06 Jul Six Steps for A Successful Live Show!
Whether it’s playing your first live show ever or are coming back into the live show scene after a year of virtual shows, performing in front of an audience can be nerve-racking. To ease into the transition from virtual shows to live shows, musicians should take steps to ensure a smooth performance leading up to the show. Having a rundown list to check off everything needed before a live show can help with performance jitters. Read along to learn about the steps that musicians should take before a live show.
Below are tips I believe will help with having a smooth-running show:
- Get all the arrangements in order
- Before promoting the show and creating setlists, an artist needs to confirm all the logistics are in order. There are significant points to go over with the venue coordinator or whoever the artist/band is speaking with, such as — Is the date confirmed on both ends? Is the payout split with the venue, or is all the revenue going to the artist? Is the venue offering food and drinks for free, or does the artist/band have to pay, is there a deal? Does the venue have its gig gear, does the artist/band need to bring their own, is the venue missing anything? Lastly, is the timeline from loading into loading out concise and straight to the point for both parties? Are all contracts signed and looked over by professionals?
- Now, the logistics side of the show is very crucial, and while there are plenty of steps to ensure an excellent performance, having an effective line of communication with the venue will put everyone’s mind at ease in delivering the best show possible.
- Promote on social media
- Social media for artists is vital to gain traction. Promote your show on your platform every week leading up to it, whether it’s through posts or stories with a swipe link to ticket purchase. If Instagram does not allow you to post a swipe-up link, make sure you include the “link in bio” at the end or beginning of your captain. To have a strong pull among social media users, make the promotion posts fun and some of the stories interactive to set a lasting reminder to your followers. The last tip for social media is to have your friends promote the show on their stories and when coming to agreements with the venue, let them know you’d like for them to promote the show on their socials as well.
- Press
- Just as Cardi B says, “Press, Press, Press…,” getting press coverage is especially important for both the venue and the artist. You might be thinking, isn’t promoting it on social media enough? Yes and no, while promoting on social media is terrific for long-time followers/listeners, having press coverage is great for garnering a bigger traction and gain new listeners. Some helpful tips to attract press would be to create a media list of local journalists that write about music or media outlets that cover music all the time. Build a relationship with journalists, send them songs to listen to, see if you guys are the right fit for each other, and invite them to a show.
- Create the right setlist for YOU
- There is no wrong or right way to curate your playlist. You can start with the most popular songs, so even if new listeners don’t know you through name/face recognition, they’ll know you by your popular music. One way to engage with fans is to ask them what songs they would like to listen to and incorporate their favorites. Overall, whatever way you set up the setlist that works for you will work for the audience!
- Soundcheck
- Rehearse before getting to soundcheck. However, during soundcheck, run through steps to ensure that you have all equipment and gig gear ready and check that everything sounds and works well. Take some photos for social media to hype fans up who are waiting for the show.
- Relax and enjoy your performance
- If you’re not familiar with the city you’re performing in, check out some local restaurants and cool spots to lessen the nerves and meet new people. Have fun hanging out with fans, and if you need tips on connecting with fans during the show, check out: https://fanflex.com.
There’s nothing more exciting than being up on the stage and performing for fans after a whole year of virtual shows. Being equipped with the right tools to ensure an excellent live performance is very valuable and makes getting up on the stage worthwhile. Live music is back, and there’s no better time to rock n’ roll!