First gig in 15 years aaaarrrggh!

[DarkHeart]

Got my first gig in a fortnight, the first one since 1998 and to say im bricking it would be an understatement, i didnt even own a bass from 1999 to 2011 now Ive sort of joined a band with the guitarist and former drummer of the originals band im in (weve not gigged yet!) and those two along with a keyboard player were in a band together doing covers.and now ive joined, i admit im not the quickest of learners cos im not very technically gifted but ive had to learn 28 songs from scratch in a month, some of which ive never even heard before and the thought of playing live is terrifying me!

[the_skezz]

Nerves are good, they keep you motivated to put on a good gig. Just do your best and enjoy it. So long as you've learned the parts by then you'll be sound - might be a challenge, but stick at it. And let us know how you get on

[DarkHeart]

forgot to mention im doing vocals on one song as well, tried it for the first time today, vocals were ok but i forgot to play!

Edited May 6, 2013 by DarkHeart

[RandomBass]

I find that nerves really focus me. Similar to work actually - when the pressure is on and I have tight deadlines to meet, I'm at my best.

Sing and play? I'm lucky if I can do the latter at times, and and the former is well outside my skill set. Kudos to you (although please remember to play lol).

Good luck and finger crossed.

Cheers

Geoff

[Mr Fretbuzz]

Good luck with that. How are you going about learning the set list?

[danthevan]

Just know the root notes inside out then if you get stuck, you can fall back on them!
Good luck!

[xgsjx]

All the best with it.

I can't wait until my band are at gigging level.

[Phil Adams]

[quote name='danthevan' timestamp='1367828707' post='2069764']
Just know the root notes inside out then if you get stuck, you can fall back on them!
Good luck!
[/quote]

Agree with that and it's been my philosophy as I'm learning. Get the right note in the right place before trying to get clever.
The very best of luck.

[Clarebear68]

I took a ten year break so I know how you feel. I kept thinking I'd get on stage and not be able to remember a single tune but it was fine after the first note - I'm sure you'll be ok.
Best of luck.

[pete.young]

Good luck, sure you'll be fine.

[DarkHeart]

thanks for the votes of confidence, yeah root notes is the way to go and as for learning the set list ive got them on a cd in the car and an mp3 player in the house and its all im listening to at the moment

[bonzodog]

+1 on just focusing on the root notes for this gig. If its going well and you relax a little then you can venture out, but best to get through first gig keeping it simple. Good luck

[SpaceChick]

Great news, I'm sure you'll be fine

Not bass to bass gigging, but I had a break from 1992 to 2013 where I didn't gig! A whole 21 years!
OK in 1992 I was a classical oboeist and in 2013 I was a bassist, but those fears and nerves are the same regardless of instrument!!

Feels great to be back performing again for me, and I'm sure it will be for you too.

[Dad3353]

Good evening, DarkHeart (or may I call you 'Dark'..?)...

Take it easy, you've done the hardest part (starting..!).

Just remember: any 'wrong' notes are jazz (...and look where that's taken Bilbo..!).

[tinyd]

I suffer from nerves before even the smallest gig - like others have said, it's just one of those things and it keeps you sharp !

For what it's worth, 2 things that I always do are 1) don't drink beforehand - even a single pint messes with my ability to play and remember stuff and, 2) always have a bottle of water on stage to combat nerve-induced dry mouth syndrome

The thing is, you're taking care of the important part (knowing the tunes) so you'll be great...

Edited May 7, 2013 by tinyd

[Lynottfan]

Remember to breath! Good for you man, once the gig kicks in you will love it I am sure, good luck and go have a ball mate.

[karlfer]

Nice one, well done. Keep listening, keep practising, keep bricking it and you will have a greay gig. Enjoy.
Karl.

[DarkHeart]

Only a week to go now, tuesdays rehersal went far better than sundays which was an unmitigated disaster in my opinion haha i actually remembered to play AND sing at the same time and have started to add backing vocals where im confident to do so (baby steps) now all we need to do is try out the pa weve bought and make sure it works!

[Donnyboy]

Good luck - I didn't play let alone gig for nearly 10 years. " Hey , let's get the band together for a one off charity gig!!"
I wasn't keen , but we did it , about 30-40 mins I think. I was bricking it, and would've run away if I could've.. However, it was a blast and we were buzzing/rattling, and we're still doing it , as best we can ,5 years later. We've even learned some new stuff!!!

All the best - Have Fun(der)!!

[Lasermonkey]

All the best! It was 17 years between gigs for me, and on different instruments!
I just practiced, practiced, practiced and in the end, it went fine. I was still bloody nervous though.
Last month I did the first proper gig with my new band, in a pub that was positively rammed. Because we had practiced hard, and I was feeling confident in myself and especially my bandmates, the nerves disappeared, to be replaced by the sort of excitement I used to get as a kid at Christmas!

[DarkHeart]

oh my god its tomorrow night tuesdays rehersal was a bit of a disaster but at least we found out the pa sounds ok.

[SpaceChick]

A pants rehearsal should mean a good gig

Good luck matey

[xgsjx]

+1

My last singer always said, bad rehearsal = a good gig.

[DarkHeart]

hope so ive been told its a rough venue haha

[KevB]

Take your own chicken wire?