The dont's of live performance

[xCaptainx]

Never apologies to the audience for your mistakes in a performance, take note of weak points and move on.

THIS! There was a local band here, their vocalist would ALWAYS be apologetic for their sound, vocals, tightness, delivery. Used to bring it up ALL the time. Used to frustrate me as if nobody had seem them before and had not formed an opinion, they'd probably go 'well I don't know what to make of them, but even their vocalist thought they were bad so I'm going to agree with him'

best piece of advice I ever received was to never show any visual hint of stuffing up. 99% of the time the audience will only know from your visual queue, and they'd be more willing to forgive a slight mistake if you're putting 100% into it and creating a great live performance.

 

[Cynic]

I guess so. Let's see what google had to say about all that... As far as his live shows, This shit right here personally, im going with nay.

don't listen to him

do everything that jason butler does. he is probably the best frontman out there, right now. a genuinely great guy as well

 

[Alphanumeric]

- If you aren't Steel Panther don't slap your ass.
- Using other peoples gear and changing settings.
- Modern "Hardcore" bands with the guitarists and bassists walking backwards and fowards and slightly bobbing their head for a whole song.
- Having your guitar soooo low to look cool but then you can't play anything.
- Having it so high you look like a member of the Beatles. Again, this only works for prog bands haha

For anything metal/rock. Guitarists/bassists don't stand with your legs together for absolutely ages, it only works for prog bands, otherwise it looks super goofy and immediately makes me think of some 13 year old's doing a high school talent show.
Look at JB from ABR for how to stand and move around playing any kind of core music without looking like an idiot doing the synchronized crab poop scoop.

- Bands that do do a kind of upward headbang on the 3rd beat of the bar, looks like someone is punching you in the chin, especially when they all do it together, seriously bugs me out.

- Circle headbanging with no hair.
- Forgetting to thread your cable round your strap so when you stand on it it flies out.
- Calling for pits every 40 seconds.
- Saying "I want to see someone die tonight" when you a supporting a non metal band.

Anything these guys do

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hEX91SNFEyg

- The synchronized up headbanging
- Holding your guitar kind of outwards to the left all throughout a breakdown
- Running in place

Contrary to popular opinion I think guitarists putting their foot on the monitor isn't a douchey thing to look cool, its out of necessity for a better position for playing in solos!

 

[Robrecht]

- Bands that do do a kind of upward headbang on the 3rd beat of the bar, looks like someone is punching you in the chin, especially when they all do it together, seriously bugs me out.

I couldn't picture that at all, never having seen it before, but the video illustrates it perfectly. Man, that is uncanny. They've clearly thought it up and consciously practiced doing it together and thought it was a great idea.

Also, when I opened that video I first thought it said Capture the Clown and got all giddy and then disappointed. Now I have a clown chase shaped hole in my soul.

Lastly, notice how in the Jason Butler video he bounces that trash can off the bass players head TWICE. Now that's skill.

And to keep this post on topic: transitions between songs should be just as tight as the songs themselves. For instance, I don't know how many times I've seen a death metal singer go (in their grunt voice, since it's super awkward for death metal singers to do stage banter in their normal sissy voice): THE NEXT SONG IS COOOOOAAAALLED... <SOOOONG TITLE>!!!!, after which it takes the band another full clumsy 10 seconds to get started. That just kills the mood dead.

 

[Robrecht]

Another one. Many, many bands in non-English speaking countries write their lyrics in English, and I get that: it broadens the potential audience to listeners all across the globe.

But I've seen local bands performing in local venues for a strictly local, monolingual audience where the singer for some reason does his stage banter in English as well. That to me betrays a deep awkwardness with standing up there and actually communicating with the people in front of you, and it comes across as incredibly fake.

 

[Alphanumeric]

I couldn't picture that at all, never having seen it before, but the video illustrates it perfectly. Man, that is uncanny. They've clearly thought it up and consciously practiced doing it together and thought it was a great idea.

Capture the Clown.

Dude the up headband this is like a massive thing for Rise Records bands and modern hardcore bands.

I don't really mind syncronised stuff like headbanging or even the crab stance, but the upbang goes hand in hand with bands that run in place during a techno break. Asking Alexandria - The Final Episode. A Prophecy.

 

[Robrecht]

Dude the up headband this is like a massive thing for Rise Records bands and modern hardcore bands.

I don't really mind syncronised stuff like headbanging or even the crab stance, but the upbang goes hand in hand with bands that run in place during a techno break. Asking Alexandria - The Final Episode. A Prophecy.

I just watched those videos and oh my god you're not making this up. It's like a whole new world has opened for me. I'm not sure I like it.

Back in my day you basically had your George Fisher windmill and your hold-your-guitar-out-in-front-of-you-like-a-battle-axe-on-the-easy-parts. And Abbath did this kind of crab walk but we all put that down to those novelty boots he wore. I feel old.

 

[Alphanumeric]

I just watched those videos and oh my god you're not making this up. It's like a whole new world has opened for me. I'm not sure I like it.

Back in my day you basically had your George Fisher windmill and your hold-your-guitar-out-in-front-of-you-like-a-battle-axe-on-the-easy-parts. And Abbath did this kind of crab walk but we all put that down to those novelty boots he wore. I feel old.

Corpsegrinder and is tree trunk neck can windmill for days though. I'm pretty sure he could use his neck as an extra fist

And yes the new generation is much different. I have to admit my favourite genres of music are modern "progressive" metal/metalcore where standing with yours legs in two countries is part and parcle, and hobbling up and down Born Of Osiris style strangely fits the music. But I am so picky, I like about 5 bands out of a million, its the same with death metal, I only like Death haha.

There's another band, I think Ukrainian or Russian, name slips my mind, but in about 15 seconds the band has a techno breakdown where they dance on the spot and kind of jog in circles, the upbang as the guitars come in, and synchronized crab bouncing when they go 2 step half time, every member of the band has a V neck shirt down to their stomach, female pumps and jeans with massive gaping knee holes. Its like everything I hate in less than a minute.

 

[tyler_faith_08]

All of this happened to my band before last in a single night.

Anyway, the bassist started playing and running out in the crowd while letting his strings fret when he bumped into random people. He got this incredibly loud DUMMMMMMMBRGRRRRBDBDBDBDBDB (partially muted C major triad) IMMMMMMDBDBDB.

After THAT, the vocalist cut my out solo short by talking about the bar and the crowd and trying to be cool and everything.

Then the drummer had to leave to talk to his girlfriend that was gonna break up with him so some other guy got on the drums (from the crowd) and played a few songs.

Around this point, I decided I was done with the band so on the next break, so I went and took an ass load of shots with the rhythm guitarist and we just ....ed the entire rest of the show to hell and back lol.

About 3 songs from the end and well after the shots kicked in, I took my shirt off and just had fun and soloed over half of each song.

I left after that and I've yet to talk to any of them again with the exception of the rhythm guitarist.

In short, if you aren't in good standings with the rest of your band members, don't do stupid things or it may explode in your face. Rather, if you aren't in good standings with your band mates, fix it or GTFO!

 

[macgruber]

-
Anything these guys do

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hEX91SNFEyg

- The synchronized up headbanging
- Holding your guitar kind of outwards to the left all throughout a breakdown
- Running in place

crabcore to the max!

 

[Mouth Of The Harlot]

Don't talk religion on stage. We are not a religious band by any means, but I can not tell you how annoying it is to hear a band preach to the audience, or to see a band talk down upon a religion.

 

[Nmaster]

If you're the vocalist, know what to do with your hands.

This. So much this. At my first show, our singer just would kinda bob his head and look at the crowd with his metal face on. I heard a couple people complain that he was a boring frontman.

A couple shows later, and he's headbanging and throwing his fists in the air at key points of the song and doing some brutal shit. Watch vocalists from experienced bands closely in youtube videos and observe what they do, don't mimic them, but just use it as sort of a guideline.

 

[JoshuaVonFlash]

GWAR?

 

[JoshuaVonFlash]

Agustus Gloop that microphone

 

[ke7mix]

I feel like there's a really good story behind this one

More like Dillinger Escape Plan

 

[ke7mix]

DO NOT
-No Skimping on gear (your sound is what matters).
-Never lend out your gear unless maybe a drum throne?
-Dont Let your singer sing or talk over any form of solo (unless his own).
-Do not play live unless you are all ready IE: Run timed set rehearsals, have your drummer practice each song with a click(not as important), have your singer rehearse what he says on stage during interludes or whatever.
-Dont let a bandmate say "ill just meet you at the gig" its better if you guys get together with all the gear packed beforehand and then leave for the venue and arrive as a group.
-Dont disrespect the crowd, They are the ultimate judge of your music. If they dont like you (and not everyone will) then you wont make it anywhere.
-Dont damage the venue, It may have looked cool but you arent going to get another show there.
DO
-Enjoy playing (or at least look like it).
-You dont have to be a cookie cutter pop group but Plan movements with bandmates so you look more like a "together" band.
-Have a backup instrument (for the love of Satan have a backup instrument).
-keep time between songs ASAP (As Short As Possible).
-practice set up and setdown times.
-Buy a quality strap WITH STRAP LOCKS (nobody wants to see you drop your guitar and then play with your knee for the next 4 min).
-Financially know what you are getting yourself into for each gig (I have gotten screwed so hard by promoters my jeans looked like Assless Chaps).
-tailor your setlist to the croud you know you wll be playing for (lighter stuff for not as brutal crowds, Super brutal for brutal crowds).
-Give a shoutout to the soundguy/security/booking agents during a break in your show (you will get better gigs and your mix will improve 10 fold). -Worship the ground at the soundguys feet.



This is just my Opinion. I follow these rules constantly (not saying anyone else should) but they have helped me go far.

 

[codycarter]

Saw a band once where the bassist kept spinning his finger around, I guess he was signaling a circle pit, which is fine. Just he kept doing it every 30 seconds..even during the melodic girly singing parts lol

He also tried spinning his bass around himself, which is cool and all, but unless you have strap locks, please don't. Turning your instrument into a flying projectile isn't call, unless you are the chariot

 

[UnknownRex]

I a show a while back with one of my favorite bands. I had the idea that the show would be awesome considering it was the first time in a while that they had played their home town. by the time they went on, the vocalist was so drunk, the drummer had to re-arrange his equip several times before the even started their first song because the vocalist could barely stand upon his own. during the set the vocalist sang almost half of the songs because he could no longer scream, and lastly he busted his nose open by falling on the stage moniter.

 

[JoePayne]

don't spit on the crowd. that's just gross. just don't do it. nobody likes it. it embarrasses the rest of the band too.

 

[JoePayne]

skip to 3:50. i promise it's worth it. then keep watching. it doesn't stop. yes I'm drinking out of a prosthetic leg in the beginning. my drummer plays with his running leg. the other one makes a great mug!
Pain After Death - Live At Tremont - August 2011 - 4 - YouTube