Live Show Etiquette

[GunpointMetal]

TL;DR - what are some things you insist on doing/not doing when playing shows that you think are important?

I've been playing a few local-ish "fests" lately with 6-10 bands and I'm starting to think a lot of musicians are really just ignorant assholes all the time. There are few things that I prefer to do and ask of my bandmates to NOT be those people:
- Be On Time
- Load/Strike the Stage Quickly
- Ask in advance for set times and plan to not go over
- Try to see as much of the show as possible
- Not be a dick to the promotor/other bands

These seem like easy things, but the more shows I play it appears that about 70% original musicians don't think any of this shit is important.

 

[budda]

we basically did your list;
- show up early
- help everyone move their stuff on/off stage
- be polite
- less is more, play a shorter set if things are late
- dont be glued to your phone when other bands are on (since i had to rely on wifi to use my phone, this rule was annoying lol)
- no drinks no drugs (obv not applicable to all of sso haha)
- thank the promoter, venue and staff and other bands during the set
- we didnt gear share except cabs the odd times with friends.

 

[GunpointMetal]

we basically did your list;
- show up early
- help everyone move their stuff on/off stage
- be polite
- less is more, play a shorter set if things are late
- dont be glued to your phone when other bands are on (since i had to rely on wifi to use my phone, this rule was annoying lol)
- no drinks no drugs (obv not applicable to all of sso haha)
- thank the promoter, venue and staff and other bands during the set
- we didnt gear share except cabs the odd times with friends.

I don’t think half my bandmates would even remember the songs without some shrubbery, lol. I didn’t even think about gear-sharing, but for the love the Satan ASK WELL AHEAD OF THE SHOW DAY IF YOU NEED OR WANT TO USE SOMEONE ELSE’S STUFF. We played with some grind bands last summer and the day of the show they show up and one the bands literally says “we didn’t bring drums for this tour so we’re going to need to borrow a drum kit”. Almost told them to go get fucked right there.

 

[TedEH]

I'm all for gear sharing - as long as it's planned well before the show.
The last out-of-town show we did, a guy showed up with just a boss multi-effect pedal and his guitar, no other gear, and he had to borrow a bunch of stuff. It worked, but I wasn't thrilled.

I'll add to the list: Stick to your set times. It's a dick move to sneak an extra song or two in, or get the "last song" signal just to ignore it and dive into your 20 minute closing opus and cause the rest of the evening to be delayed.

 

[Screamingdaisy]

Don't be a dick, and don't piss off random people. The random cleaner you fuck off could be the owner, the barman could be the booking guy, the random guy that's hanging out in your way could be the soundman, etc.

Don't crack gay jokes. I had a lead singer that would joke around when nervous, and it cost us.

If you're an opener, don't go over time. It's a good way to not get asked back.

I'm a bass player, so I'm used to sharing rigs to speed up change over, however I've never been put on the spot at the last second and would consider that unprofessional.

If you want me to recommend your band to other bands/promoters, don't be unprofessional.

On that note, don't show up expecting to use someone else's shit unless you were told before hand.

If you're a drummer, bring your own breakables.

Most importantly, don't suck.



Do, have a good time.

Do, move around. Have a few rockstar poses up your sleeve. Make eye contact. Bang your head or something.

Do remember that it's a show, not a listen.

Do, tune your guitar. Maybe even put fresh strings on it once in awhile.

Do, thank the people who run the venue/sound/bar/whatever. It's an easy way to be remembered positively.

 

[sleewell]

Don't push pit at hardcore shows

 

[wheresthefbomb]

In addition to everything else mentioned.....

-practice your setup/teardown. I could set up my 2-head 2-cab stereo rig faster than most dorks could set up their line 6 spyder and still have time to help set up drum hardware.
-talk to the sound tech about your set, vibe, whatever. buy them a beer if they want. especially if you're a loud band or have unusual sound requirements, you want this person on your side.
-tip your fucking bartender. tip them well. if you're getting drinks comped, tip them REALLY well.
-bring extra everything, I've been the hero many times by having a spare battery or instrument/speaker cable.

 

[dax21]

To add on to the speed of setting up, as a bass player I always have a preamp pedal on me. House amp has scratchy pots, or starts cutting out, or any other issue really? I will immediately switch to effects return and it almost always fixes (well, bypasses) the problem. Particularly with bass amps cutting out, 99% of the time it happens it's not power-amp related from my experience. It just saves a lot of time.

Getting a soundcheck done quickly is also a big thing. There are so many bands who take an hour to adjust everything, you really shouldn't need more than two playthroughs of the same song up to the end of the first chorus once individual soundchecking is done. Be cordial with the soundguy, make sure he is done with everything before you start asking about monitor levels. Accept that there are always compromises, not everything can be perfect, what audience hears is all that matters at the end of the day.

Make a mental note to watch at least a few songs from the other bands from up close where you can be seen. Make sure to chat with those dudes for a bit, and unless you can tell that they are gearheads don't make it about the gear - just some small talk. Networking is important.

Have merch. Every band wants super fancy merch since the aesthetical standards are way higher than they were 10 years ago. Guess what? Even shitty merch is better than no merch. Quite a few times I was stuck with stuff I felt borderline uncomfortable selling, people still wanted to buy it and it helped a lot in terms of gas money/food.

If you got a backdrop, make sure to ask well in advance if there are ways to hang it up. You don't want to bring it with you if you won't be using it. Make sure to let the stagehands know in advance too.

Duct tape and zip ties. Always have duct tape and zip ties.

Don't be a dick, and don't piss off random people. The random cleaner you fuck off could be the owner, the barman could be the booking guy, the random guy that's hanging out in your way could be the soundman, etc.

To add to this, do not talk about bad experiences where others can hear you. That friendly sound guy you just connected with? Don't vent to him anecdotally about a piece of shit sound guy from last night and next town over. It's a small world, you don't really want to talk shit when these people could very well be friends who even work together. Leave that stuff for the van ride home or the band practice, you never know who is watching and listening to you.

 

[Screamingdaisy]

I've learned to not talk gear, or only talk positively.

Guy has a Marshall MG? It sounds great. Guy think's his MG sucks and wants to buy a "real" Marshall, his MG still sounds great but the "real" Marshall will sound even better. Guy starts talking up his MG while shit talking someone else's cheap no-name crap (i.e., Friedman), I sidestep the conversation and move onto something/someone else.

 

[GunpointMetal]

Glad to hear not everyone is a dummy, lol.

I've learned to not talk gear, or only talk positively.

Guy has a Marshall MG? It sounds great. Guy think's his MG sucks and wants to buy a "real" Marshall, his MG still sounds great but the "real" Marshall will sound even better. Guy starts talking up his MG while shit talking someone else's cheap no-name crap (i.e., Friedman), I sidestep the conversation and move onto something/someone else.

I've never understood the "gear fight" conversations with other performers. I play ERGs through a modeler into a powered wedge. There have been a surprising number of instances where another player will start asking me about my rig because they enjoyed my tones and then immediately make some ridiculous remark disparaging my gear when they find out it's Agile->Line 6->$500 wedge, lol. Like you enjoyed the tone until you found out it didn't come out of an analog rig? C'mon dude.

 

[budda]

Glad to hear not everyone is a dummy, lol.

I've never understood the "gear fight" conversations with other performers. I play ERGs through a modeler into a powered wedge. There have been a surprising number of instances where another player will start asking me about my rig because they enjoyed my tones and then immediately make some ridiculous remark disparaging my gear when they find out it's Agile->Line 6->$500 wedge, lol. Like you enjoyed the tone until you found out it didn't come out of an analog rig? C'mon dude.

People are weird. Never change settings other than volume in an analog rig? Of course! Set and forget a modelled? Dude you arent using 99% of the sounds why did you buy that not an amp?

 

[crushingpetal]

Related, etiquette for the attendees: stage diving etiquette at shows,

 

[SalsaWood]

Keep your arms and legs inside the chain link fence at all times.

 

[Screamingdaisy]

Glad to hear not everyone is a dummy, lol.

I've never understood the "gear fight" conversations with other performers. I play ERGs through a modeler into a powered wedge. There have been a surprising number of instances where another player will start asking me about my rig because they enjoyed my tones and then immediately make some ridiculous remark disparaging my gear when they find out it's Agile->Line 6->$500 wedge, lol. Like you enjoyed the tone until you found out it didn't come out of an analog rig? C'mon dude.

My approach to live sound is it either sounds good or it doesn't. I'm obviously more interested in someone who's doing things that are more up my alley, but I think being condescending towards other's gear (especially when they sound good) is kinda amateurish.

On gear forums? I'll argue all day long. In real life? Arguing isn't worth the potential for hurt feelings or bad blood.

 

[owlexifry]

all the things have been said, but here’s my rant:

if you’re gonna borrow someone’s mesa cab and be a rude cunt to only ask on the day of the show - cos you’re always so organised with ya headrush unit that’s the only thing you’ll bring other than your mutliscaled ibanez 6 string - maybe don’t add to the insult by spilling beer all over it.

if you’re gonna be a headlining band on a national tour, maybe don’t turn up an hour late for the soundcheck that you demanded at the last minute, that the opening band had to sit around and wait to setup after doors opened, and then when it’s your turn to setup, probably don’t make weird complaints/requests at the last minute like how you need both cabs on stage for your set that you totally didn’t use during soundcheck cos you’re using a digital/direct rig and you only wanted the cabs onstage for visuals and went about it in the cringiest way imaginable.

also, if you’re a rude cunt, i don’t care how good your band sounds, im not gonna listen or care if that's how you behave.

 

[wheresthefbomb]

Have merch. Every band wants super fancy merch since the aesthetical standards are way higher than they were 10 years ago. Guess what? Even shitty merch is better than no merch. Quite a few times I was stuck with stuff I felt borderline uncomfortable selling, people still wanted to buy it and it helped a lot in terms of gas money/food.

Last time I was in a regularly gigging band, we had a bunch of "real" merch like professionally printed tees and such, but our most popular stuff was always the runs of goodwill t-shirts I'd do spraypaint stencils on. We'd sell that stuff out in 1-2 nights, meanwhile I was still giving away "official" t-shirts years after we stopped playing. People appreciate the DIY touch.

 

[Fenriswolf]

-bring extra everything, I've been the hero many times by having a spare battery or instrument/speaker cable.

Also, either have a rig that will still work if shit hits the fan and have to go guitar into amp, or one is none, two is one. Played one show where the the snake and all the DI stuff was fucking up so the only thing we could run into it was vocals. I have time to run home and get my spare amp before the show starts, am I gonna let the dude who's been helping trying to figure out the issues or the guy crying about his POD wouldn't work if we didn't figure it out for him borrow my amp?

Also...just a heads up, if you ever wind up in a band with 4 guitar players, and you're the dude with the modeler that gets to do the effecty leads...you'll get cut pretty fast when you start being a prima donna. The more people in the band, the more replaceable you are.

 

[TedEH]

have a rig that will still work if shit hits the fan

It seems to be a pattern lately where I'll go to shows, the bands will have this elaborate setup with backing tracks and IEMs and their own mixing and monitoring, etc. - which I'm sure is fantastic while it's all working, but then the laptop breaks down and the show is stalled for 15-20 minutes while they troubleshoot it. A month or two back, there were two bands in the same show that had the same thing happen - all setup and ready to go, they start, then the laptop freezes up and the show grinds to a halt. If you can't continue without the laptop, don't integrate a laptop into your live set. Laptops are not reliable for stage shows.

 

[GunpointMetal]

Seems like if you can afford the IEM rack you can afford a $200 laptop that lives in your case with your show files on it. Laptops are just as reliable as any other part of a rig as long as they’re taken care of. Don’t let the drummer use your show gear to watch porn in the van.

 

[TedEH]

Laptops are just as reliable as any other part of a rig

Maybe the hardware can be, but software-wise, I'd disagree. I've met enough non-tech-savvy musicians that I wouldn't expect the average person to know how to keep a laptop from suddenly deciding that today is the day to do some kind of maintenance task, or windows update, or whatever else.