Worries Playing Live

[ade247]

I'm in a new band working towards our 1st gig.

What worries me are making mistakes and hecklers.

What experiences have you guys had of making mistakes live gigging and how do you handle the losers in the audience that want to make your gig a misery.

Thanks.

[Voxman]

Relax & don't worry about it. First, I'd be shocked if you ever come up against hecklers - I've been playing nearly 40 yrs and never have! Audiences are generally very forgiving, preoccupied with their own conversations, and chilled from a few drinks. When we make mistakes, we know...but the audience hasn't got a clue. If you get hecklers...just ignore 'em - if you're doing 2) below, you'll get the audience on side anyway.

Top tips -

1) if you make a mistake - just KEEP PLAYING...cos that's what the pro's do! And the audience will never know anyway if you missed or repeated a verse or got the lead solo wrong or played it in the wrong place. It's all what makes playing live fun & interesting. You'll have great gigs where you play everything perfectly, but the audience may not have been that attentive. Then you'll have gigs where you mess up some songs....& the audience will think you were all terrific! Strange but true, I promise you.

2) Look as if you're enjoying it & engage with the audience - smile, and be a bit animated ie not standing there looking down, unconfident, and static. Folk are there to have a good time, so don't just play...entertain and engage with them at least a little.

3) Link the songs with some intro banter (helps engage with the audience & gives time to change settings, patches, quick tune up etc - & introducing a song avoids mix ups for the band as in 4) below!) rather than just merge one song into another.

4) Write out a song list and make sure everyone has a copy - you don't want to lose your place and all start playing a different song (see 3) above too).

5) Take a back-up amp/MFX unit and have it set up on stage in case you need it. Just knowing its there as back up for any equipment failure will make you more relaxed & confident!

6) Even if you forget a lead solo - just improvise....or if you have a mind melt down & forget the key, just lay back until you get into the groove again. The audience will never know!

7) Your drummer should be leading you timing wise into each song, so get into the habit of letting him count you in...if it's good enough for top pro bands....!

And MOST IMPORTANT just - RELAX, SMILE & ENJOY it!

[retrobob]

"VOXMAN" once again perfect advice, I could not have said it better.

A note about losers in the audience, years ago a friend of mine taught me how to handle a guy very graciously. I was watching his band at a club and during the last song of a set, he made a mistake in his solo from which he quickly recovered and went on to finish. However, at the end of the set as he was making his way off stage for a drink, a guy from the audience rushes him declaring he caught him in his mistake, my friend shook the guys hand and simply said, "Thanks for listening".

The guy was totally shut down! I have used that same line with similar success on many occasions.

Remember to have fun and your audience will have fun with you.

[eggsbenny]

Voxman, is there any chance that I could copy that, print it off and put it up on my wall? That basically summarizes almost everything that needs to be said to anybody with this sort of question (Should be stickied as a Gigging 101 thread).

Ive been playing live for 5 years now (Far off the 40 years of Mr. Amazing (Voxman) ) and let me say, don't worry about hecklers and making mistakes. One of the most famous lines I and my family members have been famous for in our gigging is " We won't be able to do it that way again". Enjoy the rush of playing up there on the stage; try to convey that rush to the audience (Just don't try jumping around on your PA unless you know the risks and are prepared to take them ).

If you can afford it, I seriously recommend a backup amp. Even if its something thats nowhere close to your main rig, its something. I had a gig where I used a Boss multi pedal plugged into an old TKO bass amp as my backup, as my main amp got damaged mid gig. Its worth it to have a backup.

Enjoy yourself, get hyped up and get into the art of the show. Playing live is worth it.

My $0.02

EB

[Voxman]

And here's an example of playing live & me missing the change after the lead solo - I normally play the long version whereas this was the short version - but I was on auto - see me lose it, correct, and get back into it. But if I hadn't told you & you were in the audience - would you have known?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ucS72iapguE

This was my daughter's first gig with us (then only 15) and she got thrown on the first verse - so, like a trooper she stops at the right point, & we all go round again. Again, if you were in the audience, you'd probably never pick up on it! Hadn't had much rehearsal time for this gig & I was leading in at my daughter's request so my head was down I'm afraid early on - (concentrating ) - but I livened up as the song developed.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meA02BZAL9c

So, 2 bloopers - just all part of the fun of playing live!

[ade247]

That's all great advice..thanks guys. Nice one Voxman for the list and links...very useful that.

It's also nice to know that I'm not alone in thinking about these things and how to handle them.

[Telegib]

Well, I'm a few years behind on this post but this is great info for those who haven't gigged yet or gig very little...... I too praise Voxman's advice here - perfectly said, great advice.

If I could only add 1 more peice of helpful ammo.......Practice makes Perfect, or very close to it.

Band Reherasal and practice takes 90% of the stress out of a gig. Why?, because after you rehearse so much it becomes second nature to just play it the way you reheased and it eliminates any fear or apprehension. It takes away any concern about what parts to play and how to play them. Rehearsal raises your confidence level and it's easier to walk out onto a stage with less worries - or butterflys in your stomach.

The bottom line - play what you know. Don't try to play stuff you can't play well. Rehearse and be honest with yourself about what songs you can pull off and what songs you don't play well. I don't care if it's your favorite band - if you can't play it well, don't play it. Choose the material that you can deliver well.

Rehearsal is so important if you want to be a gigging band. At least your initial rehearsals to get all your material down and memorized by everyone.

Mistakes always happen. Thats life. Just keep playin and don't make a big deal about it.

Used to get stage fright when I was younger and and unrehearsed less seasoned player.....now I only get stage fright in the crowed bathrooms in bars !...WTF. Life getting older.

S.