How to prepare for a first live performance?

[delta7fred]

One thing nobody has really acknowledged is the lack of a rehearsal/stage sound check prior to performance? Shouldn't most places do this? The venue I'm playing it is not. We have to show up after a band and get on as quick as we can and play. I'm worried the sound guy (if there even is one) wouldn't know our levels. Is this an irrational fear? Maybe I'm just overthinking it

You are over thinking it.

A sound guy will set levels as he see fit unless he is employed by you. A good sound guy will have you dialled in very quickly, especially if you are not first on the bill.

I somehow doubt that a venue will provide a PA for a multi band event and not have a sound guy.

I have only played one venue that provided a PA that did not have a sound guy, it was so abused it was virtually unusable (scratching subs, blown tweeters). We only used it once and it was so bad, we took our own for future gigs.

 

[Ox Boris]

This. Telling somebody to have a toke or a shot before they go onstage is about as bad (and cruel) a piece of advice as telling somebody going to an important job interview to "just be yourself."

You speak as if the recipient is obliged to do so. They're not. It's their decision. If they decide to try it for the first time, on the night of their first gig, well cruel often needs stupid in order to be successful.
The OP didn't strike me as the sort of person to be swayed against their will, or as anything approaching stupid. Quite the opposite.

Things that may help:

Fool Yourself
1. Stand Heroically - Before you go on, stand tall and proud, foursquare, hands on hips, like Errol Flynn. I don't care how much your brain knows it's fake, your adrenal glands are morons and they're lovin' it! They'll have you up and ready in no time.
2. Deep Breaths - Not the calming kind. The wide-eyed, aggressive kind. Not fast, but big, deep, I'm-about-to-do-the-Haka breaths. Once again, those thick-as-two-short-planks adrenal glands will lap it up and say, "Ok boss! We got ya! You're a beast! Grrrrr!"

Also:
Go wireless. Even if you don't move much. I can't tell you how many hours I spent kicking a cable before I freed myself. Also, this allows you to dance in the crowd.

Finally, the best advice I've ever received: "No one gives a **** about the bass player."

 

[ga_edwards]

Is that a Yamaha Billy Sheehan bass? How do you like it? I've always wanted one.

A little off topic, but yes it is. Astounding instrument - think of it as a hotrodded P bass. Akin to what the Ibanez Jem is to the Fender Strat. Big, fat resonant neck, pickups that could stun an elephant at 50 paces, sleeker body than a P, plays and feels fantastic. And the tone! Classic P bass tone but more of it - a little more natural grind but sits in the mix perfectly. A lot of people call it the 'ultimate rock bass' but it works equally well for me playing pop, soul and even disco and funk.

 

[ga_edwards]

You are over thinking it.

A sound guy will set levels as he see fit unless he is employed by you. A good sound guy will have you dialled in very quickly, especially if you are not first on the bill.

I somehow doubt that a venue will provide a PA for a multi band event and not have a sound guy.

Agreed. An unknown sound engineer working with an unknown band will mix with his/her favoured generic settings. Not difficult at all. You may not like your tone, but it will work. I'm afraid you don't get the luxury of nailing 'your sound' at this early stage in your career until you're headlining and manage the sound yourselves with your own engineer.

Depending on the size of the venue, you may either be DI'd (plugged directly into the mixing desk, in which case the bass amp (either your's or provided) has little influence on the sound out front and is simply there for you and your band mates to hear, or if a smaller venue, it may just be vocals and maybe bass drum going through the PA, and your amp will be providing the bass tone the audience hears.

If the former, let the sound engineer do their job - you're in their hands. Be nice and they'll be nice back, but of course do speak up if you think it sounds a mile away from what you think it should.
If the latter, it's a little trickier to judge and learn early on, but we've all been there. Ask the engineer for advice on volume, and/or get a very long cable and stand out front whilst you soundcheck. Get yourself balance nicely with the drums and you're pretty much there. Also, use more low mids than bass eq, it's easier for the amp to work this way and will still sound 'bassy' in the mix.

 

[AztecViking]

One thing nobody has really acknowledged is the lack of a rehearsal/stage sound check prior to performance?

Ideally you would always have those things but the real world of a performing band always has some elements which are not quite "ideal" in one way or another. When performing to an audience there will always be "unknowns" that make playing live a never ending crapshoot that is always memorable and somehow "special".

Just try to relax and enjoy the experience. I have a feeling you'll do fine.

 

[hrodbert696]

One thing nobody has really acknowledged is the lack of a rehearsal/stage sound check prior to performance? Shouldn't most places do this? The venue I'm playing it is not. We have to show up after a band and get on as quick as we can and play. I'm worried the sound guy (if there even is one) wouldn't know our levels. Is this an irrational fear? Maybe I'm just overthinking it

It wasn't clear what the venue or gig was or that there would even be a sound guy. So it sounds like we're talking about a multi-band show at a place established enough for there to be one. As others have said, I wouldn't worry about that - it's just not under your control. If the sound guy is good, he'll find levels that make you sound good by the time you hit the chorus of your first song. If he doesn't know what he's doing, no amount of sound-checking before you go on will help, and you'll just have to live with whatever he comes up with. I would put it in the column of "things not to be fazed by." Remember that if there's something really unusual you want, you can always ask for it - a little more reverb on the vocals, more kick drum in your monitor, etc. - but I would try to keep that to a minimum unless you really need it. Let him do his job.

 

[Mattrill]

Don't get bogged down if your sound isn't right. Try get it as good as possible pre-show but some rooms acoustics just suck

 

[Billybladez66]

Like I said earlier...try not to be too loud...nothing worse than a sound guy continually telling you turn down. You'll get stage ears in due time but if you find you can't hear yourself well just trust what you know and play by brail. Happens ALOT where your stage volume and mix is NOT EVEN CLOSE to what you're used to at rehearsal. Also...don't turn your bass volume all the way up...leave enough room to bump your volume a bit if necessary and you can do it without drowning the rest of the band out onstage.

 

[CalBuzz51]

...One thing nobody has really acknowledged is the lack of a rehearsal/stage sound check prior to performance? Shouldn't most places do this? The venue I'm playing it is not. We have to show up after a band and get on as quick as we can and play. I'm worried the sound guy (if there even is one) wouldn't know our levels. Is this an irrational fear? Maybe I'm just overthinking it

This is pretty common for us if their are multiple bands on the bill. Often, only the headliner gets a soundcheck at a small-medium size venue if there are multiple bands. Some places it's only the first band. It depends on how much room there is for gear onstage, if only one band's gear fits at a time, usually only 1 band gets a soundcheck.

IME, for small venues occaisionally the soundman will have a different idea about what order the bands go on, than was previously agreed. Sometimes people think the headliner always goes last. Other people think it's second. On weeknights, sometimes the headliner will campaign to go on first.

It's usually up to the soundman. And it can mean you told people to show up at 10:30, originally, but now your going on at 12:00.

It has happened to me on a few occaisions. Sometimes the bands work it out on their own. Unless you are confident your band is the headliner, it's usually not worth it to push for a change, you can ask but the soundguys in charge.

My take is be as flexible as possible, think big picture, but others may think differently.

 

[LowFish]

One thing nobody has really acknowledged is the lack of a rehearsal/stage sound check prior to performance? Shouldn't most places do this?

Most of the gigs I play the sound check is your first song. Only one of our festival gigs does a sound check after you set up, the rest of them are, set your gear up and start playing, most multi band venues will hire a good soundman so I would not worry about not having a sound check.

 

[jamro217]

Oh, and don't stress yourself out by trying to remember 20 pages worth of advice from bassists on TB.

 

[delta7fred]

At gigs where we are the sole band we get there early enough to have a quick sound check. We will play one short song for the guitarist to sing and maybe one for the drummer (always the same ones). I go out FOH on a long lead (cord) and check everything is ok so don't get a mic check as such except that it works but we always use the same mic channels and they never change. Very occasionally the PA or guitar vol/tone will need tweaking but not often, we have been at this a lot of years and can usually tell what a room is like when within the first few notes.

We play a multi band festival (with provided PA) about once a year, last year we got a sound check, this year we didn't. We set our guitar and bass levels so the drummer could hear us ok and off we went into the first number. We had a 2 hour slot and the longer we spent setting up the less we played.

The headline band after us spent an age setting up so probably had to cut their set short because there is a strict noise curfew on the venue (we only stayed for a few songs, they weren't that good).

 

[DChalo]

At gigs where we are the sole band we get there early enough to have a quick sound check. We will play one short song for the guitarist to sing and maybe one for the drummer (always the same ones). I go out FOH on a long lead (cord) and check everything is ok so don't get a mic check as such except that it works but we always use the same mic channels and they never change. Very occasionally the PA or guitar vol/tone will need tweaking but not often, we have been at this a lot of years and can usually tell what a room is like when within the first few notes.

We play a multi band festival (with provided PA) about once a year, last year we got a sound check, this year we didn't. We set our guitar and bass levels so the drummer could hear us ok and off we went into the first number. We had a 2 hour slot and the longer we spent setting up the less we played.

The headline band after us spent an age setting up so probably had to cut their set short because there is a strict noise curfew on the venue (we only stayed for a few songs, they weren't that good).

Ooh, actually that brings something up. I sing on two songs in our setlist and my vocals are much more powerful/higher than the lead singer. Will the sound guy know how to adjust or will he use the same vocal settings for us both?

 

[arbiterusa]

Fire the drummer.

 

[electracoyote]

Sorry guys, I meant to post earlier, but I think the comment didn't post.

Anyways thank you guys so much, I'm getting a lot of advice from a lot of different people who have had experience and that is tremendously helpful.

One thing nobody has really acknowledged is the lack of a rehearsal/stage sound check prior to performance? Shouldn't most places do this? The venue I'm playing it is not. We have to show up after a band and get on as quick as we can and play. I'm worried the sound guy (if there even is one) wouldn't know our levels. Is this an irrational fear? Maybe I'm just overthinking it

Good question.

After 38 years of working with sound techs, I can tell you with a high degree of certainty the odds are you are not going to get an ideal mix on stage. So, it's even more important to know your lines well so you don't get distracted by a strange mix. Mentally prepare. Talk with your sound tech before your set, be polite and diplomatic, communicate your needs and concerns quickly and to the point, shake his hand, thank him, and hope for the best. You may be able to communicate with him a little during your set, but that really slows the pace of your show and makes the audience antsy.

A few songs in, acknowledge your sound tech by name to the audience and thank him. Sometimes positive strokes from you and the audience makes them try a little harder.

 

[electracoyote]

Ooh, actually that brings something up. I sing on two songs in our setlist and my vocals are much more powerful/higher than the lead singer. Will the sound guy know how to adjust or will he use the same vocal settings for us both?

Let him know before your set. A good sound tech will put any lead singer at an appropriate volume.

 

[delta7fred]

Ooh, actually that brings something up. I sing on two songs in our setlist and my vocals are much more powerful/higher than the lead singer. Will the sound guy know how to adjust or will he use the same vocal settings for us both?

If he doesn't set each mic according to the singer behind it he shouldn’t be operating a mixing desk.

Stop worrying about the sound guy's job and concentrate on your own - learn your bass and vocal parts and deliver them to the very best of your ability. (Even if you are only playing to 20 people, you never know who is in the audience.)

Edit - Yes tell him you will be singing so you get your own mic.

We all sing lead so tell the sound guy that we want our mics at the same level and we will back off from them when singing backing vocals. You can tell when a sound guy is comfortable with what you are doing on stage when he leaves his desk and goes to the bar to get a beer.

 

[oldNewbie]

OP , do you record rehearsals ? sure you know what your band sounds like overall ? it's so easy to worry exclusively about your own part, or mistakes made by others that you don't know what the overall impression, i.e. the music , is. I can remember being really surprised when hearing board tapes, and you should not be . Try to listen outside of your own issues , I've found it it can go a long way to help feeling prepared. Good luck.

 

[Sav'nBass]

1. Show up early.
2. Know the music you're playing so well that you can play it in a coma.
3. If you're old enough, take a shot of Wild Turkey 10 minutes before performing.

That's really it. Easy does it. As you get better and more confident, you won't have to rely on the alcohol to calm your nerves. Also, realize that 99% of the audience is looking at whoever is singing.

This.... especially 1 & 2 .... also...
LISTEN
Listen to what your bandmates are doing... Don''t get so wrapped up in your own world that you are clueless as to what is going on around you..

 

[Funky Ghost]

Good advise so far. Just try to relax and be yourself. No need to try to "force" a good performance, let it happen like you were at rehearsal. Most of all have fun.

This is solid advice. I would carry it further and suggest that you practice like you play. Meaning; if you are a "mover" ( I am ) when you play then practice that way. Even if I was practicing at home playing along to tracks I would still move about and dance if the mood struck me. It's just how I play. Another trick is called state dependent learning. You can fool your mind a bit and calm the nerves a bit by wearing the same outfit you intend to wear on stage during practices. Some folks, if they are not part of the vocals, chew the same flavored gum ( by the way this works with studying for exams ) The more things you can give your memory to cling to during the learning process, the easier it is to recall if those same conditions are carried to the stage. That will provide more confidence in and of itself.

Most of all have fun, if something funky goes down, roll with it. I once showed up to a gig at Sac State here in Sacramento and the drummer no showed us. We did an acoustic set ( well Steve and Sandi did I had my electric bass ) It turned out to be one of our favorite shows that year. Of course it was the only show that the local paper showed up to. . .