100 Quick Performance-Related Tips For Musicians
10 Things To Watch Out For On The Road
- Excessive gambling when you play at or near a casino
- Road fatigue
- Driving when you’re over tired
- Fans who are purposefully trying to get you drunk
- Married women (or men) coming on to you
- Excuses not to rehearse
- Your equipment being stolen
- Too many gigs in a row without a break
- Not keeping in touch with friends and family back home
- Excessive partying, especially when you only have to walk to your hotel room
10 Signs You’re A Big Hit
- Vibrant applause
- The manager is smiling
- The waiters, waitresses and bartenders are busy and smiling
- The dance floor is packed for both fast and slow songs
- More people are staying than leaving
- You recognize fans who have come back to see you again
- The manager asks you to play extra
- The manager buys you a drink or meal even though it’s not in the contract
- The crowd yells for more
- You sell a large amount of CDs and merchandise
10 Signs You’re Losing The Crowd
- People are yawning, reading, checking email etc.
- People are leaving early
- No one is on the dance floor
- The waiters and waitresses are just hanging around with nothing to do
- The bartender has nothing to do
- The manager looks worried
- You’re feeling nervous and have no confidence
- Your normally best songs are laying flat
- You’ve lost your energy and drive on stage
- The audience is requesting too many songs that you don’t know
10 Ways To Dazzle Your Audience
- Amazing vocals
- Tight and well-balanced harmonies
- Amazing instrumentation
- Comedy
- A magic trick
- Choreography
- Band interaction
- Lighting or special effects
- Your clothing
- Your ability to read the audience and know exactly what they want next
10 Things That Mess Artists Up On Stage
- Starting in the wrong key
- Unreadable set lists
- When something breaks (drum head, guitar string etc.)
- A poor rhythm section
- Being a mismatch for the audience
- Obnoxious/inebriated audience members
- An out of tune instrument
- Starting a song too slowly or too fast
- Audience members requesting songs in the middle of a song
- Audience members who are distracting for any reason (loud, dressed scantily etc.)
10 Hazards of Performing On Stage
- Dancers bumping into the speakers
- Dancers bumping into the singer’s mic stand
- Electrical surges or grounding challenges
- Disgruntled audience members throwing things
- Fights in the audience
- Falling off stage (even very short ones)
- Dancers tripping and falling onto the stage
- Drinks spilling onto equipment
- Drinks spilling on a band member while he/she is plugged in
- Weak risers
10 Attitude Challenges To Keep In Check
- Assuming everyone loves you
- Assuming the audience will like anything you play
- Demanding more money when you haven’t earned a raise
- Thinking It’s OK if you get drunk or high before or during the gig
- Thinking and acting like you’re irreplaceable
- Being openly disgruntled from stage
- Badmouthing the venue, staff or management
- Thinking you’re not getting paid enough to give 100%
- Overconfidence to the point of arrogance
- Showing that you think playing that venue is beneath you
10 Things That Can Get An Act Fired On The Spot
- Getting drunk or high before or during the gig
- Hitting on the staff or management
- Verbally abusing anyone in the audience
- Getting into a fight
- Refusing to turn the volume down when the manager asks
- Not delivering what your promo materials promised
- Showing up with less or different players than you marketed to get the gig
- Lewd and lascivious behavior; offensive language or gestures
- Mouthing off to the staff or management
- Fighting amongst the band members themselves on stage
10 Things That Endear You To A Venue
- Bringing more of your fans to a gig than expected
- Asking the manager up front what they want and expect
- Delivering exactly what the venue expected
- Offering to help the staff in any way
- Playing overtime without bickering over money
- Showing up and returning from breaks on time
- Catering to the audience
- Having a genuinely pleasing personality; being easy to work with
- Being accommodating to staff, management or audience requests
- Knowing how to read and please the audience
10 Warning Signs That You Might Need To Take A Break Or Make A Move
- You haven’t learned or written any new songs in quite a while
- You don’t get excited about performing any more
- You have stopped rehearsing, either personally or as a group
- You feel like you’re just going through the motions
- You feel like you’re not being challenged
- You and the band members are getting on each other’s nerves
- You’ve stopped taking extra care of your instrument(s)
- You’re getting easily agitated
- You aren’t compelled to meet and shmooze with your fans
- You’re always tired
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