It’s the engineer’s job to reinforce the sound on the stage so that everyone in the venue can hear it. Remember, the “sound guy’s” job is technically called live sound reinforcement. You’ll still be able to hear it on stage, but it won’t be quite so overpowering. If for some reason you’re one of those guitar players who believe it’s impossible to get a proper tone without cranking your amp up to 11, at least do everyone a favor and point the amp away from the audience. It may not be what you want to hear, but loud guitar amps are going to make your show sound worse, not better. Bring a few hard copies, just in case.Īfter getting set up, make sure you keep your amps at a reasonable volume. Introduce yourself to the venue staff and make sure they have your input list and stage plot. On the day of the gig, make sure you arrive early with plenty of time to set up. With guitar strings, try not to change them the day of the gig, otherwise, you’ll be stuck tuning all night. In the same spirit, be sure to apply fresh guitar strings, drum heads, and wireless batteries before the show. Sure, a noisy guitar amp isn’t the end of the world, but what if your keyboard doesn’t work and you can’t do that one song that the guy from Sony really likes. The more the production staff knows about your show ahead of time, the more prepared they’ll be, which leaves you with more time for soundcheck and dealing with unexpected problems.Ī few days before the show, make sure all of your gear is in proper working order. The input list is a list of every mic and/or line you’ll need for the show and the stage plot is an image of how you plan to set up on stage. Show PrepĪ good live show doesn’t happen by accident: it takes planning, communication and preparation.Īfter booking the gig, you should put together an input list and a stage plot to send to the production staff at the venue. You should always leave room to react to your audience and live in the moment, but that’s no excuse to show up to a gig unprepared. You don’t need every second of the night planned out. Knowing what you’re going to say and when you’re going to say it, is just as important as nailing the big finale. You need to practice the intros, the talk sets, the drum solo - everything.
It’s not enough to just rehearse the songs, though. Sure, live shows are about “experiencing the moment”, but some of us have to work in the morning. No one wants to sit through 6 minutes of Mustang Sally. Just remember to take it easy with the extended intros, bridges and solos. Don’t muck it up with fancy guitar licks or vocal runs. Maybe it’s a particularly good drum groove or bass riff, either way, let it have its moment.
It doesn’t have to be a solo, but different instruments should be the focus at different times. Part of making cool moments is letting different instruments take the lead. Simple things like extending an intro to fit a talk set or doubling the bridge so you can teach the crowd to sing along go a long way in improving crowd interaction.
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Feel free to experiment and find cool moments in each song that work well live. There’s no rule that says you have to play your songs exactly as they are on your record. You need to get the band together and practice your whole set in the same room. It doesn’t count if you play the song by yourself in your bedroom. It may seem obvious, but the first thing you need to do is to practice - a lot. Some of them are skills that take years to develop and some are as simple as buying the sound engineer a coffee. There are a lot of little things you can do to improve your live show. Hey, no one ever said being a rock star would be easy. There are countless hours of practice and preparation. A good live show starts long before the night of the gig.
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