At the Gig

Ok, now you've got a date booked for that gig. You’ve promoted the gig by passing out flyers and posting them anywhere anyone would let you.  The club has even posted some on their walls and you’ve placed banners all over the web.  You might have even placed one on Music Cleveland’s MySpace. 

So now it’s gig time…Wahoo!  You have arrived at the venue and usually there will be someone there to give you some suggestions on how to set up; put the drums there, the sound board over there, angle the main sound in that direction, etc.  When they offer suggestions, listen to them. They are after all your employer for the evening.  They are there every night and usually tend to know what works best.  Sometimes you can let them know that you think when you have another point of view but be prepared to explain why.  They may have their reasons why they don’t want it that way or this way. Both parties should be able to work something out that has an amicable solution for both and accomplished in a civil manner.  They are doing a job just like you and have secured interest on the outcome of the evening.  It doesn’t and shouldn’t turn into an argument.  During set up if you are the one argueing; they will remember and take that into consideration when you want to book another gig with them.  Disagreeing with what they have to say, or turning every point into an argument isn’t going to give you any brownie points in your favor.

Now your setup and ready to rock.  Oops’ Hold on!  You still need to do a sound check.  (Did I mention you need a quality sound man to run sound all night?)  Most of the larger venues have “In House Sound” and someone to run it.  If not, you will need to hire someone to come out, set up and run sound for you.  Sound checks can make or break the whole deal.  Generally sound checks are done by starting out with the drum kit, then the bass (rhythm section), guitars and finally vocals.  Once the sound man has all the instruments set up for the room, a whole song should be played to get it roughed in.  The best musicians in the world could be playing but if the sound isn’t right before the venue starts to fill, the whole night is going to be a mess. And might I add, trying to run sound yourself from the stage isn’t going to cut it! Do yourself a favor; pay a little extra for a sound man. PLEASE!  Not only will it give off the impression of professionalism, you will sound great. Let it be said “THE BAND IS ONLY AS GOOD AS THE SOUND GUY AND VISE VERSA.”       

Now it’s show time!  The dance floor is full of people having fun dancing and drinking.  The DJ turns off the house music and gives you an introduction….Silence.  The band is looking at each other to see if everyone is ready.  Someone is still tuning their guitar, drummer is fumbling for the sticks, the vocalist is no where to be found.  You’ve just lost the crowd.  They are leaving the floor.  This is not the impression you want to give to your new fans.  Instead, when the DJ turns off the house music, there should be drum sticks clicking off a 1 2 3 count and right into the song.  Speaking of which, your first song should not be a mellow song.  The crowd is there to see you.  Some of them are already on the dance floor ready to rock and others want to get closer.  You want and NEED to keep them there.  Make your first song something that has a good rhythm.  For me, I need to hear the thump from the kick drum; I need to feel a good beat.  That will get me moving every time.   If you have a good beat for dancing, head-banging or whatever type of music you play to keep fans moving, the club owner will be very happy.  Why? The more people are moving around the more of a thirst they work up and the more they drink.  That means more money for the bar and possibly a tip at the end of the night for the band and possibly even a raise for future gigs.

Great, mission accomplished!  You now have kept the people on the floor for the first song.  Time for the next song.  DEADSPACE!  I hate deadspace.  What I mean by that is when a song ends; you should start right into the next song.  Don’t leave the room with only the sound of monitors humming.  If you can’t start into the next song right away because of a guitar change, or things need to be tuned, interact with the crowd.  Tell them how much fun you are having, or thank them for coming out, tell stories.  Anything to keep the crowd distracted from the guitarist who is tuning or the drummer who is on the floor looking for another drum stick because he broke the one he had.  Most of the time this is done by the lead vocalist, but the burden doesn’t always need to fall on them.  Anyone can tell a story, made up or not.  It can come from the guitar player, bass player or even the drummer sitting behind everything.  Sometimes, depending on the musician, they would also like to be in the spotlight.  Speaking of which, another thing to consider is lighting.  It is another must for the stage.  A few moving (not flashing) gels to cover the stage and some white lights to flood the front will work on a tight budget.  The band needs to be in a spot light, literally!  Most musician love the attention, but more importantly the crowd needs to be able to see what’s going on.  If the crowd can’t see you, then they will treat you like you’re a jukebox.  If you interact with the crowd they will return the interaction right back.  You hear it all the time from bands that had a really good night.  “We were feeling the crowd.”  Well it can go both ways.  The crowd will get its energy from the band.  If the band doesn’t care, the crowd won’t either.

Alright! Awesome night! Now it’s time to tear down. Tearing down is another thing that will need to be done.  Be careful to not destroy the place.   Don’t go smashing your fist through the walls or throwing drinks all over the place.  Don’t leave a huge mess behind to be cleaned up. The owners were good enough to employ you and have you play there, if you destroy the place, it’s safe to say they probably won’t have you back.  That is, if you left anything to come back to.

It is also a bands job to ensure the success of the club. Think about it!
Play Your Best, Sound Good, Look Good, Interact with the Crowd, Market Yourself, Advertise the Band, Be at the Top of Your Game!  Clubs are closing all the time, whose job is it to keep the clubs full of party goers when you are there to entertain?  You guessed it, take a look in the mirror and take a hard look at your band. What is it you need to do to improve which will give you right to call yourself a truly professional act!

In the end, ask yourself; what do we have to offer and why should this club hire us!  There’s much more to it than just being a good musician or the next Eddy VanHalen. Let’s not lose one more club because the band could not live up to their expectations!

What you haven't booked your first gig yet?  Check out this article on Hypebot to learn how the best way to get one.