Live Performances

In order to pull off a successful show, you either have to love playing or love performing. People can listen to your music on the radio or on your CD. The reason they are willing to spend money to see a show is to be entertained. You have to give them more than what they want to call yourself a pro. "To give a professional performance, you have to work out a show. To put on a show, you have to know what your multiple functions are onstage. You have to present a specific image through clothing, attitude, and posture. You have to be aware of acting and performing techniques, and have to follow a script. This is a craft, after all, and it takes time, knowledge, practice, and flexibility"(Suzanne, Stein, and Niehaus 78).        When you’re putting on a show, you should give everyone in the band space to move onstage, but keep the positions tight enough "to maintain the feeling of a unit"(80). The person with the most charisma should be up front because they represent the whole band(79). As far as clothing or costumes are concerned, the band should keep a universal article of clothing, but different styles. Each person should "appear as a dynamic performer in his own right while maintaining a coherent image for the band as a whole..."(80-81). During your performance, make sure you keep the following things in mind. Make sure you identify your audience and target them(the audience must be a part of the performance), and identify your objectives and carry them out(82). Also, don’t be embarrassed about mistakes, you should have fun! Remember, the most important thing you should do onstage is simply, play your music(83).        When you’re performing, you’ll want all of your gear to sound good. But what about all the little things that make the big things work better? Here’s a couple of things that you should pack into your gig bag that just may keep your gig from falling apart. Some of these are obvious.(Prown 94).        A tuner. You can get an adequate electronic chromatic tuner for $20. If you can’t afford this, you can always use a tuning fork(94).        A peg winder. If a string breaks, putting a string on without a peg winder is a very slow process, so get a peg winder. They’re only a couple of dollars so get two or three for insurance.        Bring an extra set of strings and at least five single strings of the G, B, and high E(94).        Wire-clippers. You’ll need to clip off the end of strings after you put new strings on.        Picks. If you’re a serious player, you buy your picks by the gross(144 picks). Put some on top of your amp so you can grab one easily if you happen to drop one(95).        A truss-rod. Temperature and humidity can make the wood in the neck contract or expand. This can cause the action to be off. That’s why you need to bring a truss-rod adjuster everywhere you go.        Screwdrivers. "You maybe need a flat head for adjusting the intonation on a bridge, or a Phillips for opening the back covers on electronics or the all important truss-rod cover"(95).        Batteries. Bring five extra 9 volt batteries, especially if you use stompboxes.        Tubes can blow at any time. If you use tube amps, bring a backup set of exact replacements for your preamp and power amp tubes. When replacing them, make sure you first unplug them and wait a few minutes for the capacitors to dissipate and for the amps to cool off(5).        If you have more than one guitar onstage, you’ll need guitar stands.        If you play blues guitar, bring along slides. But if you use glass ones, make sure you put them in a hard box.        You never know when you might cut yourself, so bring along a box of Band-Aids, unless you rather play with a bloody finger.        Backups. Bring an extra strap, at least 2 1/4" guitar cables, some 1/4" speaker cables, "and a backup 9-volt ‘wall-wart’ adapter that runs on several different voltages, to accommodate different effects pedals, wireless units, or pieces of rack gear." Also, if you can, bring an extra guitar or amp. And, if your music depends on a distortion box, pack an extra or your gig may be over. "The pros always do, and it’s primarily related to the Rule of the Road #1- Everything blows up eventually"(95).        Find a place to put $20 in case of an emergency. "Just don’t waste it on candy and gum"(95).        A Walkman can be useful for taping rehearsals so you can hear what you sound like. If it has an input jack, you can give it to a trusted soundman to tape your gig(95).        "There’s a saying that goes, ‘When the going gets tough, the tough gets duct tape.’" You can use duct tape to tape down a mic stand, "affix a set list to the side of your amp, mend the upholstery in your van," and just about anything else.        "Like the Navy, live by the motto semper paratus. Loosely translated, [it] means ‘always prepared.’ Guitar techs live by that rule because if they’re not always prepared - they’re always fired"(95).        "’Etiquette’ sounds like an elaborate way to describe a common senses attitude that all performers should have. Ignoring it, however, is a mistake that is too commonly made"(Suzanne, Stein, and Niehaus 84). The basic rules of etiquette are simply, avoid getting involved in any confrontations when you’re angry. You should wait until you cool down before doing anything stupid, and never display negativity. Remember, "...a lack of etiquette indicates that you are an amateur"(84).        Acting is not phoniness, but the ability to control what you want to say. Decide who you want to be onstage and practice being your onstage personality(85). In every performance, your goal is to use "complex, word-for-word, same-inflection every night type script and apply" your "acting skills to make it seem spontaneous"(87).        A couple of dos and don’ts for performances are as follows. Sell yourself; the show, the band, the songs - "in that order." Don’t tell any inside jokes. You’re trying to target your audience, not your friends. Never let your energy run down. "Do have a good time, and show it." Don’t badmouth any clubs or performers. And finally, don’t let yourself be insulted. Be arrogant if necessary. But don’t let your arrogance "shift to an insulting attitude towards your audience"(90).        Advertising is important because you have to show the industry you exist. There are four different types of advertising, print, radio, television, and publicity stunts(91). In print advertising you can either ask small, local papers, who are always on the outlook for local news, to interview you, or send postcards and letters to everyone on your mailing lists. To make a mailing list, make a list of the people in your audience that really like your show and another list of people you want to impress after every show. To advertise on the radio, you can list your performance in free concert lines that public stations offer or have private stations play cuts from your demo. If you’re going to do a paid advertisement, make sure you do it on the station that plays the kind of music you play. Remember, radio advertising is cheap, if you research(92). Television ads on the other hand are very expensive, so try to get interviewed by a local talk station. "TV exposure is more for long-term public awareness than specific performance advertising...You should take...advantage of the opportunity, if you don’t have a gig coming up right away"(93). Publicity stunts are basically just stunts you pull off to try to get people to recognize you. The best way to pull off a successful publicity stunt is to get connected with a charity. This way, both sides will benefit(93).        Your advertising campaign, or the way you decide to advertise is very important to how much attention you get. Always advertise at least a week before a gig(93). Make sure you target your audience. Getting recognized for what you’re doing is very important. "It’s better that people say your band stinks than have people ask ‘Who is that band?’"(94).