First Gig Experience

SilenceDogood

Junior Member
Hello everyone! I just got home from my very first gig and I just want to share to you guys that my very first gig was probably the most embarrassing moment of my life. I practiced a lot for this gig and when our time finally came to take the stage, I just completely blacked out and some of the songs turned out really, really bad because of me. I was off beat most of the time and there were even times when I would miss the crash because my head was already bowed low from embarrassment and I can't see the crash anymore (Yes, I know it was very stupid of me to miss the crash). Anyway, I just want to share my fellow drummers here what happened to me today. Thankfully my bandmates were my friends and they told me that it was no big deal because they made mistakes as well, mine was just louder and more obvious than theirs. Thank you! :)
 
Hello everyone! I just got home from my very first gig and I just want to share to you guys that my very first gig was probably the most embarrassing moment of my life. I practiced a lot for this gig and when our time finally came to take the stage, I just completely blacked out and some of the songs turned out really, really bad because of me. I was off beat most of the time and there were even times when I would miss the crash because my head was already bowed low from embarrassment and I can't see the crash anymore (Yes, I know it was very stupid of me to miss the crash). Anyway, I just want to share my fellow drummers here what happened to me today. Thankfully my bandmates were my friends and they told me that it was no big deal because they made mistakes as well, mine was just louder and more obvious than theirs. Thank you! :)

Don't worry about it and move on. Harder than it sounds but you can.

I got over my major stage fright by having a complete meltdown in front of an audience. After it turned out that the reaction was nowhere near as bad as I thought it would be after a disaster like that, my stage fright went!

Lemons into lemonade and all that.
 
If I remember correctly, my first 3 live performances were bloody awful! My third performance was at a school dance, it didn't occur to us that we needed a "Set List" before we took the stage, not too bright on our part! Hey, we were 12 years old!

If you have open jam nights in your area, try sitting in for a song or two. Less pressure that way.
 
What BP said. Hang in there. Playing with friends is great - everyone makes mistakes and you will all grow together as a band. Build each other up. Playing live is not the same as a jam session, and your confidence is as important as anything else. It gets better!
 
Its no big deal, this will only make you stronger. Have a band autopsy and all be truthful about where you messed up. Have a good laugh about it and move on.

If you can all agree what was wrong you can work on making it right. If it was lack of band practice time, then sort it. Make sure everyone knows the song structures, intros and endings and work on them at home. Band practice is not for learning songs, thats done at home, band practice is putting it all together and ironing out errors and changes in arrangement.

If you found you were getting lost in songs, then dont just learn the drum part, learn the vocal line and the whole song, that way you always know where you are cos you are playing the "Song" not just the drums.

Practice till you cant get them wrong, not just till you get them right.

Good luck with the next gig.
 
I guarantee the audience only noticed a tiny fraction of the mistakes you noticed.
Two starting foundation points for the future:

Smile - even though you're feeling like s^%. That not only makes you feel better by reducing stress (yes, even semi forced, it works some chemical magic in your body), but it carries the audience with you too.

Simplify - if you're making mistakes, it's partially because you're stretching yourself. Just because you can do it in rehearsal, doesn't mean you can pull it off live. By simplifying, you not only reduce the chances of screwing up, you also take pressure off you to perform, & than it turn reduces stress. Are we getting the circle here? :)

You'll be fine, & your enjoyment will grow, & remember, you're personal performance isn't that important to anyone else other than you. It's the overall band performance & vibe that really matters, & what the audience will remember. Finally, you seem like a grounded / modest guy, so this may not apply to you too much, but EGO! You need a bit to be a performer, but getting your best chops into a song is a sure fire way of setting yourself up for mistakes & bad musical choices. Play the song, ask yourself what you can miss out rather than what you can put in, enjoy the ride, listen - no really listen, & everything else will follow with gig miles :)
 
Do a search for Mark Schulmans, Cher's drummer, book on stage fright. Conquering Life’s Stage Fright: Three Steps to Top Performance

I met him at a clinic and he is one cool guy. He does corporate motivational presentations was well as being a great drummer. You may be surprised at some of his conclusions. Beyond that relax. You are doing something you like and can only get better.
 
Every great drummer has a story like yours. So you're in good company.

Trust me, you're making more of a big deal about it than anyone. All the greats felt the same way as you. You have to learn to let it go.

You learn more from your failures than your successes. This is how it feels to learn, get used to it. 99% of your horror is manufactured in your mind only. Be brave, dust yourself off, have a chuckle about it, (important) and soldier on.

Don't be one of these guys that takes a learning experience (read failure) and replays it in his head ad nauseum. Never let the effects of life master you. You are much bigger than your failures.
 
I can't think of a single person who hasn't had several of your experiences - and all of them are terrifying. I wish I could have handled stage panic as well as the bass player on our last two gigs. He hadn't played bass in at least twenty years, yet I could not hear any mistakes. A few bars into the last gig and i found out why he was still so "good:" -- As soon as we started the first song, he had turned his bass guitar all the way off!

GeeDeeEmm
 
I had real bad anxiety about 10 years ago, now I play a few shows every week and enjoy it. All you lack is experience, each show will get easier.
 
Congrats on getting that first one under your belt. Have to learn to walk before you run. I'm envious because assuming you stick with this (and I'd encourage you to do so), your growth between now and your 10th gig will be extraordinary as you gain experience and confidence. Ten gigs from now and I'll sound the same. Learn from this but most of all have fun with this and take Andy up on his suggestion that you smile. Now if I could just apply that advice to my golf game.
 
Believe me, you are not alone! I've had some excruciating performance experiences, but oddly enough there have only been two that I didn't enjoy - the rest were fun, even if I was horrendous.

Another vote for smiling. Makes a huge difference, for all the reasons Andy says, and audiences notice it a lot more than they notice mistakes.

Oh and all the best people miss the crash ;)
 
Hey SilenceDogood, what Magenta said and others. If you keep it in prospective, it’s not life or death. Remember others in the band in most cases made mistakes also. What does not kill you only makes you stronger. If you never make a mistake you will never grow as a musician or as a person so please don’t ever hold your head down if you gave it everything. I think you know what you have to work on so work on it and it will sound and feel better next time. Oh, remember have fun doing it also.
 
You did it and that’s the important thing. You need “stage time”. Play every gig that you can find. 100 gigs from now you will sound a lot better. You are doing well.
 
THIS is the kind of thing that fills me with dread! BUT congrats, OP on getting through this milestone! :D
 
Not to worry, like the others said we have been there. You got that first one under your belt. Next gig will be much better.

My fist gig my snare fell off the snare stand and rolled off the stage. I was 14, I just got up during the song and fetched it. I felt two inches tall and turned every color of red.
 
Don't worry. The only ones who noticed your mistakes is yourself. Oh yeah, and that one other guy in the band who notices all your mistakes and none of his own.
 
Ah, don't worry about it. Like others have said, it happens to everyone. It's a wonderful, shared experience.

there were even times when I would miss the crash

WHAAAAAT? You missed the CRASH?

That's it! Hang up your sticks. No self-respecting drummer ever misses a crash! Caertainly I don't, every time I'm in the practice studio and have to play on someone else's kit, or am at a gig and have to play on someone else's kit, or when I'm practicing at home on my own kit, and the damn cymbal isn't where I left it.

Or I'm just clumsy, or I just miss it for NO REASON.

Anyway, I need to see the video of this disaster before I can judge. And I will judge, believe me! So, out with it. Video. Let's see it.
 
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