Performing Like A Pro

A Two-Part Series

by Richard Reichner

Part 1

There are few experiences that compare with playing live music, connecting with the audience, and being paid for it! Here are a few tips for making your gig more successful.   

Give yourself enough time to show up -- and set up. For many performers, the time just before going on stage is stressful. Anticipate it, and do not add to it by running late.

In addition to big-ticket equipment, make sure you have all the necessary smaller items readily available. If you’re a guitarist, bring extra picks, strings, cords, capos, batteries, etc. Also bring a chromatic tuner. No one wants to hear you tuning between songs. (Nor do they want to hear your cell phone ring. Trust me.) Take your performance seriously.

Start – and finish – on time. Have your set lists ready. Know what you are going to play. Unless management says otherwise, start when you are supposed to, do not wait for people to show up. Similarly, finish on time. If the crowd is all worked up and wants more, check with management.  Keep in mind that the staff is probably ready to rap it up.

Know your audience…and the setting. If you are playing a restaurant/bar from, say, 7-11 P.M., you will no doubt be playing to families early on. Choose appropriate material; keep your volume low. As the night wears on and the clientele changes, you will have ample opportunity to rev things up…always with the managers consent. If you are playing a corporate gig or private party, leave the tip jar at home. Same thing with the Marshall stack if you’re playing at a coffee house or small restaurant/bar. Be mindful.

Take reasonable breaks between sets. In a three-hour plus gig, one fifteen-minute break per hour is standard.  Discuss this aspect with management prior to starting.

If you get a food and drink tab (which is often a component of your total payment), order your food 4-5 songs before the anticipated end of a set….and know when the kitchen closes. As for drink, until and unless you are invited back by management, stick with water or soft drinks. Stay away from alcohol. Nothing good comes of it. Just look at Keith Richards.

Richard 'Relentless' Reichner