[keri2323]

Hello people, Im Keri, 27, UK, and tonight (new years eve) will be my first solo gig. I've been in bands and duos for 8 years or so (We were signed until EMI bought out our f**king label and dropped us ) but am almost terrified about tonights gig! Aint it weird having no-one there to blame? lol! What do you think of the order and quality of songs?

Really appreciate your advice

SET LIST

Set 1:

Summer of '69
Beautiful (James Blunt)
Stuck In the middle
Babylon
Livin' on a prayer
She will be loved
One Week
Creep
Bad moon rising
Streets have no name
Goodbye my lover
Breakfast at tiffanys
Everybody Hurts
Hush
Angels

Set 2:

Dont look back in anger
Bed of Roses
Mustang Sally
Handbags and Gladrags
Englishman in New York
###### it (Eamon, will be a laugh )
Good on the dancefloor (Arctic Monkeys)
Cannonball
Twist and shout
With or without you
In my place
Every breath you take
Right here waiting
Auld Lang Syne

[Joe Hard]

I think you have a great line up of songs for the occasion. Get youself into the zone! Confidence is the key! Have a drink to calm yourself but not to much, remeber everyone there is there to have a good time, give them one!!!

[keri2323]

Thank you for your quick reply

But

I cant give everyone one, I'll be too busy playing guitar

hehe, thanks again

[mantra]

I think that's a very nice setlist too. Twist and shout could be tough though...and with a couple of songs left on your list...make sure you still have yer voice. Well by now when you read this I guess it'll be 2006 eitherway so my reply will be too late.

[Tuning Spork]

I'd prefer to hear some originals (having had a recording contract, you presumably have some), but a decent number of those songs do not suck. The Bryan Adams and James Blunt, especially back to back, would probably make me eat my own right leg, but otherwise, I would survive.

[velvetrevolver220]

Thank you for your quick reply

But

I cant give everyone one, I'll be too busy playing guitar 

hehe, thanks again

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Ha. He meant give everyone a good time, not give everyone a drink!

[Father Fonz]

Im too late to give advice on the set-list (which looked pretty good imo) but tell u snow, how'd the set go?

[mrbreeze]

Seems like a pretty cool set list. I'd listen to it.

[guitarstrummin63]

looked like a pretty decent list, and had some variety in it too

how'd the show go?

[Catcher13]

looked like a pretty decent list, and had some variety in it too

how'd the show go?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

[keri2323]

Cheers guys,

Nice to know coming from actual musicians

(My mum's opinion and drunk people dont really count )

It went well, I was nervous, made a few mistakes and all that, and the landlord tried to say I quoted him 100 pound less on the phone, and 'if I want work in this town again, I better drop my charges'

So I was like, its fine man, I have 20 other venues, now stop trying it on, gimme the cash McScrooge (he did)

The crowd were buzzing, I did FIVE hours in the end! So a result and room for improvement, its just so lonely up there now, you know?

You are all cool, far much cooler than the local scene here, where singing a karaoke track is classed as releasing your first single....

[mantra]

5 hours, not bad. Landlord had some nerve though: "If you wanna work in this town again..." Where do you live, the wild wild west?

[okiejohn]

Well, Keri, did you have any drunks in the crowd callin' out for you to play Honkytonk Angel ?

[rweezera]

PLAY FREEEEE BIRD!

[ApoXonFire]

Ah, well, looks like im too late to give you some nerve calming tips. Maybe you can save them for the furture.

Well actually, there is only one tip...

The people are there to see you play, they aren't there to see you be nervous and mess up the entire time. They are simply friends while you are up there. As long as you have practiced those songs so that you can play them flawlessly in your room, you can play them on the stage easy as pie, if you remember that they don't care if you make a few mistakes.

You making a mistake is like a politician saying "um".

[keri2323]

Ah, well, looks like im too late to give you some nerve calming tips. Maybe you can save them for the furture.

Well actually, there is only one tip...

The people are there to see you play, they aren't there to see you be nervous and mess up the entire time. They are simply friends while you are up there. As long as you have practiced those songs so that you can play them flawlessly in your room, you can play them on the stage easy as pie, if you remember that they don't care if you make a few mistakes.

You making a mistake is like a politician saying "um".

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Thanks for that, anyone got any more ways to calm nerves?

[okiejohn]

I spent about 30 years in the front of a classroom. I've been a DJ on a local radio station, I've done baseball play-by-play on radio, I've been in front of large groups of folks speaking for various reasons, and not had any trouble with nerves, be prepared, be yourself.

Now what few times I've played music before an audience has always scared the crap out of me.

Can't explain it, except that I'm way more comfortable speaking than playing.

[dldude]

Coulda picked a better Radiohead song than Creep!

[pscafidi]

As far as tips to calm nerves............. I try to consider that what I'm feeling is really the excitement of playing for an audience. Someone else said it earlier that the crowd wants to see you sound great and succeed. They're totally on your side. Sometimes the best part of my night comes from a simple mistake that I laugh at and in turn gets the audience laughing..... I've heard of several big name artists who strategically place mistakes in their set in order to add some light hearted fun and connect with the crowd.
I play professionally about 5 nights a week (and very thankful for that) and always have that surge of adrenaline before the show starts. I'd probably be afraid if that feeling went away. If you're unprepared, then that's a different story all together. It's like going to take a test and only studied half the material. But it sounds like you've got your songs and act together..........so that the hard part is over. Now it's time to bring the songs to life and entertain the folks. I also thought that you had quite a few good songs for you set list. Good luck!

[SalB]

It went well, I was nervous, made a few mistakes and all that, and the landlord tried to say I quoted him 100 pound less on the phone, and 'if I want work in this town again, I better drop my charges'

So I was like, its fine man, I have 20 other venues, now stop trying it on, gimme the cash McScrooge (he did)

Congrats on the first solo gig, sounds like it went well. Mistakes and how you handle them let the punters know that you are human- chuckle and nod and just keep on with it.

Aah New Year's Eve gigs would be only worse than that of the wedding of a friends of a distant cousins that they'd said you'd do for free. When it comes to NYE, everyone from the landlords, promoters, punters and performers have higher than usual expectations for the success of the event- but hey Dec 31 is just another date on the calendar.

It sounds like the landlord was disappointed by the takings and tried to stiff you 100 pounds! Geez!. Take a tip from one who's learnt when it comes to a gig at a new venue.

Make sure they get it it writing as soon after the gig is booked what your understanding of the booking involves eg;

start and end times,
access and time for setting up,
access and time for tearing down,
number of sets,
number and length of breaks,
drinks/ meals (paid or otherwise ?),
how much you will be paid,
when you will be paid,
how you will be paid,
staging and access to power etc

The landlord may say its unnecessary, but stick with having it in writing- after all there's nothing wrong with a professional approach- it gives most landlords some confidence in you, in that you appear to be experienced and well-prepared.

cheers .... Sal

This post has been edited by SalB: 09 February 2006 - 08:04 PM