Tips on playing live for the first time.

So we're nearly ready to gig and our first support show will be the 7th December. I, however, have never played in front of an audience of more than four and I've got a horrible feeling I might just go into a fugue state, forget how to play any of the songs, all of the words and start running around with my hands in the air.

Anyone got any tips? Really simple things. We're practising in a garage, mostly with practice amps and a PA for vocals, but I have no idea how that'll translate to the stage at our local venue which has a proper PA system and monitor speakers etc...

I'm playing bass, guitar and singing. We all sing/do backing vocals.

Ask girls for their student IDs.

Practice until you can play all of your songs in a fugue state, then it won't matter

(serious answer btw)

Good point. We're getting there. The idea I felt like I was asleep/thinking about something entirely different while we were playing our most complex song and yet listening back to the recording it sounded better than ever. It's all very well playing as a threesome in a dark garage - I'm worried once the spotlights are on it'll suddenly disappear.

I also seem to have trouble with mic technique. I seem to have to get extremely close to the mic (touching my lips) to get picked up in the garage but I have no idea whether this'll be the case on stage. I find it hard to get that close to the mic and play an instrument at the same time.

And what if I forget the words? Will anyone notice if I just "shmaddyshma" my way through?

Figure out your set list in advance and time how long it takes, including instrument changes, to make sure that you don't overrun. Put the set list down on a single sheet of A4, one copy per band member, written or printed large enough so that it can be read while it's taped to the floor while you're standing up. Next to each song put the key it's in and any special requirements, like capos, etc.. That way if you get completely lost and forget how a song goes, you can at least look down and see that the song is, say, in E and make E appropriate sounds.
Make sure that you bring spare strings/plectrums/cables/batteries (especially for bass/guitar tuner)/drumsticks. Unless it's a very small venue the sound person should know what to do as long as you're a fairly straightforward guitar/bass/drums/keys/vocals type band. If your band does have special requirements let them know in advance. For the mic problem you might want to try a mic stand with an upper section that can be tilted at an angle so that the lower half is out of the way of your guitar/bass. Although there might not be room if the stage is small.
Most of the audience are going to be there to see the main act. It's unlikely you'll be heckled. Don't be phased by them walking in half way through your set, talking amongst themselves, walking off to buy beer, etc..

make good use of your soundcheck time.

try not to tense up (especially in your hands/fingers) and overplay (or oversing) just because the stage volume is louder than you're used to and you're excited.

Unless you are playing covers, nobody will realise if you forget the words

Snoball brings good advice.

Will second the "learn how to play in a fugue state" - or at least, restate it as "don't overthink what you're doing". The times on stage I mess up are usually when my reflective brain-states kick in and I try to actively remember what the next note/chord/refrain is - muscle memory is your friend!

Practice a lot, practice well in advance, and do full set runthroughs where you pretend you're in front of the audience and don't talk to each other the way you do in practice. If possible set up the way you will be on stage (although this is hard to do without monitors.) I've always felt the "overpracticing" thing is a myth, with the exception that I don't like practicing a lot the day of a show.

Make sure you have your setlist written out in advance, and think about where you want to put it (e.g. if you're the drummer, you might want to tape it to the side of your floortom or something -- dealing with setlists can get surprisingly annoying and distracting).

Things that I highly recommend NOT doing, although you will probably do them anyway: (1) dicking around for too long while setting up or during your soundcheck. It will be tempting to play a lot immediately after setting up, but this is an awkward nervous habit that doesn't help anything. (2) dicking around on your instrument in between songs. I hate it when bands I see do this, and I hate it even more when people I play with do this. If I were a bandleader, I'd make a rule against it, but I was never in a band where I was in a position to play dictator.

Also, drink plenty of water (but go to the bathroom before you play), don't have more than one or two drinks before playing unless you're a highly functioning alcoholic, and eat healthy food that is easy on the stomach. Nerves plus hot lights plus stage moves plus spicy food is a surprisingly bad combo.

Oh and make sure everyone has the setlist so no one has to be like "hey what are we playing?" on stage. This might look cool and nonchalant when some bands do it, but it will not have that effect coming from a newbie performer.

Otherwise, it's all about experience, and there's a lot of stuff you have to figure out for yourself.

Yhe first time I played out live with a band, I had the brilliant idea of wearing a green t-shirt and dumping an entire bottle of green glitter in my hair so that I would more closely resemble my Rock Band avatar. I washing glitter out of my hair and finding it all over my pillows for two weeks, until finally I just shaved my head.

So, don't do that.

lol

Hahahaha, DJP.

To be honest, I quite enjoy seeing a new band fumble around with all the "what're we playing" and false starts and cuteness. But I come from a corny indie fuxx0r background, not everyone likes that, and it's down to you with how comfortable you are with coming across like that - if you're not, then follow the stricter setlist etc tips.

as much of a clich-ay that asking for more/less of "x" in the monitor is, make sure you can hear each other when you play. I have played too many gigs where the stage/monitor-mix was such that I couldn't hear one band member or another

Advice I wish someone had given me before playing live for the first time (ymmv): don't look at the audience and do not attempt between-song banter.

Hurting 2 makes good points.

The #1 rule about playing a show is do not play over your set time. Don't do it, ever, even if they've pushed you back so late you can only play three songs. Three songs is plenty for any band.

esp Godspeed

Headlining bands will forgive you if you eat of their rider, piss next to their tour van, play badly, do hummus fingerpainting on the dressing room mirrors. They will not forgive you if you're on stage even a minute longer than you're supposed to be

Don't masturbate or have sex for at least two days before the show.

^^^ tips from Oxbow

during the show however...

haha Oxbow are actually pretty chill IRL - at the show I booked for them, I got in a heated argument with someone about the designated parking space for them to unload their van - I think I made a good impression.

(2) dicking around on your instrument in between songs. I hate it when bands I see do this, and I hate it even more when people I play with do this.

^THIS. why do people do this? it's so fucking annoying. The "avoid stage banter" tip is a good one as well.

The #1 rule about playing a show is do not play over your set time.

God yes, don't do this. The only time it's acceptable is if you're the headline act, in a venue where you have leeway to carry on and do what you like and people are totally into it. If you're the support band you *will* fuck other people over.

I also hate dicking around on instruments in between songs, but I love love love people who can carry off blethering chatter with panache.

i don't mind stage chatter either, but in terms of playing your first show ever, it seems like something to avoid

Oh, yeah. You probably won't be very good at it at your first show, no.

attitude and having fun will help gloss over a lot of other mistakes

if there is a sound person - don't be a dick to the sound person but don't be shy about telling them if the levels aren't right for you or if something doesn't sound right

not only don't play over your set time, but consider playing even shorter than your set time, depending on what it is. there's no real reason you should be playing more than half an hour at your first show.

the tricky thing with the sound person though is they know better what you sound like out in the room so you do have to trust them somewhat. so it's more about not being shy about getting your on-stage sound right (i.e. being able to hear everything you need to hear)

yeah, pester sound guys for better monitor mix and let them mix the room; even if their room mix is shitty, they at least won't fuck with your monitors because you've pissed them off

attitude and having fun will help gloss over a lot of other mistakes

― congratulations (n/a), Monday, November 5, 2012 7:04 PM (4 minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

OTM OTM OTM

usually nothing sounds like it did in practice, because room setups/PAs/monitors change how things sound. but you're there to play the music, not listen to the music, so don't get hung up on it, focus on performing.

no matter how much you practice, you will prolly fuck something up, most folks in the audience either won't know or won't care. fuckups during live shows are like rejection letters from publishers, if you obsess over them you prolly won't get very far.

if you're opening at the local bar, odds are good you will not be able to hear yourself. if you need to hear yourself when you sing, putting one earplug in can help. if it doesn't help you can always yank it out.

every mistake you make will turn you into a better performer down the road. very few emerge venus-like from the halfshell, it's on-the-job training. take yr lumps and move on.

although on that note, if at all possible, emerge venus-like from a half-shell.

Oh, yeah. You probably won't be very good at it at your first show, no.

Yeah, this is what I was getting at; I love seeing bands that are able to pull off good between-song chatter, too, but avoiding it, at least for the first couple shows, is a good way to minimize nervousness.

half-shells never work properly at the first gig

it's a good idea to not only be nice to the person doing sound, but you should ask their name. it's so simple yet it's something a lot of bands don't bother to do ("hey soundman!"), and it can go a long way towards making yr brief working relationship more pleasant.

not only don't play over your set time, but consider playing even shorter than your set time, depending on what it is. there's no real reason you should be playing more than half an hour at your first show.

This is great advice. How long would your set be if you played all the songs you rehearsed minus the one you feel least confident about? If the answer is 20-25 minutes, then that's something to consider.

not dicking around too long between songs is good, but don't forget to tell people who you are (it's surprising how many local bands don't do this).

Also don't get overly worried about band order in your first show, nay, your first 20 shows. You're going to make lots of mistakes, be rickety, not have your live sound together, etc. This is just part of being a band, it takes a lot of stage time to get shit together. So don't worry about there only being 7 people there, "we were supposed to headline" etc. You're basically in your beta testing phase for quite some time.

In fact, I think it probably wouldn't be crazy for bands to spend like six months playing under a fake name and not promoting themselves too heavily.

I endorse the "have fun" and "have a good attitude" posts in theory, but I was way too racked with anxiety in my early shows to do this authentically.

partly covered above, but just try to think about any possible equipment contingencies/failures and what you can do about them and what you can do to prevent them. Have your drummer find out what the deal is with the kit if he's using a house or shared kit. If guitar, obviously have extra strings or even better an extra guitar ready to go. And you might want to have a string break plan, like a little instrumental thingamagig the rest of the band can play, or even just tell the audience you're taking a quick break to change a string. Not that the audience really cares all that much, but it will make you feel more comfortable to not be sitting there like "oh my god, my string broke, this is so embarrassing what do I do" Because it will eventually happen in a show.

"Freebird!" from the audience met immediately with the finger and "No Charge." - If you are anything like Mitt Romney, do not attempt.

The "Freebird" shout doesn't really happen in the UK, so I think they won't have to worry about that too much.

what do they shout instead? "Play 'We Don't Talk Anymore'"?

"MAGGIE MAY!"

DON'T drink a 5 hour energy at any time that day!!! i am only a lurker but i have to be really evangelical about this point

if you are very nervous, try to convince everyone in your band to wear sunglasses while you play for the first several times, as a thing. if anyone makes fun of you about it, dismissively say "it was a joke"

if someone else in your band messes up, try not to make a face if you can help it, because other people will tell them later. you can make a face if you mess up yourself but just for a fraction of a second, no one is here to see that

if you throw up first you will feel like rocky

being a drummer in a gigging band is really stressful and annoying actually, I have to say. Playing other people's kits can be kind of like trying to run in other people's running shoes, where sometimes you wind up with someone with a different sized or shaped foot. If you choose to always bring your own kit, you have lots of setup and carrying every time, and you still often get stuck with some weird stage setup that makes things hard for you to be comfortable (e.g. the space is too narrow and you're backed against the wall). Then all kinds of shit can go wrong with your own kit -- hardware failures and whatnot.

these are great tips. thanks all. we're playing on the dec 7, but have to vacate our usual practice space this week so I'm a bit worried. I'm mostly concerned about these things:

- vocal/mic technique. I'm not really used to singing into a mic, let alone playing guitar at the same time. I'm never sure how close I need to get to the mic without having too many pops but still being able to project over the music. What is the best way to sing - should I be going right up close and singing directly into it (point blank) or have it slightly under my mouth and sing "over" it? These are probably SM58s we're talking here.

- overdrive. When we practice, we tend to practice with a clean signal through small amps that seem to have a natural bit of grit and overdrive when turned up loud. It's come to shape the way the songs developed over time and I'm worried that through a PA an electric guitar played clean might end up sounding flat. I have a BOSS distortion pedal, but I only tend to use it for solos - it seems to come out a bit messy but quiet if I use it for anything else, but then this could be down to the shortcomings of our practice set-up. Do I need to buy another FX pedal? I am a bit broke for this TBH. I only want a bit of a boost, somewhere between clean and distorted for my usual rhythm playing.

so they're running the guitars straight through the PA? not micing the amps?

You want to sing directly into an SM58, not over it. It should be pointed at your mouth unless you are going for a slightly distant sound, buried sound for the vocals; it's a directional microphone so it's going to pick up the sounds it is pointed at. You don't need to eat the microphone to be heard, just be reasonably close (< 6 inches) and the sound guy will be able to pick up a strong enough source to mix you to whatever level you want.

so they're running the guitars straight through the PA? not micing the amps?

― congratulations (n/a), Friday, November 16, 2012 11:50 AM Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

yeah, if so, ask them not to do this. this is dumb.

small amps cranked and mic'd through a PA can sound really great if the person doing sound isn't a wuss about it

but yeah don't run direct, that will sound like ass

small amps cranked and mic'd through a PA can sound really great if the person doing sound isn't a wuss about it

Yeah, it worked well for Sic Alps and Times New Viking when I did sound for them.

but yeah don't run direct, that will sound like ass

Running direct sounds good for certain types of music (mostly folk-y type stuff ime), but not yours

Okay, so I should bring me own amp then? Hope it can handle it! Sorry I'm totally amateur about this. I guess I oughta speak to the sound guy.

Definitely bring your amp, and if it's not loud enough they'll just mic it.

Yup, in fact stage amps really don't need to be loud at all in small venues.

This is this Friday night... I am excited and scared and whooo boy have we practised enough? Will I pull off all the tricky bits? Will I change to the wrong chord in that one song like I always do? Will it sound like ass compared to the practice room? Wish me luck!

good luck!

also the closer you sing to the mic, the better and louder your monitors can be. which you want. my general go to instruction was to think about the mic like a telephone handset, but in the era of cel phones thats probably a dying metaphor

oh and trust the soundperson wrt what drums he does or doesn't choose to mic, nothing makes a soundperson more angry than dealing with some prima donna drummer demanding like a pair of overhead mics and a double miced snare for a tiny bar full of 50 people, and we will find a way to get revenge

unless you're doing covers, probably no one listening will notice if you change to the wrong chord in that one song or forget the words-- they don't know what it's supposed to sound like! they'll only notice if you grimace or apologize. good luck!

there are some less than competent soundpeople though, esp. when it comes to mic-ing or not mic-ing drums. there is a tendency to mic the kickdrum in a way that throws the entire balance of the drum kit out of whack.

what should i eat / avoid eating the day of the gig?

i can never eat before a show

This is just getting silly. DL, you don't need tips on what to eat. I'm pretty sure you're sensible enough to avoid things that will give you unholy arsequake, you don't need a nutritionist.

normally when I perform I forget to eat & drink 3-4 beers.

i never forget to drink 3-4 beers

I used to just drink shorts before playing because I was terrified of needing a wee halfway through the set. That went out of the window somewhere along the line, though.

read that as "I went out of the window," as in wee'd.

convenient

Haha. No, I never sank to such depravity. Lots of other depravity, but not weeing out of the window.

See I'm the type of bro that's reared in the ghetto
Drank a few shorts before
Now the only ones I take are the ones that I wear
Ain't drinkin no shorts no more

Don't overthink things, Dog Latin!

okay :-) Feeling strangely confident today!

You should be eating lots of foie gras and caviar.

load up on nipsy russells

I beg your pardon?

the drink?

Nipsy Russell sounds like a very unflattering nickname.

THE NIPSY RUSSELL:

6 PARTS TEQUILA
2 PARTS TRIPLE SEC
1 PART LEMON JUICE
1 PART LIME JUICE
1 PART GRAPEFRUIT JUICE
1 PUREED HABANERO PEPPER (OTHER RING-STING INDUCING PEPPER WILL SUFFICE)
SALT

― strongohulkington, Friday, March 2, 2007 1:06 PM Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

bless your heart, I was just digging up the recipe :)

Load up on Jack Russells.

That cocktail actually looks pretty good.

yeah it's basically "take a margarita, make it more awesome"

you will be very bored and anxious while waiting to go on. do not fill this void with alcohol.

I mean you don't have to be ian mackaye about it but you prolly want to avoid going shane macgowan

That was so fun! Got loads of nice feedback as well, although told we sound like a whole bunch of bands I don't listen to (the fucking libertines? Srsly?!). Would do it again in a heartbeat!

Glad you had fun!

the fucking libertines? Srsly?!

This sounds terrible, but bear in mind that people often have weird reference points and a strong desire to make things comprehensible to themselves, so you'll always get odd comparisons. That said, you should probably start sounding less like the Libertines.

Congratulations on your first "thank you"/"fuck you" moment! May you have many more!

That said, you should probably start sounding less like the Libertines.

XD

lol emily

haha, so the drummer's brother filmed it. funny to be able to see it from the other side of the stage.

http://youtu.be/V-iQmzb06dA

This is just getting silly. DL, you don't need tips on what to eat. I'm pretty sure you're sensible enough to avoid things that will give you unholy arsequake, you don't need a nutritionist.

― emil.y, Thursday, December 6, 2012 8:29 PM (3 days ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

maybe his band is called Unholy Arsequake!