08 Feb Plan, Practice, and Prepare to Rock Your Next Live Show!
So You’re Playing A Live Show
You’ve been itching to perform, craving the thrill of your music bumping through the speakers of a crowded room full of people who came to see you do what you do best. You can already feel the rush of walking on stage and playing those first opening notes, the beads of sweat dripping down your face from the stage lights and the body heat bouncing off of your fans creating a strange but familiar humidity in the room, its something that you haven’t felt in a long time and you can hear the stage calling your name. You’re ready, the band is prepped, your gear is tuned, but you don’t know where to start just yet? Let me introduce you to the Three P’s… Plan, Practice, and Prepare.
Plan: The fun stuff that goes on behind the scenes like booking a show, selling tickets, and finding a venue (everything that the fans don’t see), can be one of the most stressful aspects to playing a show at all. Have a plan and know that all of this planning is where the road to playing a great show begins. It helps to have a FanFlex account, this way you’ll have access to a portal that will make it so that you to receive 100% of your ticket money without the hassle of splitting it with promoters and venues. There is no risky pay-to-play model this way and you’ll essentially pave a gateway to booking more shows and venues that you may have not yet had the opportunity to play at.
Practice: You’ve booked a show, now what? You need to practice! Throw a set together and practice it and then practice it again! Learn what songs mesh well together and whether your cover of The Climb by Miley Cyrus will easily transition into the Reggaeton dance hit that was next on the setlist. This would also be a good time to check your artist profiles and social media followers to learn who your audience is and talk to them! Build a strong foundation with your followers and fans, through social media Q&A’s and replying to DMs and comments. This way you’ll create a more personalized set for you and your supporters. You should also be using this time to perfect your sound and have lyrics memorized too! Practicing not only helps you create a set that will soon enough become second nature to you, but you will learn that with enough time practicing, you’ll be more confident on stage and you’ll be more willing to take risks by interacting with the crowd and other band members.
Prepare: The night before would be a good time to confirm the setlist (again) and make sure that everyone is aware of what their role will be for the next day, whether it be setting up or checking in. It’s also a good idea to be sure that everyone involved is aware of the venue location and time slot (you’d be surprised at how often an artist is unaware of what city they’re in). Renowned guitarist Ed Eason, who has played a plethora of arena shows and many live awards stages like the Grammys and Billboard Music Awards, makes sure he is aware of what the venue he is playing at will need from him and his band. This is a good way to ensure that that venue will enjoy working with you and will want to see you back on their stage!