live stage performance tips anyone?

[jugalo180]

is there any webpages or books out that i can check out to learn any creative and professional tips on performing live? i want to learn about stage presence, eye contact and anything else.

btw, i am a solo rap artist and i'm looking for different ways to work the crowd, move about the stage, and best times to talk to the crowd during performances.

 

[boingoman]

I don't know about websites, but have learned a thing or two.

First of all, good stage presence takes time and practice. Being comfortable on stage comes easier for some than others. Someone with a natural gift of gab and comfort around people brings that to the stage with them. Banter isn't necessary, however. I've been to great shows where the band doesn't say anything.

The biggest thing (IMO) is no quiet spaces. Thirty seconds or a minute with nothing coming out of the speakers, be it music or talk, lets your audience drift, unless it is on purpose. In a band, often one person can be the talker. If you are solo, you gotta do it. Great asset to have if you are solo and need to change a string in a set.
Something I've noticed. Many times when people talk between songs, they talk softly. They sing loudly, and the mic is set for that, then when they talk between songs they sound like they are mumbling. Get right up on the mic, and speak in a louder than usual voice, like you are trying to talk to the crowd without a mic.

Have a set list. You don't have to stick to it, but it helps avoid those times when everyone looks at each other and tries to decide what song to play. If the audience calls out a song you know, let yourself play it if the time is right. I've been in a situation where someone asks us to play a set closer in the middle of the set. I try to make some excuse to put it off. "I gotta try to remember the lyrics first" or "hey, we sort of know that! we'll work it out on set break", without freezing up or putting them off. Then when we play the tune they are very happy.
To me, it's about making the audience comfortable and engaged. And making it appear that nothing is amiss if you break a string, or need to change a drum head or battery, instead of freaking out. For the most part, if you stay cool, they will. They smell fear.

Be prepared. Have extra strings, tuner, lyrics, sticks, heads, batteries, batteries, more batteries, all the right cables, everything you need. Count on the venue for nothing. Need tape for posters? Bring it. Need a guitar stand? Bring it. DI box? Bring it. Stool? bring it. Then go buy some more batteries. Make sure they are fresh every gig. Organize your shit at home so set-up takes as little time as possible. Got 12 pedals? Make a board. A quick set-up lets you relax, tune, drink, hit on chicks, etc. IMO except for drums, if you can't set your whole personal rig up in ten minutes or so, you suck and are underprepared.

Know where and when you are playing. Have a contact person and contact them. Know load-in time, route, soundcheck time. Know how long it takes you to set up and plan accordingly. And plan for things to not go totally smoothly. Like it takes you a half-hour to set up, and a half hour to soundcheck, and you get fifteen minutes for both. Keeping your cool when things go to hell is very important, and can make or break a show. Perception is king. Have a contract. Follow it.
There is more, but that's all I can think of right now.

 

[Dani Pace]

The best advice anyone ever gave me is, " Pick out the ugliest chick in the place and make her feel like you are doing every song, just for her." Get the hang of this and you can please almost everyone in the crowd.

 

[jugalo180]

wow

i really appreciate the detailed advice boingo man. that gives me a lot to work with. since i don't have to set up any instruments because my performance is on disc i'll make sure that i give the dj more than one disc just incase one fails for some reason. Quiet spaces and keeping my cool is something that i will become more aware of. thanks

Dani Pace, thanks for your creative input also. i'm pretty sure that will come in handy.

 

[Thorguitarist]

boingoman knows his stuff... Also many young bands do not know the importance of correct set-up...So make sure everyone in the band can hear each other. Correct me if I'm wrong but the drums and amps should be aligned in the back and the monitors should be close enough to hear yourselves. Also make sure You are prepared as boingoman said, TO many bands get together and have a show a week later... It's not wise make sure you practice practice practice, because you want your reputation or maybe even your FIRST appearence to be a good one. And i always bring a gatorade to every show...Just keeps me goin.

 

[doubler]

I'm also a solo rap artist, I prefform live often with my group ASYLUM ( or a-set)


I find when preforming with a rap artist, your delivery, stancce-handmovments can show more then you think

also make sure you bring your own mic, if the club supplues one, its often shit, and will make you sound horrible

what we do is usually play 1-2 songs, bullshit with each other or say somthin funny, or talk to some one random in the crowd....shout obscenities and other insiginifigant bander, also its good after a few songs to get people on stage, maybe incite a battle out of audience members or freestyle with topics the crowd igives you ( if ur good)

 

[lykwydchykyn]

Best thing that ever happened to my old band was getting a video of a seminar by a guy named Tom Jackson. This guy has got a system for putting together a setlist that works every time. The basic gist of it is that you have a certain curve to the show's intensity -- you start out medium, take it up to full, drop it down to the bottom, then bring it back up to full on.

I think the most important thing is your fundamental viewpoint on your show. Most musicians start out with the mentality that they are there to play their music for people. What you have to realize is that you're there to entertain and engage an audience, and that your music is simply the vehicle for this. Look at the show from the standpoint of an audience.

 

[glynb]

With regard to batteries, why not use an ac mains adapter in the case of guitar effects pedals? Obviously not a solution for battery operated microphones etc, but for static gear that doesn't move, like pedals, use an adapter, much cheeper over time and better for the environment. I must have played 200 plus gigs in the past 3 years and always used the same adapter for my effects pedals and no problem with them running out halfway through a show!

I'd just endorse the previous poster who said that people should remember thye're on stage to ENTERTAIN, not simply to recreate the music on their CD. That's pointless.

I think some banter is important to this end. If you are not a good ad-libber then work out in advance what you want to say and rehearse it. You don't need to say something between every two songs, you can run in from one to the next, but now and then speak to the audience. Audiences like the artist to talk to them. I wnet to see david Bowie in 2002, the music and performance was great, but he said virtualy nothing to us. I saw him again last year, this time he was throwing in comments and observations and it felt like he was 'with us' and it was much better show, the same band just as good.

Go and see other performers who are good at working and audience and see what it is they do and say. You may find they re-use anecdotes which appear to be ad lib again and again at different shows, even big artists do this and tell the same little story at each show but it appears to the audience that they are hearing it spontaneously.

Much of this is just practice, experience and confidence so you feel 'at home' on stage, though you should never be so relaxed that there are no nerves whatsoever, you need some nerves to give it edge and excitement.

And like the man said in the previous post, DON'T MUMBLE into the mic, if something is worth saying then say it clearly and loudly so people hear. Don't do 'in jokes' with the band which are meaningless to the audience that does you no good - the audience don't know what the joke is.