First Gig

[ImNotJohnnyRamone]

I have NEVER been on stage before, other than a school play.

(which I skipped the day of it and hid in the back and watched the school fail... it was last year and I need an EPIC lulz)

I have a gig coming up. Feb 4th, a day before my 18th birthday. A pretty sick nasty way of leaving the safety of kid-dom and becoming an adult, in age, not in mind. Im nervous as all heck with GOOD reason to be. After my last band tanked I went into a guitar slump. I gave up on bands and writting songs. A year later a pretty good friend of mine bought a drumset. Another pal was in my last band and had a bass. The last kid, well I know him from "business" you could say, he says he can sing, I think he just wants stuff to do with this life. We started a punk band and the drummer knew the owner of a small cafe, he SIGNED us up for a GIG... WE HAVE NEVER practiced. EVER. The only people that have played together are me and Higgins (bass player) thus why Im nervous as crap.

So here I am to promote me...
Walk! Don't Run to see my show! St. Bernards in Bethlehem PA!! (Im pretty sure most of you live atleast 500 miles from em but its the thought that counts!

I also care to sneak a question into here.
Guitar. My Eastwood or the Univox. I have no idea which would look cooler and sound better. We are opening with a Ramones song and I have a good pickup for the Eastwood, gets the Ramones sound great. The Univox... come on its a freak 76 Vox! How much cooler can it get!



(FULL OF SPELLING MISTAKES... I CARE NONE)

[Sarah93003]

Good luck with your gig! If it were me, I'd take both guitars and switch where needed.

[brutus]

Take the Eastwood and the Univox just in case of problems. Then get a few practices in. Mistakes will be made don't sweat it. Visualize a good gig, not a bad one. break a leg! {also record it}

[ImNotJohnnyRamone]

I will try my best

[Veenture]

Yeah, what brutus says...get some practice, especially get your band mates and yourself to practice communicating with one another, as if you were already playing live. Decide who does the count-in for a song and how etc.; it's usually the drummer with his drumsticks but in your case I would think: "Hey ho...one, two, three, four"...

Also try to keep the break between songs (have a set-list!) to an absolute minimum and seriously try to avoid making unnecessary instrument sounds when you're not performing. Don't forget to do a sound check, preferably before public arrives, if possible and start off with the easiest tune to play so you guys can warm up and 'get into it'.

If it's any comfort to you, most stars (even the big experienced cats) are nervous prior to a live performance (ask 'em and they'll tell ya) but throughout their many years of playing, they have learned to disguise this fact.

Good luck and just have zee fun!

[Dennisthe Menace]

I got to agree with Sarah, Brutus and Paul on this one. One of the first things you need to know on GIG 101
is to ALWAYS take a backup guitar. Heaven help you should you break a string, 'cause you are going to
feel awfully strange when your singer says to the audience: "Folks, we'll be back in 10 minutes while
our guitar player changes his broken string,".... ...All right, well you get the idea, NEVER leave home
without a backup guitar.

Now as far as the main guitar to use, I would probably go with the High Flyer. She has Humbuckers, and
will most likely be more forgiving when you hit that distortion/fuzz/overdrive/boost at a high decibel.
Steve, be yourself and go have fun! It's OK to be a little nervous, everyone does at one level or another,
and anyone that tells you differently.....ain't no 'player.'

So go on out there and break a leg.....but don't break a string

[Strat-o-rama]

Great advice from everyone here.
About mistakes--don't worry about it. Keep going. 95% of the audience will never catch it. Pay attention to areas of the performance where there were problems (missed changes, sloppy turnarounds), and when you get together to practice, work them out together.
Also, work out beginnings and endings of songs with your bandmates.
And very important: HAVE FUN. It is infectious and will spread to your audience.

[stl80]

No practice? Punk Rock? Isn't that redundant? Just kidding. Good Luck and as has been said before "Have Fun".
Jim

[Sarah93003]

Something else I thought of, in addition to what everyone has said so far, is that first and foremost you are there to entertain. Playing and singing are only part of the entertainment formula. I find that when I feel like I've done my best is when I interact with the audience through verbal as well as physical communication. It's boring to see a guitarist just stand and pluck away. Don't forget to move around, make facial expressions. If you're having fun, then laugh and smile as if you're having fun. If you're getting excited about a song or part of a song, then show it. Mick Jagger isn't a great entertainer because of sterling pipes. He is an entertainer.

You're going to do great and I can't wait to hear the recap!

[mosman]

You're dead right Sarah. By the time I did my first gig I had a mental checklist of all my favourite stars' moves and facial expressions and I let 'em loose on the night. Still do actually. I used to be the most painfully shy person you'd ever meet until I started playing in my band but once on stage it all changed and as far as I'm concerned the guys on stage are in charge: the audience is there to see them not the other way around so give 'em plenty to see. Act in a confident way even if you feel like running away and hiding and at all times give a professional image regardless of if it's your first gig or fiftieth. If things go wrong shrug it off and act like it doesn't matter. You sort all that stuff out after the gig, not on stage. Crank it up and cut loose!