Excelent video. I don't have an especifico advice but I think you should do a video about how to behave in a concert, like you do how to behave as a band, now as the audience It may seem pretty obvious but look at what happened with Evanesence a while ago that they born their instruments I think is a good idea
I'm sure there is going to be some butthurt, but this is solid advice a lot of younger guys really need to hear. I'm coming up on 40, been going to local shows since I was a teenager, played in bands ever since then and have just recently started running lights and sound since I own the gear to do it. Guys, us older dudes (usually) aren't just trying to be self-righteous know-it-alls, we've just learned stuff from experience and you can get ahead of the curve by learning from ours. Don't forget, the sound guy isn't a magician. Garbage in equals garbage out. I can't magically EQ and gate talent into your performance, and I can only do so much to make a horribly dialed in amp or poorly tuned drum set sound good. Final thought: respect your set times. When the promoter says 1 song left, you've got one song left. When the bar tells you we have a noise complaint and the cops are coming, STFU immediately, don't say "We're just going to do one more I promise" - Your FOH is getting muted and you're going to sound like shit, and if the promoter or bar gets a fine because of your stupid ass, you're not getting booked there again.
One of my personal rules : Introduce yourself to the sound guy and ask for his name. Call him by his name everytime you need his help and don't forget the "please". It has been my pre gig routine for years.
When I'm not playing, I run sound. Come and say whats up. Most of the night we're honestly kind of bored, but during changeovers, setup and teardown please let us do our thing.
I remember when the guitarist from Odium left his guitar at a venue in London. We picked his guitar because we were the last band to leave and we checked the stage before leaving. We didnt know whose it was at the time but Odium messaged us asking if we picked up a guitar. We said yes and the guitarist drove from Hangover to Windsor to grab it. Our bands became good friends after and played many shows together.
Even all these years later, it's still tragic to remember. A similar incident happened with the Romanian Metal band Goodbye To Gravity in 2015. That band seemed destined for something greater until a club fire at their CD release show. Only the singer survived from the band. So sad...
I saw Anthrax at The Station shortly before that happened. I was in pain from how loud the PA was (extreme; abnormally loud) and I couldn’t back away from the loudspeakers due to how packed it was. They must have continually exceeded the capacity of that fucking place. The soundproofing on the walls looked like a fire hazard. What a nightmare. Those poor souls.
@@KelticKabukiGirl You will never get out of this life alive, 'doc'. I'd tell ya a Kung Flu joke - you probably won't get it. Mostly old, fat, and infirm who are riddled with co-morbidities and who hyperventilate on the internet for exercise bought it. The rest of us studied in college and what forth. Shitty old entitled boomers and CEO bonuses for Pfizer were what it was all about from the start. Some of us saw that. The rest accused us of 'lunacy' and 'conspiracy theory'/ Oh, and fibrine-free sperm is the next bitcoin. You heard it here first.
Neither of my guitar players in my band have a 2nd guitar, and it drives me nuts. I'm always paranoid that they're going to break a string in the middle of a set and we're gonna be down a man.
@@mondragon9282 That's no good. Even if it's not as good (an Epiphone backup for a Gibson) it's so much faster than fixing a broken string. If a pickup dies or a jack plug gets damage when you step on your own lead then that's the show finished without a backup guitar. I won't even show up for practice without a backup bass.
Yeah man, I got a shitty but working 200€ Ibanez, I just put fresh strings on it and I'm good to go. Never needed it, but I'll still bring it every time.
I remember when my old band had our first gig, the bands that we "opened" for let us use their drum kit and we were so grateful that we helped haul everyone's gear after we were finished with our set. Ever since then, I try to help bands load and unload gear between sets at small gigs if they need a hand, regardless if I'm not playing.
I was doing the exact same thing, Often times my favorite bands thought I´m the Club Owner or gig organizer... nah I was just a fan. This type of behaviour once saved me one day.
Possibly a useful trick: use magic ink that shines with UV light to mark your gear. That is probably a lot less expected by kleptomaniac :) The end credits with the bloopers are the best. thanks for reintroducing them.
Don't know about the US. But in the UK you can buy special ink for that. It contains microscopic unique codes on teeny tiny discs. They use a light with a magnifier to light them up. You register them with the police so if any similar gear turns up they can quickly identify the proper owner.
@@robertdale2964 never heard of this interesting (possibly on UK and not in other EU countries?). I guess that would be nicer but in the lack of such an alternative, blue light might be a decent invisible trick
Totally right about simplifying, especially for singing. I’m the singer in my band and for every difficult lines I have alternative melodies that I came up with at practice if I can’t get a high. Guys like Robert Plant and Freddie Mercury did this all of the time. Great video.
I told my stories with Glenn and he shared it a few years back (thanks Glenn)...if your band arrived on time at the venue but the staff, promoters/event organizers, and sound crew were MEGA late, please do NOT work with them ever again (until there's new staff that have their shit together)! Also, as Glenn has stated...never EVER do "Pay to Play" gigs! It's better to organize your own shows than to rely on someone who's most likely gonna financially screw you over!
I remember breaking a string in the middle of a song and the other bands in the audience came up to the front to give me support for limping through the rest of it. It helped me not completely loose my shit!
@@erockromulan9329 once i broke a string and one of the other bands guitarists chucked me his spare guitar and even changed the string for me during our set, i swear to god the kindness of some people flaws me sometimes!
Reminds me of SRV's first time at Montreaux and most of the audience didn't like him. He was devastated but handled it with class, and a few years later he was asked back, this time as a major success.
Montreaux jazz snobs probably. Yep. I can't talk. I was one once, but left that attitude behind decades ago. But I always dug Blues and SRV was the real deal. He's proof that it pays to handle a bad audience with class. Just tough it out, and play the F outta your gig. You never know who is listening.
@@wilfig, you raise another good point. A lot of bands would play down to the energy level of such an audience, but not SRV. That was a monster set. It's available on video. You can see a handful of people dancing in the back of the room; at least some people recognized greatness.
Just finished SRVs bio...audience didn't like him, but David Bowie did. Lesson: there might be one record exec/big star in the audience looking for talent, so always play at the best of your ability.
Thank you Glenn! Your practicality and wisdom are indisputable. Every word a gem. Permit me to add something. About seven years ago, I was playing at a festival. The festival was traditional African music and African hip hop, held at the Apollo Theater in New York City. I was playing what can best be described as Sufi Jazz, and was the only white man in the place (how I got that gig is a long story). Each act was allotted three songs. I was on stage with my sitar (modified with electronics), and my laptop. The pressure was on. Sure enough, as my first song ended, my laptop froze! So, I had to think fast. I asked the audience if they liked John Coltrane. This got a positive reaction, and I improvised on Coltrane's jazz classic A Love Supreme. Then I told the audience I would play an Oldie - a 700 year old love song. The name of the piece translates as Two Lovers in the Garden of Dreams, by Amir Khusro (d. 1325 c.e). The audience enjoyed the song and was fascinated by the novelty. I was saved! But the story doesn't end there! The following act was a Nigerian hip hop group who had asked me to play guitar with them. Mind you, I was taking a risk. I didn't know their music. But years of jazz and Indian raga training gave me a good ear and good improvisational skills. So, I was in the back while these young guys were doing their hip hop; I listened to the DJ, figured out what key he was in, and added jazz chords and embellishments. BUT,,,, toward the end of the last song, each member was taking turns going to the front of the stage and dancing. I was praying "Pleeeeze don't make me dance!" They were all young athletic Africans who had some serious moves, dancing in front of an Audience of Africans and African Americans. My middle aged white ass would have looked ridiculous dancing in front of them. Sure enough, they saved me for last. The frontman came to me, and started dragging me center stage. I had to think fast! I reached down to my amp, cranked up the distortion as hard as it would go, and started doing my Jimi Hendrix routine; playing with my teeth, behind my back, feedback and whammy bar stuff, etc. I saved my ass from terrible embarrassment, and the audience loved it. This is a true story. Definitely a 9.2 on the Weird-Gig-O-Meter! The lesson here is, if something goes wrong on stage, deal with it or work around it, and NEVER let the audience see you sweat.
Some stupid stuff from experience: When doing a soundcheck and you get asked to play or sing, DO NOT stop until you are told to stop, your engineer can't mix silence. Also, drummers, hit your drums like you would during a performance, the engineer is going to flip if you start the show and the entire kit is clipping. Same goes for vocalists. Also, stop crying if you can't hear yourself on the stage right off the bat. In most cases FOH is primary, your monitoring is secondary. Be patient, you'll get asked what you need. If you're playing a festival, ABSOLUTELY downsize your rigs. Most festivals do not give you a proper sound check, but a line check. If your setup time is 15 minutes, you want most of that time left to set your levels and monitoring. You WILL NOT leave a great impression on anyone if you push the timetable back and you will risk having your show cut short.
As a former live sound engineer I fully endorse this message. Base your gear on what you can take on stage in the shortest possible time and what will work 100% of the time. Not on trying to recreate Yngwie Malmsteen's live rig. He's the main act, he can get away with it. When people pay top money to see you, then you will too. Until then get your shit on and off stage ASAP. And learn to work with the soundengineer, not against him. If he's an asshole its because he's had to endure too much bands like yours. The soundengineer wants to help you, even the asshole ones. If you make his life hard, he will make your performance hard. And for god sakes, when soundchecking put your bass player on a chain near his amp. The times when they had to pull his ass from outside having a smoke when it was his turn to soundcheck, that alone is why I would want a Rule No. 2 t-shirt. It's like they think soundchecking is an activity that doesn't involve them in any way.
Musicans love playing when not supposed to, and be silent when supposed to. Musicians will be the biggest mystery for the aliens to figure out when they capture us for scientific investigations...
Definately this! I'm lucky in that I have only ever used multi effects (most recently Helix) so I can literally put the unit on the stage, plug in the engineers XLR and go - and you really need to get to that level of simplicity. The engineer doesn't care about your rig or your attitude, and festival engineers care even less. I remember one festival where it was literally 'twang' - "ok, you're good".... Next guitarist 'twang' - "ok, you're good." And off we went! (Luckily no drummer, we are a Goth band with a backing track)
Now, I have never played live but I feel that most people running music venues and people in audio/video are in it because they actually like music and art. If it's your first gig it makes sense to ask them about stuff beforehand and they would most likely help out by guiding. It isn't "band vs venue vs staff vs audience" you are all in it together and all want it to be as good as it can be.
nope,venue owners are interested in money and how many "bodies" you can pull in .they arent there to advise you and they will not other than telling you to turn it down.
Be good to the sound guy. #1. He's in charge of your sound. Don't piss him off! #2. If he likes working with your band and has any sway over what bands get to play at that venue, you might be invited back more often.
Some great advice here especially the stuff on fire safety. I have heard from experts on the subject that one problem with fire escapes is that people tend to try to get out of a building the way they came in. The expert advice is to check where the exits are and if you have to evacuate and it is safe to do so head for the ones away from the entrance. If it is safe, emphasising only if it is safe, maybe direct others to follow you. CRITICALLY, make sure whichever exit you aim for has a door that opens outwards and actually opens. It is a safety regulation violation to have a fire door opening inward but that does not mean that they will all be code compliant. Hopefully no viewers will ever have to rely on this but you never know.
Hey man, I didn't expect you to touch on staying calm in an emergency. I am a firefighter/paramedic and I got goosebumps when you brought up the Great White fire. I remember seeing it on the news in 2003 and it (along with several other fire related tragedies) were assignments we had to write papers on in fire school. Thank you for bringing this up. It's something I think about at shows often and it seems unless someone works in public safety those types of things aren't really thought about. Medical emergencies are another thing. A guy got dropped on his head at a show. It cracked right the fuck open and the dude looked pretty bad. Everyone and their mom crowded around to see. Meanwhile myself and another paramedic were being pushed away by cellphone videographers. We weren't able to render aid, not that there was much we could do... I tried explaining that my friend and I were paramedics and wanted to help and a guy tried fighting us and told us he was an EMT (a lower certification). The belligerent EMT also stunk like alcohol and was clearly heavily intoxicated. Eventually the injured dude was pulled out of the crowd and presumably delivered to a medic crew. Keeping a calm head in a crowded room is certainly good advice and I thank you for bringing it up and paying tribute to those who needlessly died at a concert.
I couldn't agree more. I saw All American Rejects open for A Day To Remember And Blink 182, and they Insulted people for sitting down. Not just insulting the audience, but like a crowd of 2-3 people. It was very awkward for everyone and ruined the vibe.
I would add one more for when you are starting out... # Show some interest in the other bands. When you first start out, there is nothing worse than the whole 'crowd' and the other bands standing at the back of the venue (basically saying "Nope. We didn't come here to support you so wish to ensure we have as much distance from you as possible."). We've all been at the level when even selling a few tickets is hard. If you're playing in one of the other bands, STAND NEAR THE FRONT TO SHOW SUPPORT TO THE OTHER BANDS!!! It's so damn simple but encourages the crowd to step forward, supports the other bands and they normally return the favour (so you get a better vibe for your set). Even if you hate their music, you literally have to put up with it for a short period of time and in exchange your set may have a way better atmosphere and you are more likely to make contacts and get more gigs... seriously - can speak to this from experience.
@@SOHCGT96 I once played a gig where a band brought a whole coach of fans with them to a small venue. We thought "great, this gig should be buzzing!". They ALL (band included) went to the bar in a completely separate venue next door for every other bands set apart from their own. Needless to say, their reputation was dirt after that night - disrespected the venue, other bands and the organisers. Ridiculous selfishness from a band who (surprise surprise) were never heard from again.
These even apply for my bluegrass band and we mostly (pre covid) play nursing homes, pretty much do all these and we always play for free - we have day jobs, just want to share some music with those that can't get out. One of the best reactions was a standing ovation from a lady that had to struggle out of her wheel chair to get up when we played what turned out to be her favorite song.
And just to throw in some extras.. 1: Don't roll cables on stage. deal with that shit after the show. putting them in a backpack on stage is one of the worst looks. 2: Get those cabs off stage ASAP. You would have sounded better direct anyway. 3: Get your fat girlfriends out of side stage. they will always be in the way of everything at all times. 4: Your dream gig is what pros call Tuesday and that means this show is not your night to party. do that on a local only gig. Be quick, be professional, and be out of the way and all will go smoothly. The rest of the band and crew are on the clock and just want things to go smoothly. 5: NO OPEN BEVERAGES ON STAGE. EVER. Nothing makes us resent a band then them spilling beer over your drum rug you let them use to save time on change over. 6: Don't take your cymbals off the stands on stage. 7: Don't wear your street clothes on stage. unless you want to look like every forgettable local band. Stand out, make your show a spectacle. 8: Don't roll over the backline cables. 9: Don't speak unless spoken to. which granted, will happen and there will be time to casually network. But not when people are actively working. 10: Don't drink all the water. that's for touring acts to stow for later. 11: Don't overuse profanities on stage. It's a crutch and it looks tacky if overused. 12: Be at the merch table for every change over to meet your fans and engage with them! Just to name a few off the top of my head!
@@sqlb3rn Depends on your gig and your gear. Fighting a Floyd Rose trying to break in a new string on the fly isn't fun, but if you have a Les Paul or something with an Evertune, go for it.
I'm with you. I ALWAYS bring a backup instrument. I broke a Bass string on an outdoor show, a couple years back. Luckily, I played rest of the song on the E(broke the A) and switched basses, next song. Way easier than trying to restring.
Wow Glenn, the fire incident that you mentioned is almost identical to what happened a few years ago in the Colectiv club in Bucharest, Romania. 67 people died, among them some that I knew, some other friends got severe burns, injuries and lasting psychological trauma. The outrage was so huge, it triggered enormous protests because of the blatant corruption that was the primary cause of the fire that a few days later the prime minister and the whole government resigned. The spooky thing is that at the time I used to be a music teacher in high school and just two weeks before this happened I told my students: If you go to a concert or a show or any kind of event that happens in a crowded place, do yourselves a favor and locate the exits before the show begins. I had some statistics about similar fires from the previous years from all around the world.
In Uganda we have a band called Afrigo. Those guys keep time like its running out of fashion. They show up almost an hour before the gif and when it clocks the time to start - as agreed in the contract - they'll start the show even if the venue is mostly empty seats or the bride hasn't finished changing.
1)Bring duct tape. 2)Test your gear BEFORE the show. 3)Know how to set up your gear BEFORE the show. 4) Find out wear you can park your car BEFORE the show. 5)Bring duct tape.
With every band i've been we rehearsed until it was faultless. Sure, mistakes do happen but they are in the order of "one wrong note once" or just "damned, empty strings weren't muted well enough in my solo on two places"... You do not try to get gigs until you are at that point: each member of the band has practiced their parts until they have NO problems with any of them, none of them have no doubts if they can do it, and the band swings to the same rhythm effortlessly. You need to imagine that you have a slight fever and are 5 beers too deep, after a sleepless night and day of working, can you still do your parts flawless? If not, simplify them. On stage you will not hit the same 100% as in your bedroom alone. You can only do 80%. The nerves may hit you, you may have hurt your finger a bit, you may just be "off" that day... In the racing world, it would be called a "qualification banker lap" where you take no risks whatsoever just to get a time on the table. It is walking or jogging, not parkour. Making an omelette and not eggs poached. That means your fucking omelette better be fucking good, and that is where song writing and tireless practice comes in. Your 80% has to be better than most guys 100%. I try to hit 50%, as in, i can do much harder stuff but i know what i can do on stage, fear of failure drops that down. The upside is that no matter how nervous i get, i know i can still play my parts, which instantly drops the nervousness and brings up the enjoyment... And i do like to move a lot, express my emotions on stage... The more of a "show" you want to do, the easier parts you have to compose..
Singer here. Classical, even. Yips happen. That Purcell glissando is never going to sound as good as it does in practice. That doesn’t mean don’t strive to close the gap but it’s something you just gotta learn to roll with.
Great comment. I guess performing simple things in an extraordinary and emotional way is what differentiates every wannabe musician from world-class acts.
This is extremely good advice; great post! I think you could even go further and practice improvising by simulating common problems. For example, practicing your songs on guitar or bass with a string taped down to simulate a broken string, learning both lead and rhythm parts for guitar in case you lose a guitar player last minute, maybe even learn the lead vocal parts too in case your singer can't be there etc. I'm actually going to take this advice seriously once I'm playing again post-covid.
What did people do before there were any Glenn Frickers? A note on fires: If you own a home and store your shit there, include your gear on your insurance declarations. If you rent, GET RENTERS INSURANCE. Don't be caught out when you find out that the landlord's insurance policy only covers the building and fixtures and not your stuff. If you have a mortgage, you have homeowner's insurance. Renter's insurance is cheap -- maybe $100 a year at most, and it will save your ass if something goes wrong. Like if your shit gets stolen (obvious) or your amp gives someone a shock and puts them in the hospital (not so obvious -- the policy will have general liability coverage along with covering your possessions). Get receipts whenever you can, for anything that costs more than $100. New Les Paul Modern? New pro-grade amp? Definitely get a receipt. If you don't have one, see if the place you bought it from will give you a copy. A Les Paul looks like a Les Paul. Les Pauls go for $900, depending on where you look them up. Don't assume the adjuster knows the difference. So GET RECEIPTS and add them to your declarations. (And when you do get homeowner's or renter's insurance, ask about the cost of umbrella liability insurance. You only have the state minimums on your car -- that gets eaten up by a broken toe and a 5mph bump. Umbrella liability can give you $500K to a million in liability for dirt cheap.) No, I'm not an insurance salesman. I'm a lawyer. I've explained to people why their landlord isn't going to pay for their heirlooms because the fire was the landlord's fault.
Take pictures front and back, w/serials. Add up new replacement cost and buy riders if you need to. A lot of home policies only cover music gear from the point of view of a hobbyist. If you’ve got three or four guitars, a computer or two, a keyboard or midi, pedals/multi, and few amps it adds up so fast. And usually way more than your base coverage.
I always help other bands when I can….. my old band was playing with a bunch of other bands for a new label showcase…. The band before us was on stage… the guitar player/singer broke a string into a song….. he was the only guitarist…..That was his only guitar……I tuned up my guitar (we tuned a half step down)…. Went up stage after they ended the song, handed him my guitar. Took his guitar and replaced the string, stretched the string as much as possible, tuned the guitar and then handed his guitar back to him within two of their songs…… he was shocked and thanked me a whole bunch…. Always have a second guitar even if you need to borrow one….
Ah those were the days, I get on stage and set up, sound checking in 5 minutes, the other drummers would waste 25-30 minutes just setting up. EWWWWWWWWW That guitar looked like someone wiped their ass on the fingerboard every day for 20 years. I have only ever played to 2 or 3 packed houses, mostly bar tenders, waitresses and the bar regulars. Along with the other bands and their parent's and girlfriends! In the 90's a band stole my distortion pedal, the DF-2 by Boss.
Two things: Never, under any circumstances, let another guitar player play your head, just no. Ever since my band lost two mic stands in 2012, we always had a checklist of the gear we brought and always went with that. Never lost anything afterwards.
It used to annoy the shit out of me when people wouldn't let me play through their head, got my own and Made the point of letting others use it, only for them to change every setting after watching me fine tune it all during sound check!
Meh..if they're respectful enough and have a legitimate reason as to why they need to use my head then so be it, I've done it before. Just take a picture of your settings so when he's done you can set it back to how you had it.
I've made people laugh by yelling at my guitarist on stage to "unmute while you tune. The poor crowd doesn't get to hear the dulcet tones of a single note over and over again." Because it turns out, people hate that. And everyone has been to shows where they do that. Oof.
Well said. Thank god for modern pedal tuners that have killswitch functions built in to them so that you can tune your guitar on stage and nobody has to hear it at the same time. I really appreciate my TC Polytune for this exact reason.
The share your gear bit is a great one to keep in mind BUT, for the fuckin' love of Odin, DO NOT borrow gear without even asking.... At a recent gig, we were the first band up and fully intended to stay to check out the rest of the bands. I kept all my stuff in the green room since we were hanging out. By the time the last band is a few songs deep, we were ready to go. Except I coulidn't leave because the last band decided to just grab most of gear for their set. I had to wait until they were done so I could load up my shit and leave. I wouldn't have care if they had just asked to use it but I initially had no idea where the Hell it was.
I always bring one more instrument cable than I need for my setup, as there have been countless occasions of guitar players missing a cable or bringing a faulty one. I remember a gig about 10 years ago. The venue manager told us that a duo of two local country singers were to play there a couple of weekends earlier. They got so wasted before the show that the manager booted them out before entering the stage. Don't be like those two guys :-)
Oh god yes, 1st live performance in my own band while I was at school and my cable was dodgy and was cutting out loads.. course, couldn't actually afford a new cable at the time, I was a kid!!
I haven't watched the video yet, but I'm wondering how much of this could be translated to "Don't be an asshole"?. I will observe and find out. Morning Glenn.
Awesome video Glenn. Most of them are obvious to half decent humans. The last one is so important. The fear of missing out is so hard to overcome but no gig is worth a life. Go and see bands like Pearl Jam, The Who and others that have had fans die at a gig. It doesn't go away for those that survive.
I was at a "Monsters of Rock Festival" show in the 80's in the UK where a couple of people got crushed to death. I still remember the announcement made at the end of the show vividly, even decades later. And it still upsets me. As you say man, it never leaves you.
@@davecardboard9567 thanks for sharing man. Can't even begin to think how traumatic an experience like that would have been. Deaths at gigs suck for everyone concerned. Shows that it is even more important to talk about it.
I'm convinced some bands don't record themselves playing live. They probably listen to their girlfriends when they say, "You're the best sounding band ever!" and think everyone will agree. They won't. She's lying so you will tell her how pretty she is. I've been in band practice and thought we sounded great ... then we listened to the recording. Nope, not great. In fact really really bad. But then we knew what we needed to fix.
Very important advice. We always record ourselves at every rehearsal (and every gig if possible). No, it doesn´t always sound the way we would have liked to, but it´s the only way you can improve your performance. And you don´t even need a seperate recording device nowadays, any cell phone will do.
perfect advice....i followed this advice and when we went into the studio we cut a 13 song album in 1 day,when we played live we were applauded(in one band anyway)
@@trillrifaxegrindor4411 I’ve recorded five albums for a band that also did this. It’s great, they’re one of the few bands I’ve worked with that are good enough to record to tape.
My drummer has this other bands called Uncle Dan. They are opening for Andrew WK at The Theater of Living Arts in Philly. First nugget I gave him was to simplify all the songs and just bring the energy. No one has heard the songs so they won't know they are playing it different than the recording.
LOL I love the Dayglo Abortions!! I've seen them a lot in Alberta. Being reckless and breaking other people's shit that they spent their hard earned money on is a total dick move though. I have heard a few stories of them being straight up assholes to other bands, audience members and promoters. But if you listen to the lyrics, on their first album especially. It wouldn't surprise you one bit that they act like that.
If this whole channel would be one video the title should be "How to scream for years without trashing your voice". Amazing tips though! Cheers from hellish sunny Greece!
The Beth Hart rule is to perform no more than once every other day and don't talk on the days off. Keep hydrated and not with booze. Always use a vocal coach who knows what they are doing. She is nearly 50 and still can be louder than any other singer out there. Ann Wilson is in her 60s and can out perform a 30 year old Robert Plant.
May i also add, record a video of your band. It doesn't have to be good quality. You just have to see everyone and be able to hear the instruments well(ish). Watch this video over and over to get a good idea of what you did wrong but also what you did right. This really helps you improve and put on a better show
I ALWAYS record at least the audio with just a Zoom handy recorder from practices when doing full set run-throughs. I've also been fortunate enough to have only played with people that know how to set egos aside and know how to take (and give) constructive criticism when listening to it back.
Also the key that the song is in which can change because of the vocal performance and give a note if the guitarist has to grab a guitar with a different tuning.
Glen, much respect bro. Showing the photos of those who lost their lives at the Great White venue was a very decent gesture. I love watching your videos, this is almost like taking singing classes with david lee roth. Thanks for your content!
Great tips. Got a good laugh at most of them. Though I appreciate the seriousness of the last tip. It should almost be standard procedure before a note is played that someone points out the exits. And you’re right about not grabbing gear in case of emergency. Every piece I own can be replaced, but it won’t matter if I’m burned alived
Glenn: Don't be Like Manson Also Glenn: The Anti Vaxxers are Finally Dying Off ......You don't sound much better (and this is coming from someone who is not only vaxxed, but is a Hospital worker as well).
Seriously a tragedy no one should have to endure. Thanks for the memoriam of the people lost in that fire. It really hits different seeing that on the show.
Need to add “GTFO off the stage ASAP!” to the list! Tearing down and leaving quick is just as important as setting up quick, especially when there are more bands that need to play and especially when your band sucks anyway! Can’t tell you many times we had to cut sets short because the guys before us dicked around too long trying to pull their fear off stage.
Not sure if it's good advice or not. But playing outdoor gigs at parks and such.. I ran tech for a good friend of mine and had to eventually block off the area directly behind the band because people seemed to have a preoccupation with walking right through the area you're trying to work in! Turned into an exercise in keeping all the equipment safe from intrusive wanderers!
Really grounding towards the end. Most things seem common sense but that last point is the most common sense thing that no one I know of have thought about on stage. That felt like a big "oh fuck" when you brought up potential evaluation. It's easy to forget that the stage and venue is a workplace and has procedures that should be followed by anyone working there. Great video, something that will stick with me in the future
"don't insult the audience" ...ummm, isn't this the guy that calls bass players 'useless cunts', singers 'dumb asses', guitar players 'primadonnas', and called most of the bands he's worked with 'aweful'?
We actually had our final rehearsal for our first show in a year just yesterday. We actually moved out of our usual rehearsal space and set up camp somewhere else to force everyone to bring the stuff they'll use live and brought our own PA/Mixer so everyone knew again where their input in the stagebox etc is. Since we're a 12 piece we also invited our usual soundguy to create a preset with all the IEMs and checking input levels, because doing a shitty soundcheck with 12 people takes hours and is less fun than spending a recording session with an unprepared bassist.
That's a great idea: If you've never done it before, it'd also be worth practising your load in and load out. Esp. if you are getting any "friends" along to help out as roadies who aren't used to handling your gear. And check that you can get everything you need into whatever vehicles you are going to use to transport it to/from the venue. The time to find out you cannot get that enormous kick, all the floor toms and your girlfriend into your mom's Honda Civic is not two hours before show time.
@@davecardboard9567 I was part of a circle of local/regional bands in the Carolinas a couple of decades back, and we had done just that, with the members of the bands taking turns pulling roadie duty for each other. It made things considerably easier.
Oh wow STILL remembering that grief with the Dayglo's after all those years ? OK.. FWIW they ditched THAT guitarist - but I'm not sure how overjoyed you'll feel to know they're still going !?
To add to Glen’s last point, remember you have the microphone, you have a responsibility to keep the crowd in order. Do not incite the crowd to “break stuff” ala duurrrrrst
Mistake #14 - Don't 'Die Suddenly'. It might be cool for a Spinal Tap drummer or those in the queue for their 12th Booster, but really puts an end to any more shows.
Tbh we did most of this in the band I was in we also had an "Idiot Test" taped to the inside of the back door of the van!, basically a list of equipment & layout of how stuff went into the van 😆.
I don't know if anyone is going to read this, but I want to add a few things. I'm very much a bedroom guitarist, I've never been on stage, so I'm saying this mostly as a music fan who likes to go to a concert from time to time. First and foremost, unless you're Manowar or Iron Maiden, or Judas Priest, or Metallica, or any other band of their caliber, just do not use pyrotechnics - especially if you're playing in a small venue. If Accept don't need pyro, neither do you. Honestly, the only times I heard of some small band using pyrotechnics during a show were when the fire caused people to die in the venue. It's just not worth the risk. Second, unless you're Joey DeMaio from Manowar, do not hit on random girls in the audience while you're on stage. Seriously, no one likes this - and I've seen old geezers playing guitar at local blues rock festivals do this often enough to notice it. Third, read the room, so to speak. A few years ago I attended a local rock festival. Many kids were there. IIRC, one of the first bands was literally kicked off the stage during their third song. I think they started with Motorhead's "The Ace of Spades" and then Slayer's "South of Heaven," but then they performed an original. In Bulgarian. (I live in Bulgaria.) Filled with cuss words. Of course, the organizers didn't let that fly. The fest was supposed to be at least somewhat family friendly, so the band's sound was cut off after the first verse and the musicians (they were horrible, by the way) were told to leave immediately. And while we're at it - there is a difference between delivering a good show and acting like you're the headliner of the Wacken Open Air festival when you're the first band at a small fest in the park. Seriously, save the "I can't hear you" and the "Scream for me" for when the crowd is there specifically for you.
When it comes to insulting the audience like Manson, yes it's a bad idea. Unless you're Gwar. They found a loophole and insult the audience all the time and get away with it.
Gig yesterday: acoustic guitarist snapped a string in sound check. We had backup acoustic in the venue that hadn't been used in a long time. Plugged in and tried it out. Battery is almost dead. I had a backup battery, guitarist put it in. No signal. Take out battery, it's hot, plastic has melted and guitar is smoking. Moral of the story: have your own damn backup stuff, at the very least a set of strings, or you might almost burn down the building. I'm a bassist and even I understand that
Correction, don't be modern Marilyn Manson. Obviously minus the abuse stuff, the guy completely lost his touch on performing live. He makes a good entrance, and that's about it. He shows up to his shows either completely wasted, or high, making his vocal performances sound garbage, he cancels shows because he's "sick", or gets angry with the audience. Be more like Marilyn Manson before 2007. He had a certain fire in him, went out of his way to be entertaining, at least sounded semi-sober, and the few times he would insult someone were when a specific individual was disrespecting him.
Btw just another little advice! If the soundguy(FOH/Monitor) is miking up your drumset or guitar or whatever. DON'T hit you snaredrum, powerchord or any noise at all while he/she is close to your gear. I've had me ears shot more than once when miking a bass drum and the drummer just couldn't resist hitting the snare🤬 I'm sure I'd be exonirated from murder once I get a judge experiencing that horrible situation!
It is so wise to not get intoxicated, how do you think you actually play if you are all numb?? You think yourself as a new Vai, but you barely can play a D chord,and one more, bring a backup amp, tubes and wires have not honor word, if they can fail, they will!
I don't play live anymore but when I did we used to record our performances and analyze them later. And the best perfomances I've seen were from bands with an empty venue and rocked the shit out of their show anyway.
i remember going to a concert once - was a student and the show was supposed to start at 7 pm. Band was less known and very few people at the venue. 8.30 or so - apparently they are still waiting for their buddies, as the guy at the entrance told me. I finished my beer and went home. Screw those guys.
Way to shove your political opinions in there bud. Just lost my subscription. I hope you grow up and stop wishing death on people that disagree with you. And you violated your own rules btw. Insulting your audience for their views. Congrats
