How to know if you're ready for the stage ?

[RacerX]

Re: How to know if you\'re ready for the stage ?

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For god's sake, won't somebody think of the children?

So until you can play a note perfect concert, just like seasoned pros like Keef Richards & Neil Young, fuggedaboutit! [img]/images/graemlins/wink.gif[/img]

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[img]/images/graemlins/laugh.gif[/img] [img]/images/graemlins/laugh.gif[/img] [img]/images/graemlins/laugh.gif[/img] [img]/images/graemlins/laugh.gif[/img] [img]/images/graemlins/laugh.gif[/img]

[Axiom]

Re: How to know if you\'re ready for the stage ?

Hey I'm back from the gig !
Adrenaline still rushing ... can't find any sleep.
I have a very weird feeling.
I don't clearly remember being on stage (despite being sober!). I have a few flashes here and there ... but nothing too concrete ... nothing except the feeling of failure.
I will be haunted by the dozens of fuck-ups I made.
It is so disappointing ... I mean, after rehearsing for almost 2 years, I had plenty of time to fantasize on every solo: I knew exactly how I wanted to deliver them. I had lived the moment in my head so many times before going on stage. And now ... I screwed almost all of them !!
I think I kept smiling most of the time though.
That's how I lived it. I'm just sad because I know that I could have done so much better ...

People in the audience seem to have lived it quite differently though. Actually I believe some of them quite liked it. Hearing our band's name being screamed outloud between the songs is really something. I mean ... we almost got an encore even though we played 10 minutes more than what we were allowed !

I'm happy I did it. It just went the way it went.
Next time will be better cause I won't be scared ...

Ax [img]/images/graemlins/headbang.gif[/img]

[Ace]

Re: How to know if you\'re ready for the stage ?

The first show is always the hardest. After about 10 you just sort of go into autopilot.

[stephenslr]

First of all, why did it take you so long to get in a band?

Get out there asap if you want to improve your playing.

You won't be playing stadiums on your first show so don't worry.

My guess is you will be the support band's support band and you will only have a few people in the audience anyway so don't stress over it.

Sure, wear your guitar higher and stand still until you get used to it then let loose when you become more comfortable with the situation.

You have to start somewhere so don't let it worry you, everyone makes mistakes and nobody but the posers with their arms folded at the back will notice and they aren't the ones you want back at your shows anyway.

s

[Fragle]

"You won't be playing stadiums on your first show so don't worry."
on my first show i played in front of 1k people...not exactly a stadium, but larger than our average gig

[Endrik]

"You won't be playing stadiums on your first show so don't worry."
on my first show i played in front of 1k people...not exactly a stadium, but larger than our average gig

my first gig was in a open-air festival in a summer, a lot of people were there, most of them were old professional musicians who can hear every friggin' mistake
I just went there and owned the place, they all said how fucking good I was
the second gig was in another festival, 6 thousand people were there, I was even better then, I was the GOD, every chick wanted me, damn how good it was to get laid after the show

And my playing wasn't anything near perfect, I just act like a rock-star with a huge ego

[Fragle]

it's a cool feeling, isn't it
last summer i also played two of germany's largest open air shows...both festivals had around 10k visitors, although most of the time there only were around 2-6k in front of the stage. when we played, i *guess* there were around 1500 on the first one and 2000 on the second one.
but ya know what? i HATE the fact that i played those gigs....once you experienced something like that, the average club gig with like 200-500 people is just...boring i guess. of course it heavily depends on the crowd...there's nothing better than a good crowd, even if it's a small one. if i were to chose between playing a gig in front of 6k people who don't get into your music cause they're waiting for the headlining act and a small 100 people club gig that are TOTALLY into your stuff, i'd definitely go for the club gig.
however, chances are you'll get more puss when playing a large gig

[Endrik]

I fuckin' hate small gigs, I don't never want to play in bars.
I was born to play on the stadiums. The bigger the crowd, the better I play and the better my stage show is.
If I play in a small bar and there's maximum 100 people, then I feel like I'm going to die. I'm very sad and bitter then. I just want to finish the set as fast as possible and get the fuck outta there. Playing in front of small and boring crowd is the worst feeling ever.

[Axiom]

"First of all, why did it take you so long to get in a band?"
Cause that's not what I was looking for at the time ... I didn't want to join a band knowing that I wouldn't be able to give my full 100%. Now things have changed.

"If I play in a small bar and there's maximum 100 people, then I feel like I'm going to die."
I was told that there was 130 people in the audience.
Looks like a stretched figure to me ... I also felt like I was gonna die .... but out of shame, not out of boredom !

"And my playing wasn't anything near perfect, I just act like a rock-star with a huge ego"
I believe I've got quite a considerable ego myself and unfortunately, it's no acting. It makes me angry if my playing is not flawless because I foolishly believe that perfection is something that might not be out of my reach.
It's to the point that I feel uncomfortable whenever someone compliments my playing.
Here's my usual answer to positive feedback :
"I'm glad that you liked it but let's be honest, there's room for a lot of improvements and I'm no Petrucci" (or no Romeo or whoever it was I was trying to imitate)
or another favorite of mine :
"At your age, I guess I would also have been impressed by that ... but if you try hard enough, in a couple of years, you'll be better than me"

Anyway ... these are my own demons ...
We're now working on the second setlist. We want it to be even more mindblowing than the first one.
Still going to be a club gig though ...

Ax