[chasyd69]

My new covers band has got our first gig on the 16th of May and as none of us have performed live I could do with some basic advice and tips. Gear wise we have a decent enough PA for all the mics with a monitor for the lead singer and we all have decent enough amps and effects etc. Anyway any tips and advice is welcome.

[Dave C]

I'm doing my fifth gig in a week, and the learning curve is steap and hard.
I know it sounds obvious, but getting you levels right is so important.
Monitors (you metioned) are so important. Everybody needs to hear what everyone else is doing.
Don't be too loud, it gets mushy.
Post your set list.
Main thing is to enjoy yourself, any little mistakes you make. Your the only one who will notice.

[chasyd69]

Cheers for the advice, when you say post the set list I assume you mean on here so here it is although we've not decided in what order yet...

Creedance Clearwater Revival - Bad Moon Rising
James - Laid
Kings of Leon - Sex on Fire
Snow Patrol - Run
Free - Alright Now
Soul Asylum - Runnaway Train
The Calling - Wherever you will go
Kaiser Chiefs - I Predict a riot
The Fratelli's - Chelsea Dagger
Deep Blue Something - Breakfast at Tiffany's
Wheatus - A little respect
The Cure - Friday im in love
Zutons - Valerie
Maroon 5 - This Love
Van Morrison - Brown eyed girl
Dion - Runnaround Sue
Status Quo - The Wanderer
The Proclaimers - 500 miles
Elo - Don't bring me down
Otis Redding Sitting on the dock of the bay
ABBA - Mama mia

[dadfad]

There's slightly different advice for different types of gigs at different types of venues, and so a lot of it will depend on that, but there are a few (almost) universal tips too. I've played many hundreds of gigs (probably well over a thousand) over the years both with a band and solo from festival and arena-sized crowds (20,000+ or more) to a dozen people at a few tables in a small ratty club. DaveC nailed some of the important ones. Like he said, get all the aspects of your sound right. Don't succumb to the temptation of trying to turn up "on the fly" because you think your volume is too low. Turning up is okay when needed but it should be a very conscious thing and (when playing in a band) done as a band. Who should be louder or more in the front, etc should all be determined beforehand and then that ratio of sounds should be maintained. There might be tunes where the ratios change, maybe on this tune so-and-so#2 does vocals and so-and-so-#1 reverts to backup at a different level, or this instrument or that switches to the forefront, etc, etc. But this stuff should all be worked out beforehand, not off-the-cuff in the middle of a set. That's what makes the band start to sound mushy like Dave said or out of control. Whenever possible, try do do a good sound-check, even a rehearsal at the location beforehand.

So work out your levels. Have a song-book (different than a set-list). Your song-book has notes about what sounds best for this or that particular tune. Settings on amps or instruments, level ratios, who does what and when, etc, etc. Your set-list is your list of what you're going to play. Your song-book is how you've decided to play them. You might have just a couple, maybe four or five, different level set-ups. Different sound ratio-changes and so forth. You can categorize them like that kind of... say types 1, 2, and 3. Or (better yet) say blue, green and red. Each color (or number) clearly defined beforehand. You can then even make your set-list using that. Tunes written on the list in red require the "red ratio and personnel responsibilities." Tunes on the list in blue require the blue one, etc. Pieces of tape on your amp marking amp-settings, etc can help make changes quickly, often on a poorly-lit stage (or over-lit, like bright spot-lights on you in your eyes making it hard to see.).

Now this might seem like complicated over-kill. And it might be if you only have a dozen or so tunes all done the same way, but as (if) you continue to gig and start getting a larger and larger song-book containing a hundred or more tunes performed in different ways it will keep them sorted.

Dave mentioned "enjoy yourself." This is probably the most important reason you're playing in the first place! Different kinds of gigs have different kinds of... rewards. There's nothing like the kind of rush you get when you're standing in front of a sea of thousands of faces, all there listening to you. Except maybe the reward you get when you're playing in some dingy little club with ten or fifteen people in it and you see somebody at the bar really watching you play, smiling as he taps his finger in time to your music. This is why you do this, why you've practiced, why you've spent time away from friends and family and spent money for strings that could have been "better spent" elsewhere. And so if you don't enjoy yourself, that has all been wasted.

I'm going to assume (since this is a first gig) that it will probably be small-ish. A small or medium sized club maybe. Establish a "rapport" with the audience. The band needs to have a "front-man" who communicates with the audience. Choose the person who is most "at ease" in doing so, the person who has the best "spontaneous gift-of-gab." (Often the lead singer, but not necessarily.) His biggest job is to get the audience "on your side." A little humor sometimes, (slightly self-deprecating humor is often a good tool. Like "Hi, we're " (band-name) " here for you tonight at " (club name) ". Joe-club-owner tries to feature the best music around for you guys. Lucky for us they were all booked tonight and so he hired us. We're the "(band-name)".... and then go into a tune. Having a sort of "warm-up" tune (NOT practice tune, the "warm-up" is for the crowd) is a good idea. Something you can start playing as sort of a vamp while the front-man is introducing the band and that when he's done can then turn into an actual tune.

Personalize your music while playing. Find a person in the crowd to play to. It might change depending on what you're doing. If you're playing a lead-break and you see some guy in the audience... playing air-guitar and seems like he might be a musician himself, play to him. If you're singing a sultry love-song, make eye contact with a woman in the crowd and do that tune to her. If it's a danceable-gig and you see a really good dancer on the floor, make your rhythms work with the motions of her body. Etc. You'll get good at knowing who to play what to, and that personalization will probably enhance your playing.

Obviously, play stuff that's appropriate and the crowd wants. You should have a good idea already, but you can even fine-tune your set-list in the middle of a set. If you see one kind of tune (say "danceable," or slow) seems to fit the "mood" of the audience more, go with it. Remember, your true obligation is to please the club-owner/manager who hired you. You do that by (secondarily) pleasing the audience. Making them want more, liking what they hear, buying more drinks, etc, etc. The bottom-line to the owner-manager is money, not "artistic content" or something.

Like what you play, but if you're playing stuff that doesn't please both you and the crowd then you're playing the wrong place.


Anyway, I've rattled on enough. Hopefully a bit of the above will give you some ideas.

[chasyd69]

Cheers dadfad I'll print that off for the rest of the band to read. Luckily this gig is in our local on the last night before the pub shuts so everyone should be too drunk to notice the small imperfections.

[Dave C]

That's cool, fineshing with an Abba tune, Ash use to do that with 'Does your mother know'

Anyway, I've rattled on enough.

Au contrare, my freind, quality advise.

[Mantrasolo]

You guys are gonna cover Mamma Mia? .... "chasyd style" or traditional? Either way, I'd love to hear it.

[chasyd69]

I've wanted to do a Sick Note Flat style cover of mama mia for ages but alas I fear they won't let me. This band is sadly far from Sick Note Flat as I'm sure you can tell by the songs I'm forced to play.

This post has been edited by chasyd69: 04 May 2009 - 08:53 PM

[Mantrasolo]

Ah, what a shame. However, as much I'd be looking forward to hearing such an abomination (?) since I know and like your style, mayhaps it's for the best if the audience isn't ready for it....

[chasyd69]

Just like to say thanks for all the advice as it all came in handy. Oh and wow! What an amazing experience it was. As much as I don't like playing covers and the band getting on my nerves, seeing people dancing on chairs and tables screaming for more was unbelievable and made it all worth it. I would have never thought that our first gig would be so good.

[dadfad]

...What an amazing experience it was. As much as I don't like playing covers and the band getting on my nerves, seeing people dancing on chairs and tables screaming for more was unbelievable and made it all worth it. I would have never thought that our first gig would be so good.

[Mantrasolo]

Rock on, my good man!!

[chasyd69]

It was mint pissing off my band by wearing my "sick note flat" tshirt.

[ninjato]

My biggest issue is not being able to hear the rest of the band due to poorly set monitors or not having any at all.

I thought just having amps would be fine on my first gig.....BIG MISTAKE. As soon as I counted off and we started, I had no idea what anybody else was doing and neither did my bandmates...we just looked at each other w/ this horrified look on our faces. We shut down and did an acoustic set instead to save face but it sucked in a REAL BAD way.

Just being able to hear the lead singer is not enough...you gotta hear where your bassists is and other members.

This post has been edited by ninjato: 30 September 2009 - 12:32 PM

[petruccilives]

I've done over 200 gigs. best advice is to enjoy yourself up there. you spent lots of time practicing and now its time to reap the rewards of that hard work (you know you got it). just relax on stage, don't drink alcohol or do drugs (things like that will make you play not up to your 100% ability), realize that no one is perfect and we all will make mistakes, realize the people in the audience want to hear you play and they are on your side and try not to show off on stage ....just be yourself...be honest and people will respect and love you for it.

Good luck and DO NOT break a leg!