7 Deadly Sins of Playing a Live Gig
1. Noodling Between Tunes
There’s no good reason to be playing little licks and riffs between songs. It’s unprofessional and annoys bandmates who are ready to go. Plus, you steal the thunder from a song when you reveal part of it beforehand. The audience shouldn’t even have to hear you tune.
2. Not Pacing The Set List
Like a full-length CD (remember CD’s?), a good set is sequenced carefully. Consider how song order will affect the flow of mood and energy in your performance, and work out a few segues so you won’t have to interrupt that flow. Be ready to make changes as you read the audience, too — but don’t pull out the big guns early if you want to go out with a bang.
3. Bad Banter
Think ahead of time about what you might say when you address the audience, and keep it brief. You can get the momentum going at the top of a set by not talking at all until you’re two or three songs in. If you don’t have anything interesting or funny to say, please, just shut up ’n play yer guitar.
4. Gear Malfunction
Part of being prepared is having all of your gear is in working order before you leave the last rehearsal. There will be times when bad luck throws you a curve, but 99% of onstage gear malfunctions are avoidable. Give everything the once-over ahead of time and be ready to field any emergencies with extra strings, spare cables, fuses, AC adapters and duct tape. Good lord, don’t forget the duct tape.
5. Frowns All Around
Smile, for chrissakes. The audience gets its cue about whether or not this is fun from you. Unless you’re playing in a death metal band, where smiling could reveal you to be a total wuss, let them see that you’re enjoying yourself.
6. No Thanks
Want to endear yourself to bar owners, waitresses, and the guy behind the board? Meet them before you play and throw out a thanks from the stage before you wrap up your set.
7. Slow To Strike
You were dying to get onstage to play, right? So think of the next band on the bill. Don’t start chatting up fans or ordering drinks before you strike your gear. Get the hell off the stage and give the next act a chance to play their full set.
— RM
The Punch-In is edited by Rich Maloof, who has a long history with TrueFire as artist, educator, and producer. Rich’s body of work as a published author and Editor in Chief of Guitar magazine has been distributed and translated internationally.
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August 12th, 2009 - 20:50
Humm, I think I prefer to see an artist tuning up since that way at least I know he’s or they are actually playing their own instruments, I’ve seen NIN furiously tune up and I’ve seen George Benson do the same as well as every Irish/Celtic group I’ve ever seen and I’ve seen a lot. The acoustic venue I haunt every other Friday has four acts with the first three acts playing four to five songs each and I can’t recall a single instance when the group didn’t come up and have a short banter and discussion with the sound guy as they all got their instruments balanced and ready to go. And when we’re talking Banjo, Fiddle or Mandolin there is not a song goes by that those guys aren’t tuning up as one of the band mates tells the jokes and light banter. If I had a nickel for every time I heard the ‘banjo and perfect pitch joke (throwing a banjo and hitting a bagpipe) – I’d be a Nickelaire.
Which goes to your comment about ‘bad banter’ – well you know, at least with the country/folk/alt/acoustic crowd it’s sort of the inside joke that the jokes are going to be corny and silly. Part of the charm.
I agree with the politeness – and thanking everyone as well as the being quick about leaving the stage which I do see most every time.
August 18th, 2009 - 21:33
I find these to be some very good “general rules” of stage behavior. It all comes down to acting like a professional. Sure things will happen to keep you from always adhering to every one, but it is a good guide.
August 19th, 2009 - 04:36
Agree with the noodling and setlist. I used to mix up the list intentiannally to keep the band on their toes.
Smiling is important, but easily forgettable (I was in a blues band).
August 21st, 2009 - 19:57
We played last night and the other guitarist did not have a backup ready to go when his string broke. I loaned him my back-up but then he decided to change the string on his strat between the next 2 songs and it took way to long. We hadn’t really discussed this situation before as generally we both have a backup ready to go….man did it frustrate me and kill the momentum. I also would add it looks professional to jump up and knock off 3-4 songs without a break. Let the singer say hello then jump into it for a stretch.
September 16th, 2009 - 14:58
Oh Rich. I love this! I wrote a booklet called Fifty Rules of Rock and these seven issues were covered plus 43 more things bands should always keep in mind.
This list made me smile today as I thought of my bands playing tonight!
http://www.moonstruckpromotions.com
September 18th, 2009 - 13:38
Also:
Use music stands
if you don’t know lyrics or chords by heart – don’t perform it in public!
Avoid eye contact
if none of your band members has eye contact with the audience, people easely get the feeling you ignore them by will, that’s arrogance
Argue with band mates
your job is to entertain people, not to irritate them. All problems occuring while playing must be discussed afterwards.
Drink alcohol on stage
okay, it’s sex, drugs and rock’n'roll, but never try to be the most drunken person on the venue. That’s NOT cool.
September 18th, 2009 - 18:09
I never make any of these mistakes. ‘course, I’m not in a band…
September 20th, 2009 - 00:11
This is terrible. If bands had a format to follow then all music would sound the same. The beauty of rock and roll is the depth and range of what you can do with it. There aren’t rules, what the fuck is wrong with you idiots? Sure, there’s nothing wrong with being professional, and there’s nothing wrong not wanting to come across like a dickhead, but the truth of the matter is that a lot of musicians are, in fact, dickheads. Robert Plant could have pulled his dick out and started masturbating during the long live jams for Whole Lotta Love, and people would have loved it. The most respectable thing an artist can do is respect their own wishes and respect their work for what it is TO THEM. It’s not about rules, or making a good impression, or any of that. If you’re good enough, you don’t have to prove that you’re good enough
You have to smile? YOU HAVE TO FUCKING SMILE?!? Fuck that. Whether you like Beethoven or the Ramones, you’re still 100% wrong.
September 22nd, 2009 - 12:05
Sean, you sound like a lot of fun to be with. Read again, carefully this time. You will never hear us lay down rules about music, but there are guidelines to being a professional musician. You don’t have to tune up, or be courteous to the soundman, or smile, or make sure your gear is in working order. Try it your way and let us know how it goes. But if I were you, I’d try that Robert Plant act on a few friends before going public.
We do agree that musicians should respect their own vision. A very close second is respecting their own audience. You can play what you want and be who you want to be. If you don’t care what anybody thinks and don’t need any feedback from people that what you’re playing is worthwhile, why play out in the first place? Indulge your artistic vision in the garage playing to the shovels and spare tires.
–RM
October 17th, 2009 - 10:12
Being the owner of a venue, the thing I see artist doing most is stopping for your first break a hour into the show. I see at least 50% of the audience leave at that first break. If you see while you are playing that first set that the room is packed and the house is makeing money how about playing a little longer 1st set.
January 27th, 2010 - 03:15
This is stone cold truth. And in response to what Sean said about the Robert Plant thing: well, maybe, but that's because he's Robert Plant. He is a skilled vocalist and was part of one of the greatest rock acts in the world, and he had the energy and power to pull it off. But as far as I know he didn't break these rules when they applied to him. The first half of these things tend to kill whatever energy you've got, and the last half is common courtesy. It's plain and simple truth.
I do in part disagree with #5. Smiling in and of itself isn't necessary. What IS necessary is in general looking like you're having a good time. Don't be too absorbed in your instrument – move around, dance a bit if you can, and if smiling fits with the song, then do it – but if it doesn't make sure that you're making faces regardless. It generally will help.
January 28th, 2010 - 22:42
Stage banter is fine, if it's brief or somewhat entertaining.
Tuning is fine too as long as your not doing it every other song or it's taking you 2 minutes to tune.
Noodling is fine in some circumstances. I have lots of live song where a little noodling happens before the song. I love that Nirvana tune where Grohl played the beginning drumming of Serve the Servants and then goes into another song.