Pre Gig Rituals

[phil_the_bassist]

i like to have a pre-gig poop and eat some tasty/greasy crapburger before going onstage, and also make sure teh guitarist's tuned up (as we all know they can't be trusted to do it on their own!) but apart from that I don't have many needs before playin!


Btw Kiwi, is 'Shower' the new euphemism for having a personal solo-sexytime?

Edited November 2, 2008 by phil_the_bassist

[bluesparky]

My pre-gig ritual usually involves bribing my mates and family with drinks and money to get their arses onto the dancefloor in the first number and stay there!!

I'm normally not too bad, but checking the handwritten set lists are all the same is always a big thing with me, i've done a gig where they were all different and the on-stage conversation / bickering between every song was cringing!

[xgsjx]

Soundcheck (if poss), pint, p!ss (preferably separate glass), retune (silent), play.

[peted]

Share funny stories with the band and talk about any events from the past week, have a beer (just the one!), check out the local totty, and go for a wee just before hitting the stage.

I used to be VERY nervous before taking to the stage, but most of that is gone now. I also used to drink a lot before going on stage and found that the improvement in my bass player was purely in my head.

[Linus27]

For me, normally, make sure I am not hungry so have some food before the gig, but not to close to the gig. Make sure I am tuned up which I do after soundcheck and then again just before we go on. Have about 100 wee's. Make sure hands are washed so they are not sticky. Grab a pint of Guinness and then all set to go.

[dangerboy]

Soundcheck by playing 'A Minute' by Shellac. Wee. Have Guinness ready. Then I'm ready to go.

Other things I have tried in order to get a band hyper for a gig:

Fight amongst bandmates.
Slapping guitarist in the face (hard) as he talks to his Dad.
Kissing guitarist as he tunes up.
Promising drummer that he'll get to kiss a 16-year old girl by the end of the set.

And numerous other things that sounded like a good idea at the time.

[The Funk]

Seems to be that the two most popular pre-gig rituals are tuning up and taking a piss. That's what I do too. I tend to wash my hands a lot before a gig with warm water - the ghetto warm-up.

[clauster]

Must remember to add the "have a piss" to my checklist - usually the urge doesn't hit until three songs in.

Currently it's pack up my kit, head to singer's house (where the PA is kept)., phone guitard to find out where the hell he is, load up van, get to venue, unload van, supervise setting up PA while trying to stop singer throwing a hissy fit and stop drummer setting up his kit until the PA is together, give up and have a beer, sort out PA with soundguy, round-up sulking band mates for a soundcheck, all moan at guitarist for still having headphones held together with parcel tape instead of nice neat earbuds, ignore singer moaning that my monitor mix cannot possibly be of any use to me. Chill until its time to play.

[Currrls]

definetly the pre-gig-plop.

and ROCK STRETCHES!!

[small_lump_of_green_putty]

In the study, I like to regail all in attendance with witty anecdotes and musings on all the greats I've played with over the years, usually over a modest fingerful of 32,000 year old Glencampbell with canapes (also 32,000 years old, usually reconstituted from a defrosted mammoth leg of some description. Tastes bloody awful but it's a talking point).

Then, once the laughter has finally died down, the nausea has worn off and we're feeling suitably superior, we'll make our way to the main dining room for dinner, where chef will have prepared an appropriate offering. Normally this will featured a minimum of 5 courses but more typically including an entree, port, salmon, more port, a fillet beef course, port, dessert, port, port, more port, some tawny port, cheese, port, more port, some madiera, more port, some port and a vintage cognac to finish off. Usually this is accompanied by champagne and sherry for the ladies.

The conversation must, at this point, be respectable, light and witty or Nursey will get cross. Then the gentlemen adjourn to the library for more port and cigars in order to talk about suitably big sounding things like politics and flagellation. The ladies will go to the parlour with their sherries and embroidery to talk about recipes and kittens. Sometimes recipes involving kittens, often boiled in port. Nursey likes that bit best.

Then while the night is still young, we shall all once again reassemble in the library for some light entertainment. Michael Barrymore often drops by and entertains us with his Pool Death Scene reinactment, which is NICE. Often during this he will invite one of the chaps to passively participate. This is to much hilarity and thigh slapping I can tell you as we join in with the hand movements and singing. One of the ladies will then charm us with a captivating ditty to do with something about larks and then another of the chaps will thrill everyone with intrepid tales of peasant shooting in the Hertfordshire countryside. Then as the candles grow dim, we'll all retire to each others beds before Nursey catches us and wants to join in.

All in all a jolly decent wheeze. Haw haw haw *SNORK*

[ashevans09]

Hmm...

Tune up

Have a pint while watching support

Tune up

Wee

Down a shot

Find a bottle of water

Tune up again

Oooon we go

[nash]

drink

or if i'm driving, nothing

[Chezz55]

Load In - Set Up - Check Tuning (Silent) - Check Bass Sound (using a Riff-Noodle between Stanley Clarke's 'School Days' & Joe Bonamassa's 'Had To Cry Today') - Mute Amp - Get Changed - Get Pint - Un-Mute Amp - PLAY.

[AdamWoodBass]

Some funny stuff here guys! Depends on the gig for me really. I suppose I normally get there, load in, tune up then go through some quick exercises (modes/scales/chromatics etc) then its to the bar and chill out for a bit. I always try to do some stretches before I play, I know loads of players who've suffered from tendonitis and other repetative strain nastiness so it's best not to tempt fate by not loosening up my fingers.

[jimijimmi]

i always walk on stage with my bass..
check my flies are up!
have a wee
spend the first two songs wondering why the monitor mix has changed..
i tune by ear through the set..
make sure i have a towel as i sweat through my fingers and hands quite alot.

thats about it!

[HeavyJay]

[quote name='jimijimmi' post='505455' date='Jun 4 2009, 01:32 PM']i always walk on stage with my bass..
check my flies are up!
have a wee[/quote]

In that order?

[WalMan]

A slash, a couple of pain killers, a Vocalzone (must buy some more tomorrow I'm out)

Our singer has to have a lucky dump and when to gold star to the dressing room is hanging on the gents we chat over the door and then try to sneak off leaving him talking to thin air, or preferably a bemused punter

[RhysP]

When I was gigging my pre show stuff would usually consist of having a huge argument with the rest of the band about what unprofessional bastards they all were, then going for a long walk on my own thinking lots of hateful stuff.

[ped]

[quote name='HeavyJay' post='505468' date='Jun 4 2009, 01:49 PM']In that order?[/quote]

[lonestar]

smoke a pack of whiskey and turn everything up to 11

[phil_the_bassist]

[quote name='RhysP' post='511786' date='Jun 12 2009, 06:21 AM']When I was gigging my pre show stuff would usually consist of having a huge argument with the rest of the band about what unprofessional bastards they all were, then going for a long walk on my own thinking lots of hateful stuff.[/quote]

AHHH! so YOU'RE my old band's new bassist!


Thank Funk all I've gotta worry about now is re-remembering how to play and sing at the same time....and have a crap sometime pregig!

[iamapirate]

Tune, Pray, Red Bull, Go!