First off congratulations! You only get to do your first gig once ... so remember to have fun and enjoy it!
Things will go wrong.. they always do, but roll with it. It always helps me to think, "What's the absolute worst thing that could happen?" It's that I could make an ass of myself.... and then I remember I usually manage to do that at least once a day without a harp in my mouth...! ...and I survive!
Go have fun... you will be great and nothing can be wrong if YOU are having fun and no one is getting hurt by it!!!
PS You have nerves... we still get nerves after thirty years.... but we learn to channel the energy into the performance instead of letting it take you down. Nerves are a good thing! They keep you honest! Take a deep breath, close your eyes and wail! ----------
folks are there to be entertained and have fun. that means you have an already receptive audience.
if the jitters get bad, remember- you dont know these people and you dont give a f*** what they think. after a couple of songs, the jitters will be gone and after the first set the crowd will be your friend.
Bring spares of what you need to perform. Have spare harps in the keys you use the most and keep them where you can get at them if you jam or flat out a reed. Bring a spare mic cord and a spare transformer if you use a transformer. Also, bring an extension cord to be sure you can reach the electrical outlets.
Murphy's law applies, so to be professional you need to be prepared.
Hey Jf... If you had a rough indoctrination last night... don't be afraid to let us know that. Many of us had train wrecks first time or first couple of times out. Don't be discouraged if that is the case... just get determined!
Cheers guys went well. Little nervy but once we got into it its awesome! We love doing what we do. :) Little disconcerting when you play the solo of your life and your audience talks amongst themselves but... It was a party and so we were only there as background.
Love the comments- MBH guys are the best! Especially when not fighting over religion or who is better than who :) .
Jflir-Congrats, and as for the folks in the crowd carrying on a conversation when you're wailing away and pouring your heart into your solo, unless folks are paying big bucks to see you(i.e., you're 'famous')you're background noise to some of them-but these are folks that could just have easily gone to a coffee shop to talk, but instead chose to talk at your gig-that's a good thing! Now that the rush is in your blood, time to book some more gigs! ----------
Crescent City Harmonica Club Todd L Greene, Co-Founder
Jflir, you had us worried... thought maybe you blew your teeth into the front row, or literally had a train wreck on the way to the gig, or worse yet did so well that the girls chased you down the street tearing your clothes off!!! Hey, there ae so many things that can go wrong when you play any gig that MOST people find it difficult to enjoy their first time out. The fact that you did means you had anticipated and thought through your program. Congratulations! Well done! Best wishes for many more even bigger and better!
