Playing a gig is the time when all your hard rehearsal time and preparation pays off. For a musician, playing a gig is one of the most instantly satisfying experiences you can have. It is a chance for you to let people hear your music and it is common for people to pick up on new bands at gigs. With this in mind it is beneficial for both you and the audience for everything to run smoothly.
 

If you are relaxed and enjoying your performance this will be apparent to the audience and make it easier for them to enjoy it as well. Due to the nature of any gig, there is no way that you can predict all of the potential problems that might occur. What you can do is be as prepared as possible to minimise the risk of any problems occurring.

Preparation for your gig begins in your rehearsals, getting your songs ready for performance. Assuming that your songs are ready and that you have a gig in the coming few days, the following are a few ideas which, if followed, may help avoid any unnecessary stress in the run up to the gig:
 

Preparation

Rehearsal

Make sure that you leave yourself plenty of time for rehearsal before the gig. Try and have your set ready well in advance so that you are just running through the songs in your final rehearsals. You don’t want to be still writing a song the day before the gig. (This is a common occurrence and sometimes can’t be avoided). Once a song has finished being written it takes some time and numerous practices before the song becomes second nature to everyone in the band - you need time to just run through the songs for a while.
 

Another good idea is to write your set (the order that you will play your songs in at the gig) and go through it a couple of times at practice just to get a feel for things and decide if this is the best way the songs could be arranged together for performance.
 

Gear

When a number of bands are playing together it is common for them to share equipment for the gig so as to minimise the time it takes to change over between bands. If this will be the case at your gig find out from the organisers what equipment you will be required to provide and make sure that they know what equipment you will need. If possible try and get a contact for each band on the bill so that you can liase with each other and make sure that there will be enough gear there for everybody to use.

If you are providing anything then make sure that it is in working order before the day of the gig so you don’t turn up with any faulty equipment - this will affect all of the bands playing not just yours. Always have spare drumsticks, strings, batteries etc. handy so as you can replace things if they break or stop working. You don’t want you gig to be spoiled because you don’t have enough strings on your guitar!!!

Note: The band’s equipment is often referred to as back line. This term refers to equipment such as amps and drum kits and these are the items shared when bands share equipment at a gig. When sharing gear most bands’ guitarists/bassists will use their own guitars and effects pedals whilst drummers use their own snare, cymbals and bass drum pedal. These items are not commonly referred to as back-line.
 

Arrangements

It helps to find out as much as you can about the gig so that you can prepare as well as possible. When you are asked to play, find out from the organisers whether or not you are required to sell tickets. If this is the case, try and get them as soon as possible so as to give yourself sufficient time to sell them. Find out if you are required to put up any posters, hand out flyers or carry out any kind of promotion yourself in the run up to the gig. Make sure that you obtain the following details about the gig:

• Name and location of the venue
• Contact details for organisers and the venue
• Back-line requirements
• Contact details for other bands (if applicable)
• Date and time of the gig
• Sound check/Load in times
• Payment details

One or two days before the gig, give the organisers a call just to confirm all of the arrangements and make sure that everything is in order. Check on all of the above one more time so you have enough time to solve any problems that may have occurred. 

Having gone through all of the above you should now be ready for your gig. All the final checks have been made and you have all the gear you need. If you’ve sold tickets make sure you have collected the money and have it ready to give to the organisers. Come the day of the gig if you have prepared everything should run smoothly leaving you to enjoy the whole experience.
 

On the Day

Make sure that you leave yourself plenty of time to get to the venue. It is a good idea to leave a bit earlier just in case you are held up on the way. If you do get there before you need to then at least you will have plenty of time to relax and you won’t be rushing around getting ready. If there are sound-checks then they will take place in reverse order i.e. the band that is on last will be the first to sound-check. If you are last on then get your gear set up on the stage making sure you don’t get in the way of the sound crew.

Even if they are not ready to sound check it gets the setting up out of the way. If you are not on last you will be sound checking after another band. Hopefully most of the back line will be set up and all you need to do is set up your own instruments/pedals etc. and get going. There are two main objectives when sound checking. These are:

1. To make sure that the sound coming out of the PA towards the audience (front of house) is balanced and there are no problems with any of your gear and running it through the PA.
    
2. To make sure that the band are happy with the sound on stage. It is common to have a number of speakers facing the band so that they can hear each other. These speakers are called monitors.

The sound coming from the monitors can be different to that coming out of the front of house. With larger PA systems there is sometimes a monitor engineer whose job is to provide various mixes to each member of the band via their monitors. Depending on the equipment it is possible for each member of the band to hear a different mix from their own individual monitor. For example, a singer might want to hear more of his vocals than the drummer so the sound check provides the opportunity to make sure that everybody can hear what they need to. 

Remember to make best use of your sound check time by letting the engineer know if there are any problems with the sound onstage. Do not be afraid to speak to the engineer about anything that you are not happy with. That is their job!

Once sound checks are over clear the stage to let other bands have theirs. If you are first on you can leave your gear set up ready to go. It is a good idea now to write out your set list and make sure that each member of the band has a copy. With all of that done it’s a case of waiting until its time to go. If you are on after another band, give them time to pack up all of their stuff before going to get your stuff set up. Once the stage is clear get your gear on as quickly as possible and go through everything and make sure it is working (fx pedals etc.). Give your guitars one last tune and then wait until the sound crew are ready for you to come on...
 

The Gig!

Now is the time when it all comes together and you get to perform your songs. When it comes to stage performance there are no hard and fast rules on how to approach it. Performance is a creative thing in itself. You will soon find yourself doing what comes naturally to you. There are however a few clinical things which are worth bearing in mind when you are onstage:

• Try and avoid making noise between your songs. It is very frustrating when a drummer consistently plays unrelated beats between every song. If there is someone speaking to the audience give them the chance to do this and do not just play over the top of them. Your songs will have more impact on the audience if you avoid making excessive noise between songs.
   
• Take the time to make sure that you are in tune. If your guitar/bass goes out of tune take the time to retune it at the next opportunity - this is usually at the end of the song. It is best to use an electronic tuner to do this so that everybody is tuning to the same standard. This may take a bit of time but on the whole the audience will enjoy and understand the songs more if they are in tune.
   
• If a problem occurs during your set (tuning, broken string) then do not let it stress you out. Deal with the problem as quickly as possible and carry on. The audience understands that these things happen and will not be too bothered by it. The same applies if somebody makes a mistake during one of the songs.
   
• Just do your best to keep going and in a matter of seconds you will get back on track. Do not all turn and stare at the offender like you are about to hang him. Remember you know the songs far better than the audience and they are unlikely to notice the little mistakes that to you stick out like a sore thumb. Keep going and don’t let it affect the rest of the gig - even the best musicians make mistakes!

Remember that being on stage is about enjoying yourself and as long as you have a good time that is all that matters. If you appear to be having a good time then the audience are more likely to get involved and make the whole experience more enjoyable. If you do not enjoy the gig then don’t be put off. As with anything, sometimes you might have an off day and the next gig you play might be amazing so don’t worry about it. Put it down to experience!
 

All that is left now is the task of clearing up your gear and getting packed for going home. If there are any other bands on after you then you need to get your equipment off stage as quickly as you can so as to allow the other band time to get their stuff on.

If you are the last band on then you will be able to do things at a more leisurely pace. Before you leave for the night do one last check of the venue to make sure that you haven’t left anything behind.

The more gigs you do the easier the whole process becomes. Use these tips as a guide to get you started and as time goes on you will develop your own approach to things and will be aware of what is important and how to get the most out of it.

Once you have gained more experience try getting gigs out-with your local area to give you experience of playing to an audience that has never heard your music before. By the time you reach this stage you will have probably played a number of gigs in your local area and will be well equipped to take your show to a new audience and build on your fanbase.