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Band Guide

8. YOUR FIRST GIG

Finally, after months of basement rehearsals and badgering nightclub owners and wedding planners for opportunities, you have a gig. It's Friday night at 8 P.M., which gives you a few days to fine-tune a few songs, load your stuff into the drummer's trunk, and get set up. But hold on—there isn't as much time as you'd think. The small details, from protecting your equipment against theft to buying extra guitar strings, can be overwhelming.

What about scouting the venue? You already know to case the joint first. If it's a restaurant or bar, you can probably drop by a day early for the scouting report. If it's a wedding hall, open only on Saturdays, you may have to call and schedule an appointment several days in advance.

If time permits, plan to attend another concert or two at the same venue. See a band that plays music roughly like yours. Approach that band between sets and ask questions. Befriend the bouncer, bartender, and waitpeople in advance. Tip well!

Make sure you know the answer to the following questions:

Where are the power outlets, and how many does the club have?

Where can you park while loading your equipment?

Where can you park during the show?

How big is the stage, and will it fit all your musicians and respective gear?

Is the club generous about sound-check time?

Do you need to bring your own PA system?

What nights have the rowdiest crowds?

Are there certain influential "regulars" you might need to win over? If so, what songs do they like?

Are the venue managers prompt about payment?

The booker can answer some of these questions, but it never hurts to get a second opinion. While scouting, it probably can't hurt—if it's okay with the club—to pass out a few flyers announcing your gig. Finally, don't forget to figure out where the bathrooms are.

Packing

As a rule of thumb, plan to arrive two hours before your show at a familiar venue. If the club is out of town, or you've never been there, give yourself three hours. We also recommend compiling a "gig sheet," including the club manager's name and contact information, numbers for other bands on the bill and so on. This will help if you arrive early to find the door locked.
Also, ask in advance when the venue's doors are open to the public. If you arrive two hours early, and the club is already filled with people, it'll be hard to walk through the club, let alone conduct your business.

Finally, unless you're meticulously organized (most musicians aren't), prepare a checklist before every gig. Include preshow packing details on the list: Do you have transportation? Gas money? Does the equipment fit? And don't forget to account for the equipment: Include check boxes for guitars, amps, gaffer tape, set list, props, and a clean T-shirt.

Multiple guitars, amps, drums, and microphones—not to mention the musicians themselves—probably won't fit into the bassist's Yugo. Generally speaking, each band member will need a total of one car for himself and his equipment.

Consider borrowing a truck or van from a friend, or finding a cheap one-day rate. Have everybody meet at the rehearsal space, several hours before show time, to load up and caravan to the concert. Allow extra time for crises and van breakdowns. And be especially kind to the drummer, who has the most stuff.

Stage Building

At this stage, it usually won't be necessary to buy your own PA system (short for public-address system). If you regularly play at weddings or venues lacking their own such systems, consider investing in one. At most venues that feature music regularly, however, the club's PA system is likely to be better than yours.

Feel free to scout the club's sound in advance, by checking out a band on another night, or simply contact the sound engineer and ask questions. You can almost always bring your own stuff—a singer's special microphone, for example—and mix it seamlessly with the existing system.

A sound check is the performer's pregig rehearsal, usually at the venue a few hours before the show. Ask the concert promoter or club owner for times and setup details. Even if it's just a few minutes, sound check is an excellent opportunity to test your gear, go over tricky musical chord changes, and generally get a feel for the stage and sound of the room.

Depending on the venue, you might not need to bring your own sound engineer. As with PA systems, the venues that specialize in music probably have their own sound people. Be nice to the club's sound person—a little rapport might make him inclined to tweak your sound so it sounds great. Also be sure to ask the sound person whether a sound check will be available.

As for lighting, cheap rigs cost £250 or less, but who has room for all that stuff in the van? If the venue has even a few lights, ask for permission to aim them on certain musicians. Some clubs will let you affix colored plastic paper over an existing light for maximum psychedelic impact.

Everything you need at rehearsal, you'll almost certainly need at the show. But this depends on the size of the venue. If you practice in a warehouse and the gig is a party, you'll need less stuff; if you practice in a walk-in closet and the gig is a banquet hall, you'll need more stuff.

And although most nightclubs are equipped for live music, a wedding hall or friend's party may position you far from the electrical power source. A 50-foot extension cord and power strip can't hurt.

Set list

A set list is the band's master list of songs for an act, negotiated long in advance and affixed to the stage so everyone can refer to it. When preparing one, remember pacing—follow up several sweaty rock 'n' rollers with a cool-down ballad.

A wedding crowd will want to hear Etta James's "At Last" and Hootie & the Blowfish's "Hold My Hand." A high-school dance crowd will demand upbeat rockers—and mostly hits of the day. Certain songs work in almost every setting. Others, such as the traditional Jewish dance tune "Hava Nagileh" or the Italian "Tarantella," will be requested only under very specific circumstances. You'll learn more songs with experience, obviously, but try to be prepared for anything.

Create your set list long in advance, and tailor it to the gig. If it's a bar or club, you'll want to fill the dance floor as quickly as possible, so stack the beginning with upbeat numbers. If it's a wedding, where you're on after the cake-cutting, start with slow, romantic stuff and build up to the rockers. With experience you'll develop several set-list variations—"party set," "bar set," and so on.

Are you lucky enough to have a signature song, whether it's an original or a cover? If so, play it as often as you can. Twice in the same night, sometimes! Frequently, attendees at the beginning and end of the show won't be the same people.

Band and audience communicate with a sort of telepathy. If people at a high-school dance are having a great time rocking out, leave your hand-holding ballad for later. You can't always rely on your standard set list. At a wedding, for example, determine special requests in advance.

Safety

When hundreds or perhaps thousands of people are packed into a small space, and nobody can hear each other, it's a potentially dangerous situation. So it behooves you to take basic precautions: While loading in before the show, locate all the exit doors and figure out how to get in and out.

The stage, too, can be a dangerous area, given all the cords and wires connected to high-power sound equipment.

When you have equipment plugged into electrical outlets, shocks are always a possibility. For this reason, avoid stepping in puddles onstage, and always try to clean up any spills immediately. Never, under any circumstances, set drinks on top of amplifiers. And always take your hands off a guitar's metal strings before grabbing the microphone.

Always pack a fire extinguisher in the aforementioned band tool kit. And locate the venue's extinguishers before you play. Even without performance experience, you'll be able to gauge the club's physical condition just by looking at the outlets—are plugs dangling off frayed wires? You don't want to squander an opportunity, but it's not worth your life. You can always wriggle out of a commitment if the situation is unsafe.

Other fire-prevention tips: Don't overload an electrical circuit (thus, the extra extension cords); don't confine amps and other quick-heating sound gear into small spaces; and never place drinks on top of electrical equipment.

Audience

Fans are your friends, not your adversaries. They probably spent good money to hear you play. So don't abuse the crowd with obscure or difficult material. In that spirit, try to accommodate shouted requests; if you absolutely can't play it, kindly say so. "We don't play that—it's a stupid song" is unacceptable in every situation.

Occasionally, though, you'll wind up with an unruly crowd you can't possibly control. If that's the case, often your only choice is to rely on the club manager and bouncers on hand. Befriend these people—and bartenders—long before the show begins. In extreme situations, you can ask for assistance from the stage, via microphone.

On the club circuit you'll encounter a lot of alcohol—probably more alcohol than you've ever seen in your life. The primary aim of beer-serving clubs is to sell beer, and more often than not live entertainment is an afterthought. Or, in business terms, a "loss leader" to lure patrons into the club so they can buy more alcohol.

You'll know instantly, upon playing for a crowd, whether people have been drinking. It's a totally different atmosphere, with normally shy people willing to shout all kinds of things and perhaps become physically abusive. You may run up against a character who has spent the day drinking in the bar and isn't particularly enamored with your distracting loud music. You may also find fans who pester you with requests or don't mind telling you exactly what they think of your music. It's always best to ignore these patrons.

Finally, keep in mind your underage band members may not be allowed to perform in alcohol-serving bars. Watch for all-ages venues, or venues that put on regular all-ages nights.

The fastest way to drown out an obnoxious fan is to count off the next song and plunge right in. Resist the urge to counterattack. The heckler's friends may make up half the audience, so once you've responded, you may have put off half the crowd. And be particularly sensitive at weddings—that drunk guy who keeps interrupting your set with profane toasts may just be the father of the bride—the same father of the bride who is supposed to hand you a check at the end of the night.

Even successful performers experience stage fright on a regular basis—Barbra Streisand, Cher, and Rod Stewart had to overcome serious afflictions on the way to fame. (It's said Sonny Bono went onstage with Cher because she was so nervous he felt that she needed company; shortly thereafter they formed Sonny & Cher.)

The only cure for stage fright is to get on stage. Being well-rehearsed is a big help. Another effective strategy is closing your eyes, or focusing your attention on your bandmates, for a few seconds before the show begins. Trust the music to carry you through. If the problem is so crippling you're unable to endure it, this may be time for a different kind of career.

Clothes

A beer-and-barbecue crowd will be more than happy to see you in jeans and work boots. A high-end wedding crowd will want nothing less than tuxedos and other formal attire. If you're really the prepared type (and you sweat a lot), an extra shirt may save a lot of aggravation.

Costumes are occasionally effective—early in their career, The Beatles looked even more striking than usual when they donned matching gray suits. You can do this in a simple way, with color schemes: Just arrange for everybody in the band to wear something with, say, red and black on it, or green and yellow.

If you're a guy, you probably don't need makeup. The only scenario under which to consider it involves massive stage lights that are likely to wash out your features. Also, if you're a male in a cross-dressing band (The New York Dolls, David Bowie, Poison, Motley Crue), makeup is an imperative.

Be careful not to overdo the costuming, however. The last thing the beer-and-barbecue crowd—or the fancy-wedding crowd, for that matter—wants is a band dressed in elaborate "glam" regalia. So, know your audience.

Before uncorking any sort of "look," check with your bandmates, who may not appreciate looking like normal people while the bassist with Marilyn Manson platform shoes upstages them.

Women, of course, have much broader rock-history fashion precedents, from the close-cropped Pat Benatar 1980s look (although we recommend against the Spandex tights) to R&B singer Patti LaBelle's elaborate, sculpted hair creations. There are many music picture books available at the local bookstore, and a good stylist can match your vision.

Choreography

If you're an Irish folk-music trio, skip the next few paragraphs—all you need, presentation-wise, is strong music and an occasional rambling story to tell the crowd. If you're a bombastic rock 'n' roll quartet, some choreography may be appropriate. Generally, the larger the stage, the more physical space you have to fill, so it may be worth practicing your James Brown knee-drop in the mirror at home.

It's no sin to steal from the masters. Prowl the stage like rapper LL Cool J. Conduct an arm-flailing guitar "windmill" like Pete Townshend of The Who. Maybe even figure out a few basic group dance moves, like The Temptations or NSYNC.

As for talking onstage, some performers have a gift for it. Early in his career, rocker Bruce Springsteen was a master at telling long-winded, personal stories and making them seem universal. Punk rocker Patti Smith effectively reads poetry between songs. In his solo shows, The Eagles guitarist Joe Walsh tells jokes.

You won't know for sure if you're good at it until you try. At first, avoid this stuff during key moments of the show—if you've finished one rocking song and the crowd responds enthusiastically for the first time, don't destroy the momentum with "so this guy walks into a bar ..." But if things are going well, and the audience seems responsive, a joke, a story, or even "Hello, Dublin!" (which is funnier if you're in Belfast) can be effective.

Design

Pyrotechnics are probably out of your price range at this point. And they're dangerous: Although rock stars such as KISS and Rob Zombie continue to blast them at arenas, many major acts are starting to worry about safety. In early 2003, more than 100 fans died at a small wooden nightclub in West Warwick, Rhode Island, because of fireworks set off in a claustrophobic, unsafe situation. So for many reasons it's best to keep your effects simple.

Props can be an easy band-marketing device—as simple as hanging a banner behind the stage with your name, logo, and website. (This can be tacky at weddings, however.) If you're invited to perform an outdoor luau, try spending £20 on palm trees, leis, and other inexpensive decorations. Your efforts could very well impress the people who hired you, which is a sure way to get recommendations for future gigs.

The easiest stage decoration is putting the band's name and logo on the bass drumhead—using paint or stencil or taking it to a professional sign store. Anything you can do for "brand identification," as they say in business, helps.

Team-work

A band in many ways is like a sports team. Some members might be superstars—the primary reasons fans arrive at the gigs. Others are team players, who solo when it's their time, but more often stay in the background and prop up the music. Unless you're the designated front person, resist the urge to grandstand. The bassist and drummer, first and foremost, are there to drive the rhythm.

Your band is responsible for doing what you can to pack the place. That means alerting everybody you know—family, friends, co-workers, classmates, other bands. It also means putting up posters and flyers, sending out mass e-mails, making website postings, and trying to get some publicity via local newspapers, alt-weeklies, and community radio stations. And ask the club booker how you can help with the advertising and promotion.

If, despite these efforts, you wind up with just a few people at the gig, don't get discouraged. You've just started, and nobody knows your name—yet. A small audience may seem awkward and humiliating, but it shouldn't deter you from performing really, really well. If you impress those five people, they'll tell five other people. And remember, the bartenders, bouncers, and wait staff are always listening. They may be your most influential audience. In short, make every show your best show, because you never know what it could lead to.