First Gig (and reporting about it)

[bassric]

Tomorrow (Saturday October 11th) is my band's first gig. It is for the opening of the "ecological park in the community where I (as well as the other three members of the band) live. There will also be an art exposition and a barbecue. It is an outdoor gig and the weather forecast is excellent. We are right now in the middle of Indians Summer. This means that temperature goes up to 20 (Celsius) and that all the leaves are yellow, red, brown, etc (not blue though). It is really spectacular. This is important because,as you might have guessed, we are going to play in the middle of the woods.

 

We are going to play nine songs, opening with Autumn Leaves (of course). We play for free, so I think that people will get their moneys worth (this is supposed to be a joke, or is it?).

I am very nervous. For three reasons:

1.As a band, we are not very good. We are old beginners Two of my band mates (sax and lead guitar) have problems with keeping the time. Sometimes they do, sometimes they dont. And we dont have a drummer.

2.I am going to play two solos on jazz standards (All the things you are and Alone together). I have never done that in public. On a good day, I have these down at about 80%. And we are not talking virtuosity here, but only playing a decent solo that fits the changes.

3.A drummer who asked me to start a band with him might be there. The guitar player invited him. I have already played a little with this guy, but I am afraid that after hearing us, he will not be so favourably inclined Dont get me wrong, I like playing with these guys. We are very good friends and have lots of fun together- and sometimes we even do good music. However, not unlike Connie Z in an earlier topic, I would have prefer a more discreet approach

 

Anyway, we will see. The guys keep telling that it will be only family, friends and neighbours and that if we dont play too loud and dont hurt anyone, everybody will be happy.

I guess they are right.

[jeremy c]

Just think about the music, not the audience.

 

Try to remember why you are playing music in the first place.....you enjoy it, right?

 

You may notice every mistake, but the audience will not.

 

Try to forget about the clams and train wrecks and just play.

 

Good luck and have fun!

[SteveC]

Jeremy gave you good advice. As musicians and performers we tend to notice every little thing. The audience - in most cases - aren't as aware as you are.

 

Just play your stuff and have fun. They get easier after the first one.

[tnb]

Man, a gig in the woods with art and barbeque during Indian Summer? Some people have it rough! It sounds like you would have to work really hard to ruin this gig. Enjoy your day. the rest should take care of itself.

 

This doesn't mean you shouldn't practice.

[davebrownbass]

Yep.

 

And don't worry about the drummer. It'll happen or not. If he's way above your band's level, you really don't want him to join...it could be a problem. Just keep workin'.

 

Remember, as well, that your audience will be casual. This is typical in park gigs. They'll stroll in and out at will. This is NOT an effront to you and the band. This especially happens in Jazz gigs.

 

One time my jazz trio was hired to do such a gig at an outdoor botanical garden and park about 50 miles from here. We brought sound and everything. Of course, this Sunday afternoon, Labor Day weekend gig conflicted with both the Cowboys game and the Jerry Lewis Telethon.

 

In spite of advertising, nobody came. Not one soul. No one even came to the park at all, even to see the flowers. This was our second time there...the first time we had a nice crowd.

 

The owner of the park came and listened to us...had a great time. He recognized poor planning on his part, paid us. He doesn't do any kind of Concerts in the Park any more.

[Connie Z]

Congratulations Bassric!

 

That is so wonderful that you've have lined up such a fantastic gig for your first! (The first time is always special .)

 

I was the person in my (recently defunct) band who was painfully effected by anxiety over mistakes and timing issues. I am not typically an anxious person, and I luckily do not have panic disorder. I believe though that I am a perfectionist (in theory), which is not necessarily a good thing when a "group" of people are trying to do something together. I can't even control my own playing, let alone have any control over what someone else is playing!!!

 

So here is what I learned and what I did:

 

Realize that the music is going to sound very very good in an outdoor setting. The mistakes just disappear into the beautiful clean air. I don't know why, but it is so. I think it has a lot to do with the frame of mind of the audience and the band. It's very relaxed. You will be playing to an audience of folks who are probably pretty benevolent anyway!

 

Even if you are wrought with white-knuckled mind-numbing horrible anxiety ... (which you won't be...) appear relaxed. Do this by: - smiling the whole time, - making lots of eye contact with the audience and your bandmates (even if it's fleeting), - if you make a mistake just smile to yourself or to your bandmates or make a funny face to an audience member (audience members love that - it's as though you are bringing them into your "little secret"), - and move around a bit on stage to the music.

 

Timing was one of the big issues that I was working on with our band, and by the last gig we played together, we had actually nailed it! (and without a drummer!) So, as for the timing issues... here are four things you can do to personally handle it, until you work it out with the band in the future:

1.) If you feel yourself feeling freaked-out about it, recognize it for what it is, and then take a deep breath and relax as much as you can.

2.) Your natural tendency will be to play in time, but you can't in that situation, so just let yourself accept it.

3.) Since both of them will probably be playing in different times, let your mental energy be spent on finding who is in the best time and trying to follow him. But you will have to switch at times, because it might sound better following the other one. A band without a drummer, should designate before you go on, who is the person you should all be trying to follow for timing. Any lead guitar player seems to me to be the one who is most likely to "speed up" the songs, so you guys might want to follow him, and just give him a little kick in the shin or something when he is barreling along at 1000mph!!

4.) Remind each other before each song, what the tempo should be and who you will follow. That one helps a lot.

 

Have fun and please report to us how it all went.

 

p.s. And there will be some kind of small disaster that will happen, there always is, so just take it in stride!

 

... connie z

[JohnS]

In spite of advertising, nobody came. Not one soul. No one even came to the park at all, even to see the flowers. This was our second time there...the first time we had a nice crowd.

Geezzz. What a nightmare day. Every perfomers worst dream.

[Warlock1016]

Make yourself a sign, where only you can see it, and write, in large friendly letters, DON'T PANIC!!

 

Just relax and have some fun.

[Flemtone]

I get nervous before every gig, and I've been doing it for 30 years. Nervousness is good! It keeps my edge sharp and helps me to stay focused.

 

If I'm not nervous, I'm more likely to make mistakes. If I feel complacent, I'm not as likely to see a trainwreck about to happen. My nervousness keeps me aware of all things concerning each tune, from monitor level to the drunks dancing too close to my boom-stand.

 

Enjoy your nervousness. Consider it a tool to keep yourself in the pocket.

 

You'll do fine. If not, blame the sound-guy.

 

Good luck. Keep the faith.

Tim from Jersey

[dcr]

I played outdoors--in a park--for the first time a few weeks ago, and it is indeed very fun. A different vibe entirely, & very relaxed feeling. Have fun.

 

Get a game face; mine is the guy who's there to have a good time, joke around, & focus like hell on the music when it's time for that, & I put that face on even if I don't feel like it; within a minute or two, I find that I somehow DO feel like it. You can control your attitude, & it will rub off on others.

 

It's hard to advise someone NOT to think about something, but you do have to take the right approach to the fact that you want to impress someone in the audience. You've just got to not worry about it. I had that sort of focus for a while, & it almost guaranteed that I'd make dumb mistakes. I've replaced that with Game Face®, and I have more fun now & play better.

 

And actually I think that's what will stand out to another musician, more than the fact that your band didn't play perfectly. They'll remember that you put out your all for your team & had a great attitude. That's what would impress me.

[ClarkW]

When I know I'm going to be playing improvised solos in Jazz, and for that matter pretty much any other time I go on stage, I try to get at least 2 minutes alone by myself, where nobody else will talk to me. If I can, I like to do it right before I step onstage. I enter my own little zone and stay there for the performance.

 

During that two minutes or whatever, I don't do anything. Not even move. Just relax. I don't thing about the songs, or the set list, or the chord changes, or what modal forms I'm going to play. I don't look at the cute girls that might walk by, I don't worry about how the lead singer will probably give me a dirty look when she thinks I'm turned up too loud. I don't think about how I haven't quite memorized the harmony parts for the head of Sudden Samba. I don't think about my best friend is going to see me playing for the first time, and he's really psyched, and so forth.

 

I don't think about ANYTHING. Then I step on the stage, the drummer clicks the 4-count, it's go time, and now the only thing in my head is the music.

 

I had a very "successful" zoning before my jazz class concert this past Saturday and you know what happened? I nailed every note of Sudden Samba. I played a solo on All Blues that almost made me clap for MYSELF when I was done. And so on. I had a great performance because I was mentally prepared.

 

GOOD LUCK!

[P-berger]

Dude, that's an awesome first gig. I'm digging the ecological aspect of it too.

Where/when are u guys playing cos I live in Ottawa too. This indian summer has rocked! I was jamming with my gat yesterday on Ottawa U campus, the weather was just too good!

 

I'll check it out if I have time, but I'm jamming myself tonight with a guitarist & drummer (our first time all together), so I'm pumped.

 

Either way bonne chance and kick some ass!

[dcr]

I don't thing about the songs, or the set list, or the chord changes, or what modal forms I'm going to play.

 

Check.

 

I don't worry about how the lead singer will probably give me a dirty look when she thinks I'm turned up too loud.

 

Check.

 

I don't think about how I haven't quite memorized the harmony parts for the head of Sudden Samba.

 

Check.

 

I don't think about my best friend is going to see me playing for the first time

 

Check.

 

I don't look at the cute girls that might walk by

 

And there you lost me....

[bassric]

wow...

thanks everybody. Seems like a whole lot of good advice and collective wisdom.

 

I will keep you informed of the outcome...

[rub_a_dub_stylie]

This might be too late, however, everyone here has damn good pointers and guidence. And like one guy said after playing for year I still get nervous before a show. here are a few of my tips...

 

1. allow me to repeat someone, before the show definately!!! get some space for at least 2-5 mins. Take a breath and go over songs in your head. If everyone else screws up at least you know it was`t your fault...

 

2. ...on that same topic, and again kind of repeating here, no matter how bad you might mess up it wont sound a fraction as bad to the audience, even if there are other musicians there. As long as you don`t look like you messed up. Somebody once told me "if you make a mistake, repeat it that way it looks like you did it on purpose." now that isn`t allways a good idea, but you get the idea.

 

3. If you drink, have a beer. But only one or two. The tendancy, especially with free drinks for the band gigs, is to drown your nervousness in liquid courage. I learned long ago that a drink or two calms me down if I`m really nervous, but more than that makes me sloppy.

 

4. If you can, set up way early. I like to set up about an hour or earlier before a show, if I am able to. This gives you a chance to relax and not rush. Even getting there on time is sometimes stressfull. So get there early and set up, get it out of the way so you can make room for number 5....

 

5. This is the most important one of all. Make sure, and I can`t stress this enough, especially at outdoor gigs, make sure that there is a working bathroom within the area you will be performing at. Because right about an hour before you go onstage your bowels will feel nervous as well. And at that time a nice bathroom with a comfortable toilet will be your best friend. I think most of us are familiar with the before show s**t. I know I am.

 

And lastly some parting words. A great actor(not sure who) once said " when you stop getting nervous it`s time to find a new job."

 

Lates All, and good luck, way to go!

[...]

Well knock that nervous s%$t off.

 

Seriously man, just play and have fun. Don't worry about anything bad that happens while you're playing. The more you get flustered or let mistakes bother you, the more likely you are to make more of them. Ignore the mistakes, play, have fun. If you're not having fun, what's the point of playing in the first place?

[_Sweet Willie_]

Originally posted by Bumpcity:

If you're not having fun, what's the point of playing in the first place?

To make money ...oh, wait, it's the professional philosophers who are raking in all the dough these days ...

 

 

I'll echo what others have already said. Don't sweat any mistakes -- it's jazz, where there are no mistakes ( ). Seriously, though, just enjoy it, live the moment, and don't worry about what others are thinking. Plus, it's an added bonus that the audience will basically be friends and family -- they'll love you clams and all!

 

Peace.

[J.A.]

this is probably too late, i just have a horror story...my second gig ever(a long, long time ago), during like the 3rd song my hands cramped up midsong...i was playing with two claws for like the next two songs, and ya know what? i survived...mistakes happen, if the drummer is going to see you play, youve at least picqued his interest right? just stay cool and confident and youll be fine. good luck

[Jezza]

Congratulations on your first gig!

 

My first gig was at a High School dance, we struck up our first tune and halfway through the first verse of the first song my strap slipped off and I dropped my bass making an incredible "PANG" noise, fortunately for me everyone else in the band kept playing so I just picked it up put it back on and kept on playing, after that the rest of the gig seemed easy.

 

My advice is not to worry about things that go wrong, there going to happen anyway and as everyone else has said most of the time the audience will be oblivious.

 

On gig preparation, try rehearsing in lots of different rooms, that will give you a feel for the variations in sound and setup in different venues.

 

Do keep spare strings, strap, baterries, leads and fuses for your amp.

 

Do tap your feet onstage, if someone on the other side of the stage can't hear you, they will at least be able to keep time with you

 

Do tune silently.

 

Don't get drunk, people who get too drunk/stoned to play ought to be ashamed of ourselves.

 

Don't look at the guy onstage who just stuffed up or the audience will realize he wasn't meant to do that.

 

Don't get pissed off and vent at the gig regardless of how atrociously someone else plays, there'll be plenty of time to kick his arse later.

 

Best of Luck.

[bassric]

Well,

The gig went on and, as expected, I survived.

As a follow-up, there are a couple of things I would like to mention.

First of all, I was not nervous at all when playing. My nervousness began fading away when we were setting up. And after the first song, which was probably the worst rendition of Autumn Leaves ever performed in public this side of the Rio Grande (and I would not rule out the other side, but lets stay optimistic here ),I became very relaxed. Basically for two reasons; First, I realised that I (at least) was ready. I knew these songs inside out. And I could adapt to the conditions. Second, as DBB predicted, the audience was very casual. Music was not what they came there for. And everybody was having good time anyway. People were talking and going around the (extremely beautiful) site. Most of them were sitting and listening to us. They applauded when we were ending a song. So it was going as it was supposed to.

 

My solo on All the things you are was a very good one (according to my performance standards). My second solo (Alone together) was not that good, mainly because we screwed out in the rhythm, so I had to stop at some point and make sure we were at the same page. But it ended up well. I made a couple of mistakes, but all in all I played and sounded OK. The thing that really surprised me was that I was able to improvise in front of an audience.

 

But as a band, our performance was appalling. Songs I thought we knew very well were performed very badly. In front of a more attentive audience, this could have been very embarrassing. After the show, the guys were already talking about next time, and I was thinking: not like this, not anymore, not with me. We have a meeting next Thursday to discuss what we want to do now. Based on that experience, I will recommend extreme caution regarding any further public outing. And that maybe we should invest in a drum machine or something. Every time we talked about that previously, they said that I was the bands metronome obviously, this was not enough, we really need a more explicit time keeping device. I would really like to keep on playing with these guys. But not under any conditions

 

I mentioned in my first post that a drummer I knew asked me to get together and try playing more challenging (for me) stuff. Happily, he was not present at the gig. Last time I spoke with him, he said he recruited a very good guitar player who is very interested in starting something. We meet on November 1st. I hope it will work.

[Connie Z]

Originally posted by bassric:

But as a band, our performance was appalling. Songs I thought we knew very well were performed very badly. In front of a more attentive audience, this could have been very embarrassing. After the show, the guys were already talking about next time, and I was thinking: not like this, not anymore, not with me. We have a meeting next Thursday to discuss what we want to do now. Based on that experience, I will recommend extreme caution regarding any further public outing. And that maybe we should invest in a drum machine or something. Every time we talked about that previously, they said that I was the band's metronome… obviously, this was not enough, we really need a more “explicit” time keeping device. I would really like to keep on playing with these guys. But not under any conditions…

Congratulations on playing (and surviving!) your first gig!!!

 

I see that you are probably the "Connie" of your band. The one who will mercilessly push everyone in the direction of being better musicians, performers, singers, dressers, etc.

 

Here are my thoughts:

If you are willing to suffer through the experience of pushing and pushing and pushing and getting massive amounts of resistance... your band may end up being MUCH better, even a band that you can be proud of.

Recognize if it is a lost cause and move on to another band. Another band may either already be better, or may be more accepting of you wanting them to be better.

The one important thing to know is that you are probably going to be a fine asset to ANY band. Just find the kind of band that suits you best.

Be careful not to let the "perfectionism" ruin all of your musical experiences. Choose your battles.

 

Congrats again!

 

... connie z

[Basshappi]

Congrats on the gig Bassric! I'm sure that the next one will be even better, even if it is not with your current line up.

[tnb]

Bassric, I don't want it to seem like I have a one track mind, but how was the barbeque???

 

Am I correct in my assuming that the rest of your band didn't take this gig as seriously as you did?

[rub_a_dub_stylie]

Way to go, sorry the whole band didn`t perform well. But at least you proved to yourself that you could do it, probably even better than you expected you could.

 

Good luck on future gigs....

 

Lates

[bassric]

TNB: The BBQ was fine. And everybody was having a good time. The main thing about all this was the scenery. This park is going to be an amazing thing. It will even include a natural "amphithéâtre". The weather was absolutely perfect, so between visting the site, the leaves being of all splendid colours, an art show from local talents, good food and not-too-loud music, everybody seemed to have a good time. It has to be said that although the municipality provided money for the park, the initiative and most of the work came from within the community.

 

As per the other question : I don't think I am taking this more seriously than my colleagues. In fact I am pretty sure that the guitar palyer and the saxophonist are more into "the band thing" than I am.If it make any sense, I would argue that I take the music more seriously. But, I get your point and I agree that there is no use taking any of this too seriously. As long as it is good fun.

 

And, to respond to Connie Z., I don't think I am a perfectionnist (far from that in fact). And I don't want to keep pushing or pulling the others. As for now, my plan is to keep on jamming with this band and see how the other thing turns out. But I can see that if this band is planning to get serious about playing in public, I will have to face the choices you listed.

 

Thanks for your advice and your interest in all this. This been very useful for me.

[dcr]

"I don't think I am a perfectionnist"

 

That made me smile.

 

All in all, I'd say you had a good gig. It also sounds like, when it's all said & done, your band had a good gig, too. But more importantly, it sounds like you had a good gig: you came, played well, & did all that was down to you to make the team's effort successful. Be proud of that.

 

And let me join you in voting most enthusiastically for adding a drummer to the combo. Perhaps a bass can serve as a metronome, but metronomes don't also solo. It really does take two to hold down the rhythm, at least in this sort of context.

[tnb]

Originally posted by bassric

In fact I am pretty sure that the guitar palyer and the saxophonist are more into "the band thing" than I am.If it make any sense, I would argue that I take the music more seriously.

This is exactly what I am talking about. I know a few cats that are into being in a band, they just aren't into things like practicing on their own time, learning more songs (at home), being prepared when they get to a gig or rehearsal, etc. A lot of guys want to be in a band, unfortunately execution of the music is always their last concern.

[Tom Capasso]

bassric,

 

Glad you had this experience. So often the gig is not about the band, and it sounds like you enjoyed the park asmuch as the other visitors. Good for you!

 

As to the visiting drummer, relax. When musicians hear you with a band, they tend to figure out what's going on. I'm sure he'd have recognized your work separately from the rest of the members.

 

Tom

[Cup]

Interesting topic, thanks for telling all Bassric!

 

I think you should keep jamming with the band, you wouldn't have agreed to perform if you had'nt some faith in the others! Don't be so hard on yourself and the others, and remember, it was your FIRST gig.

 

Cup