First performance...

F

finalfury1

New member
Ok guys. For the first time I am performing tomorrow at 6 pm at a coffee shop kinda of setup in front of another band. A lot of people from my school ( i go to high school) are coming out and we are going to release one cover (creep by radiohead) and two songs I wrote. We have a pretty good teen band sound and the people that have heard it love the songs cause they are catchy. I have a very experienced sound guy and he has high quality mics and stuff. This post is about asking for advice. Any at all from anyone because this is going to be my first performance both singing and playing guitar. ( i have only been singing for like 2 weeks but everyone says i have natural talent with singing and playing guitar).
 
What kind of advice are you looking for - technical or spiritual? :D

Let me give you some of the spiritual stuff first:

Relax, enjoy, knock 'em dead. You'll have lots of fun. :)

Technical stuff: Hopefully you'll have a chance to run a sound check of some sort before playing to get the levels set. Don't get right on top of your vocal mic - stay a few inches off.

Have fun and good luck!
 
The advice I would like doesn't really matter because I will take any advice. We will have a chance to do a sound check and adjust levels thank god otherwise I would just roll in our PA (my friends) which is actually better than the one we will be using. I have only sang for one day into the mic but it was a long practice session of 4 hours yesterday and I realize singing in a mic is different than just singing. lol.. It's an art I am getting better at. Yesterday we sounded outstandingly awesome... Keep posting advice guys!
 
finalfury1 said:
The advice I would like doesn't really matter because I will take any advice. We will have a chance to do a sound check and adjust levels thank god otherwise I would just roll in our PA (my friends) which is actually better than the one we will be using. I have only sang for one day into the mic but it was a long practice session of 4 hours yesterday and I realize singing in a mic is different than just singing. lol.. It's an art I am getting better at. Yesterday we sounded outstandingly awesome... Keep posting advice guys!
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First of all, if you've only been singing for two weeks and are already sounding "outstandingly awesome," then I hate you! I've been singing for over 10 years, and I still don't think I sound even awesome most of the time, much less outstandingly so.

And yes, singing into a mic is much different from singing without one!

Anyway, now that that's out of the way, here's some advice.

1. Make a list of everything you need to bring (guitar, cables, batteries, tuner, change for a parking meter?, etc.), and pack it all up, checking off each thing. Give yourself time to gather everything in a relaxed manner so you don't forget something stupid (like your guitar).

2. Get there early and allow yourself plenty of time to relax, breathe, settle down, and set up.

3. Don't be surprised in you can't move your leg or something once you start your set. :)

4. More than anything, remember to take some time, even if it's just 30 seconds or so, to concentrate on breathing deeply and relaxing. You'd be amazed how well this works. Concentrate on releasing your tension and remembering that you're there to have fun.


This is all under the assumption that you've adequately prepared for the gig. And if you haven't really done that, it's too late at this point!

Good luck
 
Here's a few tips from when I performed regularly.

1. Get there early and talk to the people who work at the venue (bartenders, barristas, etc.) more often than not, the booking agaent asks them how the band was after the performance when considering future booking.

2. In line with number one, thank the venue/headlining act/bartenders (but not all of them) before playing your last song. In the case of bartenders remind the crowd to tip.

3. Do not perform for the crowd. Pick out a handfull of people scattered through out the audience and perform to them making eye contact often. this will ensure an intimate performance.

4. Keep a bottle of water on the stage.

5. No matter what, do not ever stop a song unless someone in the band drops dead.
 
The first thing you should do is ignore all the advice that you are getting. Just have fun and stay in the moment.
 
LI_Slim said:
The first thing you should do is ignore all the advice that you are getting. Just have fun and stay in the moment.
Click to expand...


Being in the moment is extremely important. I play every gig as if it were my last; with every band I've played with, when it was the last gig I didn't know it at the time.
 
finalfury1 said:
Ok guys. For the first time I am performing tomorrow at 6 pm at a coffee shop kinda of setup in front of another band. A lot of people from my school ( i go to high school) are coming out and we are going to release one cover (creep by radiohead) and two songs I wrote. We have a pretty good teen band sound and the people that have heard it love the songs cause they are catchy. I have a very experienced sound guy and he has high quality mics and stuff. This post is about asking for advice. Any at all from anyone because this is going to be my first performance both singing and playing guitar. ( i have only been singing for like 2 weeks but everyone says i have natural talent with singing and playing guitar).
Click to expand...

So I recon that's not you - http://www.myspace.com/finalfury1 :D

And there's no universal advice for everyone - some people like arriving to the venue 5 hours before everyone else shows up, going to wee every 10 minutes and hiding their eyes from the crowd for the length of the set (like my ex-singer.. well there's a reason why she's an EX now) , - some guys love to come in 1 minute before their gig starts (seen a couple of local bands like that - their sound guys would prepare all the equipment - right before they're announced they run on stage thru the main entrance and are ready to play).

You sound confident enough, so just stay that way. Remember though that during the actual performance you'd hardly hear yourself singing at all ;)
 
Yeah, three songs is an excellent way to start. If it goes well, the audience will be happy (always leave 'em wanting another slice of pie, the old vaudevillians would say); if you blow big time, hey, it's still only three songs.

You'll do fine...

...unless you let yourself think you won't!

Good luck.
 
Play your easiest song first. You'll tend to think less and enjoy it more. Once you get the applause, you're confidence will grow and you'll perform even better.
 
This is only necessary when there is a significant difference between the temperature where your guitar is kept and the venue.
When you get there, take your guitar out of it's case and let it acclimatize itself to the temperature on stage. It will take about half an hour to get to 'room temperature'. Then tune up and have fun.
The most important things to remember are:
  1. People expect you to be competent and won't be looking for errors;
  2. They won't be watching your every move;
  3. They won't notice mistakes (unless someone drops dead).
Have fun - you're about to embark on a lifetime of fun and happiness (and craziness and . . .)
 
The newbie comes here for advice, gets some good stuff, then doesn't tell anyone how it went. How's that for gratification?
 
Hey guys! The performance went ok for my first one. I did well with vocals and playing (something I have only done a lil bit). People were impressed and they are dying for more. A couple mistakes I made. First of all I was so nervous I forgot to sing my part for the first time but my buddy took over (who has been doing this for 2 years). I than fixed my error and sang. I also sang a high pitch off key and I backed out (probably because I was nervous). The next song went fairly well besides another high pitch note I cracked on (first time I have done so because in practice I was great). The last song went ok except I totally forgot 3-4 lines of the song untill my buddy sang the first part covering for me. Also I didn't give a vocal cue (we don't have a drummer yet but we will next week) for going into the chorus. Things I need to remember:
  1. Have water on stage.
  2. Be more active before and after songs talking more with the crowd.
  3. Don't look nervous.
  4. More energy on the first song.
  5. Before last song thank all those who helped put on the show and thank the crowd.

O hey guys. Forgot to say. The reason why I didn't reply earlier on Saturdays performance I because I have to use wifi in town on my macbook and I wasn't in town. Thanks all for the help. I will post my music on here so you guys can listen after we record. I don't have a myspace by the way or a youtube or anything. We will make a band one soon releasing our name officially.
 
congrads. those are minor snafus that werent' show stoppers. sounds like you got through just fine. one of the best things for nervous energy is to rock out or dance around during non-vocal parts if you're the singer. Plus I think sounding a little out of breath is a lot better than sounding nervous. Anywho... good job!
 
finalfury1 said:
Hey guys! The performance went ok for my first one. I did well with vocals and playing (something I have only done a lil bit). People were impressed and they are dying for more. A couple mistakes I made. First of all I was so nervous I forgot to sing my part for the first time but my buddy took over (who has been doing this for 2 years). I than fixed my error and sang. I also sang a high pitch off key and I backed out (probably because I was nervous). The next song went fairly well besides another high pitch note I cracked on (first time I have done so because in practice I was great). The last song went ok except I totally forgot 3-4 lines of the song untill my buddy sang the first part covering for me. Also I didn't give a vocal cue (we don't have a drummer yet but we will next week) for going into the chorus. Things I need to remember:
  1. Have water on stage.
  2. Be more active before and after songs talking more with the crowd.
  3. Don't look nervous.
  4. More energy on the first song.
  5. Before last song thank all those who helped put on the show and thank the crowd.
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Good for you!

About your list:

Have water on the stage, but also drink plenty of water beforehand (not a gallon 15 minutes before, rather, a quart or so in the two hours before you are about to sing.

Learn about singing technique; it's like any other instrument. If you learn how to breathe properly, keep your throat relaxed, etc., you won't have those problems.

Never expect much out of the first song; it just takes a little while for the groove to set in.

Definitely thank people, but do it whenever the mood strikes you; be flexible.
 
Some of the little errors you mentioned can and do happen to people with much more experiance - so don't let it bother you at all. It always takes a lot of courage and confidence to perform in front of people - and the first time is the hardest.

Now, start working on booking the next gig!!!!
 
mikeh said:
Some of the little errors you mentioned can and do happen to people with much more experiance - so don't let it bother you at all.
Click to expand...

Your goal should not to be never to make a mistake, but to recover from them gracefully; forge on ahead and never look back.
 
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