REAL Rules For Playing Live...?

mudslide73

Handsome_Chris;197192" said:

@mudslide, I'm glad that your LP didn't have a catastrophic failure..

My LP has had one catastrophic failure.. being bought and owned by me. I'm sure it would have been happier at someone else's house for all these years.

4. Don't stand anywhere near a door if the outside temp is much below room temp. We did a December gig in a marquee and ended up turning the stage heating off to stabilise our tuning. Brass monkeys doesn't cover it.

5. Don't play at all if your "percussionist" has been drinking for 6 hours. The songs tend to go a little quicker than you're used to.

6. Don't let anyone's missus come to the soundcheck if you want to get a good sound.

dilbert

IanSavage said:

Assume that the sound engineer has no 'spare' anything; he/she is not there to provide you with batteries, screwdrivers, cables, strings, cigarettes, lubricant, avacados, marsupials or geostationary satellite co-oridinates. He/she is there to mix the sound; carry your own bloody spares.  

You forgot to add condoms to the list........... I do know of at least one who was asked   :-\"

ThePrettyDamned

Be thankful.

I say that as an audience member - it might not suit the band image, but get over it and thank your audience for listening.  Even if it's just a local battle of the bands, your punters have paid to come in, and you should appreciate it.  

Doesn't need to be in a cheesey metal voice or anything, just a nice thanks for listening, see you around is great.  

ThePrettyDamned

Did NOT mean to post that vid, will edit out.!

frankus

Don't quote Will Ferrell lines - noone ever remembers them.

Smile

Breath

Look at the audience.

Move.

maltingsaudio

IanSavage said:

Assume that the sound engineer has no 'spare' anything; he/she is not there to provide you with batteries, screwdrivers, cables, strings, cigarettes, lubricant, avacados, marsupials or geostationary satellite co-oridinates. He/she is there to mix the sound; carry your own bloody spares.  

Amen to that Bro! Good stage crew are adept at grabbing victory from the jaws of defeat but there are limits! BTW you forgot bring your own Gaffa, Drum Stool sticks, mat, sustain pedal, Plectrums (that was just saturdays gig!)  

ESBlonde

frankus said:

Don't quote Will Ferrell lines - noone ever remembers them.

Who's Will Ferrell?

Spikeedog

I forget...

monquixote

Having been in lots of bands and booked gigs for a venue my personal list would be:

Have some spares and a plan for things to go tits up. (For example an acoustic number you do if the drummer puts a stick through his snare) 

If you have a soundman be nice to him (unless he is a total helmet). This will pay great dividends.

If you are someone with minimal gear you should help set up and tear down the PA rather than show up only from 5 minutes before to 5 minutes after. 

Don't have massive gaps between songs. 

Do not pretend to be Liam Gallagher (even if you are). If you act like a cock then people won't book you again.

It's not selling out to dress up, or try and perform. That doesn't mean jumping around in spandex pants just not staring at your feet looking like you don't want to be there. 

If your singer talks to the crowd make sure it's not just in jokey stuff to his mates (I've seen an A&R man walk out of a gig because of this)

Don't be crushingly loud 

steamabacus

monquixote said:

Have some spares and a plan for things to go tits up. (For example an acoustic number you do if the drummer puts a stick through his snare) 

I know Pagannini used to practice a piece on 3 strings and then file through one so that it would 'unexpectedly' break mid-performance - he'd then amaze his audience by finishing the piece flawlessly as if nothing had happened. But.......

I think what you meant was 'and a plan if things go tits up'.

monquixote

steamabacus said:

monquixote said:

Have some spares and a plan for things to go tits up. (For example an acoustic number you do if the drummer puts a stick through his snare) 

I know Pagannini used to practice a piece on 3 strings and then file through one so that it would 'unexpectedly' break mid-performance - he'd then amaze his audience by finishing the piece flawlessly as if nothing had happened. But.......

I think what you meant was 'and a plan if things go tits up'.

Things always go tits up at my shows

close2u

steamabacus said:

 

I know Pagannini used to practice a piece on 3 strings and then file through one so that it would 'unexpectedly' break mid-performance - he'd then amaze his audience by finishing the piece flawlessly as if nothing had happened. But.......

I think what you meant was 'and a plan if things go tits up'.

I wish I knew how to embed a Youtube video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p8fLzrPRu5Y

DLM

steamabacus said:I know Pagannini used to practice a piece on 3 strings and then file through one so that it would 'unexpectedly' break mid-performance - he'd then amaze his audience by finishing the piece flawlessly as if nothing had happened.

The story I remember is that Pagannini was imprisoned for his wild partying with wine and women and couldn't get replacement strings for the ones he broke on his violin, which he continued to practise regardless (there was nothing else to do in the slammer). Apparently he kept on going even when there was only one string left on his fiddle, which explains why his compositions include so many crazy one-string lines.

John_BlackWolf

*DON'T overrun if you are the support band, It's better to finish 4 minutes early than 2 minutes late.

*Plug your Merch stand and current release towards the end of your set.

Cirrus

John_BlackWolf said:

*DON'T overrun if you are the support band, It's better to finish 4 minutes early than 2 minutes late.

Yes! THIS THIS THIS THIS

Leave people wanting more. Reduce the chance that you'll have to cut the last song from your set. Keep it punchy and short. As an originals band we do lots of 30/ 40 minute sets. In the beginning we did some 20 minute "showcase" type gigs. If you've got 30 mins, plan 25/26 minutes. If it's 40, plan 35 and an optional extra song that won't ruin your set's flow whether or not you play it - so if the crowd are screaming for more you know what to do.

Promoters and venue owners love you if you do a kick ass set that also helps get the night back on schedule after the inevitable opening salvo of inexperienced musicians wondering aimlessly about asking to borrow guitar straps and leads when they were due to start playing 15 minutes ago.

Danny1969

Spares that are absolutely necessary for bands getting paid must be :

Spare guitar \ bass already tuned ......... some guys on here doing well paid weddings \ corp work  know you can't stop and change a string

Spare amp head or pedal that's ok Di'ed .... even iRig and an iPhone is better than nothing

Spare whole snare drum and at least a bass drum skin

Some redundancy in the PA ..... if one side goes down can it be rejigged to serve both or can the monitors serve as FOH tops

I actually carry a spare mixing desk, a little 8 channel thing 

 

Nobby

Don't have music stands on stage. If you don't know the lyrics/chords to the material you're playing, then you and you're band aren't ready to play live.

Go back to the rehersal studio or wherever and learn the songs.

 

EricTheWeary

Nobby said:

Don't have music stands on stage. If you don't know the lyrics/chords to the material you're playing, then you and you're band aren't ready to play live.

Go back to the rehersal studio or wherever and learn the songs.

 

Ahh, takes me back to the days of MusicRadar where we had epic threads about this. As a general rule I agree with you  - for anything 'rock'n'roll anyway - although there may be circumstances such as if you have a dep in.

It is often also very difficult to sing from lyric sheets ( go google the lyrics to Johnny B Good and try singing them at the proper tempo whilst reading them, go on. Go on. Go on. Go on go on go on go on go on go on)and crib sheets of any sort are of limited use on a darkened stage so I'm suprised they pop up as often as they do.

Danny1969

EricTheWeary said:

Nobby said:

Don't have music stands on stage. If you don't know the lyrics/chords to the material you're playing, then you and you're band aren't ready to play live.

Go back to the rehersal studio or wherever and learn the songs.

 

Ahh, takes me back to the days of MusicRadar where we had epic threads about this. As a general rule I agree with you  - for anything 'rock'n'roll anyway - although there may be circumstances such as if you have a dep in.

It is often also very difficult to sing from lyric sheets ( go google the lyrics to Johnny B Good and try singing them at the proper tempo whilst reading them, go on. Go on. Go on. Go on go on go on go on go on go on)and crib sheets of any sort are of limited use on a darkened stage so I'm suprised they pop up as often as they do.

It's a quick look at the first line I think, you kinda know the lyrics but need a pointer for the first line 

There's some cool iPad apps now that scroll for you and you can see that in the dark

not_the_dj

Danny1969 said:

EricTheWeary said:

Nobby said:

Don't have music stands on stage. If you don't know the lyrics/chords to the material you're playing, then you and you're band aren't ready to play live.

Go back to the rehersal studio or wherever and learn the songs.

 

Ahh, takes me back to the days of MusicRadar where we had epic threads about this. As a general rule I agree with you  - for anything 'rock'n'roll anyway - although there may be circumstances such as if you have a dep in.

It is often also very difficult to sing from lyric sheets ( go google the lyrics to Johnny B Good and try singing them at the proper tempo whilst reading them, go on. Go on. Go on. Go on go on go on go on go on go on)and crib sheets of any sort are of limited use on a darkened stage so I'm suprised they pop up as often as they do.

It's a quick look at the first line I think, you kinda know the lyrics but need a pointer for the first line 

There's some cool iPad apps now that scroll for you and you can see that in the dark

The singer in one of my bands has the first line of each song on the set-list print out. Just in case he goes blank that's all it takes to get it.