes my playing suffer. But that is a personal decision in my opinion, so you can make that call on your own.
 
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#52
Odinbass said:
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Is that Jimmy Page?
 
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#53
Lighting/shadows can throw you a curveball so practice in very dim lighting and/or lighting that casts weird shadows/glares on your FB. Move a lamp around a dark room to get the idea; if you can get a desk lamp the shines at you and your bass, all the better.

Get used to not looking at your fingerboard.

If you play a lot of riffs, make sure you knkw the key and chords so you don't get totally lost if you goof up. Go to the root. If you goof up and get lost, stop playing and come in when you get your bearings. Do NOT start fumbling around on wrong notes.

Your mistakes are going to seem to sound worse and take longer to get out of than what is actually happening so don't freak out if you goof. If you can record your show, do so and you will see. You will be amazed at how well a simple smart phone records and plays back thru headphones. Be sure to set it for loud volumes so it limits distortion. If you want to hear a lot of bass and drums, keep it near you/in your pocket. If you can put it at a table by a friend in the crowd, you'll get a better mix.

Pay no attention to the guitarist or singer when you goof if they are prone to being anal retentive and/or shoot looks as that can psyche you out and make it worse. It will only get better so no negativity.
 
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#58
Dana R Gregory said:
One thing that I was told when I first played on stage was to look slightly over the heads of the audience at the back wall. You give the appearance that you are looking at them. It worked for me until I got comfortable with playing on stage. ;)
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+1
I was told this when I was on a course on how do effective presentations.

I had already been playing on stage for years so making eye contact with the audience didn't bother me but the guys who had never done any public speaking before found it a great help.
 
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#60
Robb Fesig said:
Remember, the non-musicians in the audience don't listen to music the way you do, and don't hear the mistakes like you do.
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:thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup: Best way to keep your cool, IMO - don't get hung up if you make a mistake, just keep playing with good time and don't lose your place.
Everybody makes mistakes - what's important is what you play after a mistake.
 
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