Playing first big gig. Need some advice.

[Nyarlath]

Approach it like you're giving a speech. It's basically the same set of rules. Just never stop playing; then the audience knows something is up.

[budda]

RTFO

[Orsusmetal]

Wirelessly posted (BlackBerry9630/5.0.0.1030 Profile/MIDP-2.1 Configuration/CLDC-1.1 VendorID/104)

Thanks guys! I really appreciate the advice. You guys are awesome.

[Seraphine]

Gig 101 ~ Warm up your fingers before going on.... at least 15 minutes... start slow and easy and warm them puppies up.... I've seen people deal with the butterflies in the stomach in those 15 minutes and are quicker to get into the groove, off the bat.

It's a habit that any first timers should maker a golden rule... warm up before hitting the stage.

The mind tricks... well.. basically sometimes you feel like a demigod and after the show people say it was average or not hot... sometimes you think you played like sh# yet after the show people are praising the show as brilliant... you never know man...

Don't sweat control issues in playing.... Let the music play you and the band sometimes... enjoy. Another thing.... you might want to record every show you guys do.... Since this is your first gig... it would be great to have a record of your shows from the beginning... As well... Listening to your shows later may in fact show you that what you may thought was grrrrrrrr, was in fact quite good! lol

Have fun man... it's better than sex and you're in it for the music eh? lol

[Orsusmetal]

Good advice! Thank you.

It isn't the bands first show, just mine with them. I haven't had much live experience at all. So for my first gig with them to be with Decrepit Birth was pretty awesome. Decrepit Birth cancelled, though. :-( So our next gig won't be as big, but I still appreciate the advice! It will definitely help me no matter the gig or venue.

[Oogadee Boogadee]

nothing sucks more than being rushed. as already stated, be early. get all your gear ready and staged for a quick set-up. do as much pre-setup as possible. Especially your drummer. here's what I do, so that i can get my 7pc kit up and running in 10 minutes tops.

get their early
set up my entire kit out front, on the floor, as I'm going to play it
put all my cases in the car (avoid venue clutter)
tear down as little as possible, and stage my kit in strategic places, close to the stage
make sure your drummer has his own drum rug - bring it just in case.

my kit is on a rack, but i have two independent sections, both of which are on casters. breaking it into two sections makes it easy to lift by myself, so i depend on nobody and i get it done quickly. having it on casters means that i can wheel it into place, and if i don't like where my rug is, wheel it off quickly, and adjust my drum rug position, and wheel it back on. Again - i don't need anybody to help me move this big kit.

i can't stress enough that, assuming you know your material and song transitions, the most important thing you can do to help your gig is buy yourself as much time as possible. A quick set-up means you have more time to relax, double check your gear, keep your fingers warm (or legs!), and just *breath* and remind yourself that you're a pro and you're about to kill people.

[Seraphine]

Originally Posted by Orsusmetal

Good advice! Thank you.

It isn't the bands first show, just mine with them. I haven't had much live experience at all. So for my first gig with them to be with Decrepit Birth was pretty awesome. Decrepit Birth cancelled, though. :-( So our next gig won't be as big, but I still appreciate the advice! It will definitely help me no matter the gig or venue.

You played already? Give us an update... I'd be happy to hear your experience.

[Orsusmetal]

Originally Posted by Seraphine

You played already? Give us an update... I'd be happy to hear your experience.

Not yet. When I started this thread, we just had the Decrepit Birth gig lined up. That show was cancelled though. It would have been in the beginning of Nov.

Since then we have gotten some other things lined up. We will be playing next week, actually. The show is with The Browning. It isn't as big of a show, but it should draw a pretty decent crowd.

[Seraphine]

Originally Posted by Orsusmetal

Not yet. When I started this thread, we just had the Decrepit Birth gig lined up. That show was cancelled though. It would have been in the beginning of Nov.

Since then we have gotten some other things lined up. We will be playing next week, actually. The show is with The Browning. It isn't as big of a show, but it should draw a pretty decent crowd.

Been awhile... what's been happening?

[Orsusmetal]

Sorry for the long delay! I forgot about this thread.

Things have been going great. I've played tons of gigs this past year with the band. Got to play in front of some Sumerian reps.

We will be playing with After The Burial in a few weeks, and Veil Of Maya a little later. Very excited.