Pre-Show Superstitions? The non-Stevie Wonder Variety

[CowboyNQ]

TL;DR - What, if any, pre-show superstitions do you have?

 

The excellent and entertaining thread about dumb stuff caused my mind to think about pre-show superstitions.

 

Some additional context.  In my younger days I was a cricketer, and these days I coach the sport.  Cricket is a very quirky game, and in my opinion one of the most psychologically demanding sports in the world.  As a result many cricketers carry a good deal of quite unhelpful superstitions around with them.  I was no exception and still have a few as coach (which I keep to myself in case my team discover how mentally unbalanced I am).

 

I have carried this behaviour into my musical life and have two specific pre-show superstitions:

 

1. I have to be the last person in the cast to be dressed for the show.  I won’t commence getting ready until everyone else is looking good.

 

2.  I always wear two or three rubber wristbands on my right wrist.  They’re just our merch items with our website on it.

 

Stupid behaviour but I’m locked into it.  For the record I’ve occasionally forgotten the wristbands and no one has died.

 

I’d love to learn that I’m not the only nutcase in this community.  Do you have any weird pre-show superstitions of your own?

[CEB]

[nursers]

1. No shenanigans with fans / groupies before the show, affects my focus

 

2. I always get a chamois out and polish my Nord Lead before every show

 

3. I always play Rachmaninoff's op. 39 no. 6 in A minor as a warm up before tackling things like Don't Stop Believin'

 

 

[stoken6]

So here's a weird one: if I dress/tidy my cables too neatly too early, I just know I'm going to need to address something later. So my superstition and my OCD are battling it out for supremacy.

 

Cheers, Mike.

[Tom Williams]

8 hours ago, Dr Nursers said:

3. I always play Rachmaninoff's op. 39 no. 6 in A minor as a warm up before tackling things like Don't Stop Believin'

Dayuhm! (a traditional Appalachian expletive) 

 

Between my hand size, my age, and my skill level, I can confidently say that I will never be able to play that.  Conversely, I'd gladly pay Ticketmaster prices to go see a band where the pianist broke into that piece. 

[Al Quinn]

Not sure if it's a superstition or actually rooted in science but I believe my playing takes a hit on a full stomach. So, in an attempt to play my best, I find myself eating accordingly.

[Stokely]

I can't think of one.  I used to worry I was jinxing myself by cramming my brain to remember lyrics, but I got better results by "letting go"  and not trying so hard.  I have a devil of a time with lyrics, while I can remember music no problem.   I use an ipad app as a fallback reminder but really try not to read lyrics from it, because inevitably I'll lose my place and then be really screwed.  

[Adan]

Attempting a semi-serious response to a question that wasn't necessarily seeking serious responses . . .

 

I'm am extremely ritualistic about getting ready for a gig.  I have my habits and preferences, and I try to follow them to the letter.  To the casual observer, it may appear superstitious.  I think of it as controlling/eliminating as many variables as I can so that a larger part of my brain can prepare itself to play music.  So maybe, for instance, it's seafood linguine 120 minutes before the gig.  Not bolognese, and not 90 or 150 minutes.  Etc. . . The point isn't that seafood is better than beef, the point is that it's one of many sequential steps putting me in a comfort zone.

 

I don't have "science" to back this up, but I have experience based on what works well and what doesn't.

 

Of course there are exceptions that tend to disprove the rule.  Sometimes everything goes right and I play a crappy gig anyway, while sometimes everything pre-gig goes haywire and I surprise myself with one of my best gigs ever.  Which I guess is a way of observing that comfort zones aren't always the best thing.  Despite those exceptions, I believe the percentages favor the normal.

[wineandkeyz]

1 hour ago, Al Quinn said:

Not sure if it's a superstition or actually rooted in science but I believe my playing takes a hit on a full stomach. So, in an attempt to play my best, I find myself eating accordingly.

 

Not really a superstition, but similar here. I try not to eat a heavy meal less than 90 minutes or so before a show. And no spicy dishes or seafood, to reduce the risk of having an "everyone out of the pool" moment during the show.

[cphollis]

I play "Superstition" to warm up through my headphones.  Or something similar   

 

If I can quickly get into a loose, flowing jam, I'm good to go!  Might take 10 seconds, might take longer, depending how much chaos has been involved up to that point.

[Delaware Dave]

My only issue is my bad back; finding 4 hour shows to be difficult to get through.  Superstitions about playing?  none....

[MathOfInsects]

I too play better hungry. Then after the gig is over I'm ready for a banquet. 

For big gigs, I sort of ritualize the equipment prep. I empty both of my gig bags onto the bed, rewrap cables, make new snakes if I have to, re-organize the stuff and reload the bags so it's got that freshly-made-bed effect when it's time to set up. 

Sometimes that includes polishing not just the equipment but the stand(s). Retighten thumb screws or the various parts of my cart. Just general rig hygiene, but I use the "bigness" of the gig as my mnemonic for when to do that stuff. 

Never use anything slippery for polishing your kit, by they way, which I should probably add to the "Little Things" thread. No Pledge. You will definitely drop your expensive electronics, which tends to make gigs less pleasant. 

[RABid]

As a drummer, if I ate before a show I would get stomach cramps. I think it was from sitting and leaning forward so much. No problems with this as a keyboardist.

[timwat]

19 hours ago, Dr Nursers said:

3. I always play Rachmaninoff's op. 39 no. 6 in A minor as a warm up before tackling things like Don't Stop Believin'

 

 

That's so weird.

 

I always warm up with Don't Stop Believing' before I play Rachmaninoff's 2nd Piano Concerto (C minor, Opus 18).

[timwat]

Before jazz gigs, if possible it's one espresso shot before downbeat to awaken my mind like a mentat.  

 

Before funk / corporate / dance gigs, I'll typically have one negroni before downbeat. If it's a particularly trying gig, I'll have one strong martini at set break just to get me through another evening of playing someone else's poorly composed, lyrically anemic dance music for a gaggle of inebriated mindless horny cougars who might be better served by a DJ or karaoke machine or a male stripper with a John Philip Sousa soundtrack.

 

Oh crap did I just say that out loud...

 

[Stokely]

I do grab a beer or two, I wouldn't go so far as to call it a superstition.  At some gigs I make it a point to get there early so I can relax with a beer, especially at the places with good stuff on tap.    Just a loosening up    Whatever minor physical impairment this might cause is offset by the more freewheeling mental state it enables   (or so I shall maintain)

[stoken6]

1 hour ago, timwat said:

That's so weird.

 

I always warm up with Don't Stop Believing' before I play Rachmaninoff's 2nd Piano Concerto (C minor, Opus 18).

Which brings us, once again, to this masterpiece: 

 

Cheers, Mike.

 

[CowboyNQ]

I’m enjoying reading all the ‘food’ posts.  Everyone’s different approaches are interesting.

 

I much prefer playing on a full stomach but there have been times when I’ve had to skip dinner due to lack of efficiency during set up/sound check.  That one doesn’t play into a personal superstition per se, it’s just annoying!

[cphollis]

I always grab a Five Guys double burger on the way to the gig ...

[MathOfInsects]

These are really traditions more than superstitions, I suppose, but here's one that falls in between: I listen to comedy on SiriusXM on the drive to every gig, and if I forget I'm convinced it will be a bad gig. It's not completely untrue, though...!

[AUSSIEKEYS]

I have a superstition....not to talk about superstitions

 

Or was that a supposition?