5 Ways to Show Absolutely No Class at a Gig

There are a lot of ways to be a jerk at a gig: spit on the crowd, get drunk and punch somebody, steal gear, but those are the obvious ones. If you’re partaking in such behavior then you’re likely proud of your jerkdom. You probably have a badge or some shit to make it official.

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But you know what’s worse? Folk who have no idea that every other band at the show is giving them dirty looks. The mindless, the inconsiderate; those rockstars who bend the rules just enough to make life difficult for everyone else on the bill, yet don’t even realize it. So here’s a couple schmuck moves that, if they’re your modus operandi, please just stop right now before we have to have a more serious sit-down.

Packing up Your Cymbals on Stage

Look, here’s the thing about cymbals: they’re not particularly heavy. Those thin discs of bronze alloy do not add significant weight to the stands or rack that they’re resting on. So just lift that shit as is and haul it right off. You can meticulously unscrew your wing nuts afterwards and save the rest of the musicians on the bill what feels like years of their lives.

Packing up Your Drums on Stage

This is so, so much worse that taking your cymbals off of the stands while you’re still occupying the riser like an entrenched, losing army. When a drummer lugs their drum gig bags/cases or hardware coffin in front of the riser, the collective eye roll from every other band performing is likely to sprain optic nerves. I don’t care if your shells are oil-stained exotic bubinga: there’s 10-20 minutes allotted for a changeover and that time cannot be spent twiddling our thumbs and growing our beards as you baby your vintage Rogers snare into its protective womb.

Hogging the Merch Table

Yes, all of the artwork on your black sea of t-shirts is mad sick. Oh, you have a head hooker on this one because your lyrics totally get into the headspace of a sociopath. That’s… great. You know who the real sociopath is: you, for spreading out your 12 designs over the two small-ass tables that three bands are supposed to be sharing.

Borrowing a Speaker Cable and Forgetting to Give it Back

Dude, what the fuck? Did you think the sound travels from my head to my cabinet by way of magic?

Planing a 33 Minute Set When You’ve Been Allotted 30 Minutes, and Then Stretching It to 37, and Then Playing an Encore

First of all, you kind of guessed at your song lengths, and your guesses were all too short. And then your rounded the seconds down. And then you forgot to account for the 2 minutes where you’re thanking the crowd for supporting you all of those years and introducing your 5th new bassist, or the 3 minutes when you announced the release date of your new album and rambled about the hard work and dedication it took to put it together. And you really didn’t want to play that one last song but that Devildriver cover is so wicked (“people always told me I sound just like Dez”) and the five people in front of the crowd kind of pretty much were calling out for it. Besides, I heard the next band kind of sucks, some art metal bullshit.

Written by

Chris Alfano has written about music and toured in bands since print magazines and mp3.com were popular. Once in high-school he hacked a friend's QBasic stick figure fighting game to add a chiptune metal soundtrack. Random attractive people still give him high-fives about that.

Latest comments
  • 6. Playing an encore if you’re not the headliner.
    7. Talking to fans (read: friends) from the stage instead of packing up your gear.
    8. Slowly packing up your pedals and each cord. Drag them off the stage and deal with it to the side.

    My rule, unless you’re the headliner? Get in, Get Off, and Get Out.

  • This entire article pretty much sums up the Colorado trash band Havok. Pretty sure promoters in their own city of Denver won’t even book them.

  • I always hated it when bands left garbage on the stage for the next band to pick up or kick out of the way, or trashed the stage. Also hated it when some musicians didn’t have their gear preassembled, or took forever to get ready… not just the drummers. The BEST bands I ever saw helped all the other bands load in and out, all worked together, didn’t just stand there with their thumbs up their asses trying to look important. If only bands would all work together…

  • Band who leave their guitars and pedals on the stage after they’ve played so the next band has to pack i down for them….. happens with 9/10 band I play with. I tend to just kick the pedals off stage. The guitars i’ll try to handle little more carefully to not be a complete ass myself…

    • If you break my pedal, I’ll break two of yours.

      • then clean up your shit.

        • I try to get my stuff offstage as fast as I can without forgetting anything, injuring myself, or allowing anything to get stolen. That being said, anyone who mishandles my goods is an asshole.

          Secondly, even the people who leave their stuff onstage longer than they should are not deserving of it getting broken, which is a distinct possibility when some idiot is kicking it around.

          Third, I’ve played rare venues that encourage musicians to “not hurry” during changeover. These venues are doing it the right way, in my opinion, because it is only the lowest segment of the audience that can’t stand waiting 20 minutes between bands. It’s not worth the musician’s energy- thought or action energy- to hustle and plan for that low segment.

          That being said, I do follow the rules at normal venues that enourage a fast-as-possible changeover, because they need the drink money from the ADD tards, too, not only from the music connoisseurs.

          • You sir are a retarded cunt.

          • I can tell that you only get respect from idiots in real life, because respectable people don’t associate with name-callers who can’t explain their point of view.

          • Name calling? ADD tards and all…

            Anyway, maybe harsh but don’t dish out what you can’t take. While we are on the subject of something I obviously have strong feelings about as a veteran “entertainer”, I have mainly been involved in ” bad time” rock n roll. As violent and mayhem-filled as our shows have been, if we weren’t the headliners, I personally never failed to clean up my crap and haul it off in a timely fashion. Do unto others, etc. Or just don’t be a self important asshole, whichever

            Asta la rasta pasta, Die Hard!

          • I didn’t call anybody in this thread a name. There’s a big difference.

            As for “do unto others”, I don’t ever care how long the previous band takes getting off the stage. That being said, you’d better hope I don’t “do unto others as I would have them do unto me”, because you would be waiting a very, very long time to hit the stage, my friend.

          • You want to wrap this up sweetheart.
            I gotta get back to my Hookers
            & cocaine.

          • Damn, look at this Lenny guy. His casually-witty comment involving Hookers and Cocaine has suddenly affected the visualization I have in my mind of how cool and successful he is! Surely, he doesn’t have the time for this kind of bullshit! Wow! Haha, just kidding, fuck off Lenny no one actually likes you lmao

          • Damn, look at this fool too afraid to use his real name. Ever heard how sarcasm is wasted on the stupid? Well, sarcasm was my statement. I will let you fill in the stupid part.

            Sock accounts are impressive, by the way. If you don’t have friends, you can create some on the Internet.

          • BOOM. Sup’?

          • wah wah wah. If you cannot get your equipment off of the stage in a reasonable amount of time, you deserve whatever happens to it. You have absolutely no consideration for the audience, other bands or time.

    • if you kicked my pedals off stage, i’d kick your ass cheeks right off your pelvis.

      • Right on, brother! Break a pedal, I’ll break a bone.

        • I love this one!
          Kudji Da’re, Ben

      • then don’t leave the pedals onstage like a faggot

  • Please take your set lists and beer bottles off the stage when you are done. Thank you.

  • after several year of making music i saw so much things… first of it all … no band need to act like a Jerk – doesnt matter if they are little or huge ! Most Bands dont care if other Bands have to play after them and that sucks… cuz you are not the only one ( maybe not the one ) who the people want to see // listen too . If a Band enter a Stage they should try to build up their stuff fast – not to unpack the drums or to stand arround while the drummer need some help. It really sucks if a Band play and the other Band go on stage to build up their stuff while the other bands is just be busy to put their own stuff away. i saw many bands who left their stuff on the stage and this is a no go for me, otherwise people who play on your stuff and dont care of it are also crap. Doesnt matter if someone forget his pedals on stage, doesnt mean to act like a retarded cunt to kick other gear from the stage. I think, the right way is to set up your stuff on the stage to build up most of the drumset besides or behind the stage – put it up with all your bandmembers ! then, put your amps and stuff up and connect it while the drummer fix his drumset for the show – thats so easy to do… and after the show, put the drumset down the stage and then your other gear – other bands should give a band some minutes to do it also – no reason to run on the stage while the band plays the last tone … doesnt look so great. otherwise, if you are the actual band on stage , dont be a asshole and steal the time of the following bands

    • my god your all band pussys.tuffin up guys….

  • The majority of shows I do are with a shared drumkit and you kind of have to remove your cymbals from the stands onstage…so, that one’s a bit much…everything else though, oh yeah…

    • that would be the one exception buddy, i think they just talking about the mediocre drummers with a kit costing more than their monthly rent excessively babying their gear

  • Fuck that, I start packing my cymbals before the last guitar notes even stop. I use the Tama cymbal locks to get them on and off quick and move quick with everything else. Other people will trash your shit, man. They’ll tip over your cymbal stands, drop your drums and find all kinds of shit to break or leave around to get stolen. If someone has a problem with it, I’ll finish packing up my stuff and then we can get into some of that gangsta shit. If a few extra minutes makes the difference then no one wanted to hear your shitty band anyways.

    • You, sir or madam, are an asshole. I’ve played in touring bands for 10 years, and I can tell that you’ve never played more than an hour away from your town if you actually do that. Suck shit, loser.

      • I find it funny that the author of this article said a changeover should last 20 minutes and I can have the drum rug/ riser cleared within 5 minutes AND STILL PUT MY CYMBALS IN MY BAG which takes me all of 1 minute. I even take the toms off the resin-ball style mounts. I then pull everything behind me or off to the side and make room for the next guy who usually isn’t even ready. Never had a problem, but I’m sure you could publish a Hudson Music book about stage etiquette with your touring over an hour away from home & your 10 years experience (not even half as long as I’ve been playing). Also, I’m in a signed band with my records distributed in North America & beyond. Thanks for the tip, pro.

        • I’ve been touring for a long ass time and nothing makes me more insane than an opening band that breaks their gear down on stage. Your cymbals will survive, on their stands until they reach the side of the stage, where you can take your sweet ass time putting them into your bag. Guitarists…. don’t fucking wrap your cables standing on the stage. Pile them on your pedalboard and wrap them up after you get off. When we open we strike faster than anyone, when we headline we expect our openers to show some respect and do the same. Be a blue collar professional. Hustle. People notice.

          • Hey. Hey, Jason Stepp. Kindly fuck off, yeah? If the guy can pack up his shit fast enough then there isn’t a problem. And as for your “suck shit, loser” comment? You’re not in a good enough band to say things like that, sorry dude. Yeah, you’ve got some decent hooks and your style is definitely original, but that doesn’t give you the right to be an all-american scumbag; nothing does. Don’t be such an ass. People notice.

          • The engineer needs to get the stage set up for the next band, so yea, the quicker you get off stage the quicker the engineer can set up the other bands shit, put the mics in their proper spot, do a quick sound check, and get the show rolling. It’s not just about the bands. Sound Engineers need to get the show rolling, so when you have people standing all over the stage while you’re trying to move quickly and get things in order, you now have to weave in and out of 7 extra people, try not to knock their shit over as they wrap their cables and pack their cymbals, etc… You can’t set up mics for the next band if their instruments aren’t up there. It should take ~7 minutes to get the stage cleared, another 7-10 minutes to set up the next band, and 3-5 minutes to do a sound check before the next band sets foot on stage. Those are estimated times, and usually it has to be a lot quicker.

          • Jasan stepp didnt say “suck shit loser” that was another guy

          • It’s this ever-present mentality that you and most (but not all) musicians and other venue professionals have that the people who are unimportant enough that they will leave if a changeover takes 25 minutes must be catered to that is hurting the experience of live playing (when there is more than one act on the bill). Capitalism is the religion of the soulless.

        • Well technically I said that “there’s 10-20 minutes allotted for a changeover” and that includes one band breaking down and another one setting up. And more often it’s 10-15 minutes, not 20- of course it all depends on the venue.

          But yes I agree that if you have your system down to a science and you’re not sloooowwwwwlllly unscrewing the hi-hat clutch then you might be able to get the job done in the time you have allotted, especially if you have like one crash and a ride and that’s it. But you may be the exception that proves the rule.

    • Go fuck your better than thou attitude. You’re likely in an opening band. Get in, get off. No one cares about anything else. You aren’t better than every other drummer in the world and noone should have to deal with babying you.

      • Allow me to translate what this man is trying to say. “You can pack up your drums much faster than the rest of us, therefore we hate you; you should never strive to be the best you possibly can be, because if you did that, you would then be better than me. No one can be better than me ! No one !”

      • Fuck Me, but I’m lovin’ this.

      • Last time I saw this many disgruntled and insignificant musicians was at Smiths Olde Bar on a Monday night 3 for 5. I wonder how many of you guys play to backtracks, or in “clubs” set up on the floor in the corner, right next to a trashcan. Theater bands don’t have these issues, so get better, get noticed, or get fucked. That or go back to waiting tables..

    • Damn You’re an asshole! Bands Hate you btw!

      • Oh goodie, goodie, goodie! Internet drama!!

    • You suck at drums though =/

    • Yo for the 2nd as long you don’t go over the time it’s all good in my eyes haha.
      I’ve had the cases right behind me before so I just plop them in and me and my gear are off the stage in less than 3 minutes.
      I swear i’m not trying to disrespect the headliners or locals in any way and i’m right there helping everyone get there gear onstage and setup comfortably.
      I’m just really protective of my drum set and think treating gear like trash doesn’t make anybody cool BUT that being said I would never compromise setup/tear down time to pack up on stage

    • It’s bands like yours that are ruining the music scene. If you’re packing up before the last guitar note, you clearly aren’t playing musically at all. What happens when you self absorbed tools take extra time is that the rest of the bands have their sets cut short. But of course you wouldn’t care about that, and probably never go support other local bands either.

  • I played a show once where a local guy who was doing a solo act took 30 goddamn minutes to set up some lights.

    There was another show where this really awful, local metal band had this big wooden cutout of their logo that they had hauled in on its own trailer. It had some lights built into it and they wanted people to know their name. They proceeded to take over 45 minutes getting set up and played over their allotted time. My band was after them and we got set up and ready to soundcheck in 3 minutes. We had our shit down to a science.

  • We had a guy in the band before us puke on the stage and act like it never happened.Stink foot and slippery smelly.Very professional.

  • haha yes! the amount of bands that do this stuff is hilarious.
    I’m in a three piece, we use a full backline tho (2 guitar cabs, 1 bass cab, drumkit, 2 mics) we set up in 5-10 and play for 20-30.

  • There is no money is music

    • then, if you’re playing music for the MONEY, you’re doing it for the wrong reason……just sayin’

      • If you don’t aspire to financial success in music as a musician, then you MUST be a lefty-pinko.

        • 4 years later and this is still the dumbest shit I have ever heard.

  • im my scene .. we share most gear … headliner drummer provides the kit but every other drummer must bring his own cymbals, snare, throne, sticks, and pedal(s) .. nothing to re-mic .. and we actually help each other on and off the stage .. if there is a show with 3 or more bands and there is no backline the promoter is a retard and it will be a shit show (and you probably had to sell 50 tickets at $20 a clip out of the band’s pocket)

  • I played a show where the band before us pulled out a severed horse head and dildo and had sex with the neck hole and cleared the venue out and left pools of sickly blood everywhere.

    • pics or it didn’t happen!

      • Yeah i thought that but it was before every cunt had a camera on their phone. The good old days. Dont believe me ?, go fist yourself under water.

    • Watain?

  • One of the reasons my band just LOVES to go first, if there are several opening bands is that you can usually agree with the venue to show up like an hour early and take the setup slowly. Now, wrapping up after the set – yeah, always a stress. I usually try to put all of my shit in one pile and carry it away to pack somewhere off-stage. As for drums, if it’s a shared drumset, it can actually be a necessity to pack cymbals on stage – the next band will be using the same stands anyway. Rule of thumb – don’t be an asshole. Be considerate to the bands playing before and after you, do your stuff quickly, offer them help, if they’re running into unexpected issues.

    As for setup time, set turnover, etc, that couple of times I was involved in organizing gigs, I actually found it to be good for everyone to give bands plenty of time before and during the gig to set up their stuff. The crowd usually doesn’t mind, and it does improve performance and even allow you to have more time to figure out unexpected fuckups. So, as an organizer, you should focus on giving everyone as much time as you can allow, while as a musician you should minimize the time you actually take up. No gig plan survives contact with the bands and concertgoers – be ready to improvise and compromise.

  • It’s simple. Drummers listen up:

    -Have your shit assembled/ready to go BEFORE the previous band has even finished playing.
    -When you finish your set, immediately clear the stage for the next band by moving your drums off stage as quickly as possible and then you can take your precious time.
    -If you’re one of those douches who are like “wah wah wah, i don’t want anyone to steal my cymbals or stands or toms or snare…wah wah wah”, THAT’S WHAT YOUR OWN FUCKING EYES ARE FOR (as well as friends to watch your shit if you’re in a shady venue/area)….you don’t have to move that shit a mile away and out of site, just get the shit off stage to make room for the other band be/c that other is not gonna be (or should be) good to go assembled in shit and ready to put their shit on stage. If you have to move your shit off stage in a shady area like an ally or street….then have a friend or someone you know watch your shit as you’re bring it outside.

    -Don’t be a douche, ASSEMBLE for the previous band plays, get your shit off stage and then disassemble.

    • be/c that other *BAND is gonna be (or should be) good to go and assembled to throw their stuff on stage and play. Promoters/bar owners take notice of that shit. It doesn’t look good and it’s not courteous. In fact, it’s juvenile and annoying!

  • “Alright motherfuckers, blah blah motherfucker motherfucking yes. ALL you Motherfuckers blah blah. MOTHERFUCKERS ARE YOU MOTHERFUCKING READY.”

    You sound like an idiot.

  • When I play a show I’m normally the first person to get set up in my band and when I’m done I go around helping everyone else getting set up. We are done setting up and ready for a soundcheck at max 5 minutes after we get on stage. Keep in mind the drummer has a 7 piece kit with lord knows how many cymbal stands and accessories. And me and the rhythym guitarist have about the heaviest guitar rigs that you can take from show to show. Its not difficult when you’ve been doing it for so long.

  • Left off my favorite; When there are 5 bands on the damn bill, and the show is to start at 8. Start your damned set at 8 when you are the 1st band. Don’t be waiting around like a dick for more people to show up and start at 9:30 foir instance! This is cutting into time for the other bands, especially the headliner. And pushing everything back! When you have been lucky enough to open for a big name band, nothing endears you to them like making them and the people that own their albums and paid to see them (not you) wait to go on until 1 am.

  • I played in bands for years. I have no idea why local bands do what they do. All the chatter all the time. When you play on a show with nationals there is no reason to say “thanks for coming out to support us” because chances are everyone wants you to get the fuck off the stage so they can see the band they came to see. I also don’t understand this new trend where every show has to have 3-5 local openers. No one wants to see those bands. If I want to see a local band I’ll go to a local show. If there is a local band on a national tour date, they better be the best local band within 50 miles of the venue.

    To touch on the change overs, if you don’t get your ass off the stage (especially on national shows) you are an inconsiderate asshole. Every band on the bill (especially the nationals) pretty much want to kill you. These guys are tired, they just want you to play and get the hell off the stage and keep the show on track because they have to drive 5+ hours to the next city. So have some respect and take your shit off the stage quickly and then go be a prima donna.

    • “I also don’t understand this new trend where every show has to have 3-5 local openers. No one wants to see those bands. If I want to see a local band I’ll go to a local show. If there is a local band on a national tour date, they better be the best local band within 50 miles of the venue.”
      Looks like the only prima donna here is you

    • The reason there are local bands on the bill is because they’re the guys and girls paying for those national acts to come through your town. Promoters have taken to a pay-to-play business model to reduce their own financial risk and to take money on both sides of the deal. The bands usually front anywhere from $500 to $1000 each for the opportunity to play. They are given tickets to sell to make their money back. They usually don’t. Bands in that position typically operate at a loss. Then the promoter keeps everything taken from the door. It’s pretty shitty. The moral to the story is, if there’s a local opener on a show you want to see, ask them for tickets. They’ll be cheaper than at the door and you’re actually helping your local scene.

      Also, sorry for the late reply…

  • Everybody chill the fuck out. you’re not more important than any other band. That’s Bullshit.

  • This almost feels like a collection of bedroom musicians having a whine

  • You know what I do to cut down on time needed to get my kit off stage? I don’t pack some pretentious thirty piece drum kit like all you mid-life identity crisis metal “musicians.” You’re in an unsigned band that will break up in six months at most; no one gives a fuck about how many toms are in your rolls.

  • In my experience playing shows like these, you people help the previous band move their gear off stage. The person sitting there rolling their eyes and judging is the classless one. It’s a local show…it’s supposed to be a cluster-fuck. That’s part of the charm of it. You think you’re entitled to something because you’re playing later in the set?
    Get over yourself and just have a good fucking time. We’re all crap, that’s why we’re playing local shows!

    • Exactly! This has been my experience as well. Never seen this much hate between bands at a real show. We all help each other, talk to each other, and if it takes a bit longer we all bear the responsibility and nobody gets pissy. I don’t know where all this selfish hate is coming from but if I find out I’ll be sure not to play there.

    • No, actually we’re not crap. Society is crap for not recognizing greatness. I don’t know what music you play so I can’t speak for you, I guess, but I can honestly say that playing local shows is not a sign of being lousy. Most famous bands are low quality, as are most unknown bands; and within each commercial category there are gems, mediocres, and dung-heaps. I just laugh at and pity the poor fools who prefer their sing-along songs over my fine musical art.

    • Yeah, no. Don’t touch my shit unless I ask you to. Especially my amp because I know you’re not going to put it down gently, you’re going to smack it down in a corner breaking every single fucking tube. You’re also going to move that head while forgetting to plug out the speaker lead, breaking the jack. You’re also going to drag my cables off stage and throw them in a pile where I can take 8276198 years trying to untangle them.

      Of everyone in the building, *I* am the quickest at getting my rig off the stage because I know it inside out. Just get out of my way and help the bassplayer move his cab before you help me move mine.

      It takes me 3 minutes max to get shit on, 2 minutes to get it off. Provided no one gets in my way. Afterwards help the drummer move shit. Whole band can be out in 5 minutes tops.

  • I remember a gig back in 09, some kids who got on a show with my band were shit talking with their “fans” about my band. After we set up our gear at the auditorium, they asked if they could borrow All of our gear. They didn’t bring a single piece of equipment to the show! So, I told them no. They didn’t like that and proceeded to shit talk even more. Pfft….rockstars..

  • Apart from the first point (as I think out of the few hundred shows we play about 2% allow for your own stands due to shared drums and hardware) absolutely spot on.

    We have banners, drums breakables, guitar stuff and bass stuff and we are usually ready a long time before the sound guy!

  • Can we add no drum solos while the engineer is placing mics on the kit?

  • i like how its directed at drummers hahaha but seriously its one thing to care about your gear but if it means so much that you have to wipe it down and give it a rimjob before you put it away, you probly shoulda left it in your rehersal space at home. believe it or not, alot of venues are cramped for time and have to follow noise ordinances as well (especially hosting metal shows).

  • as a drummer and a sound engineer, this is spot on. i have a 5 piece fusion kit, with a cymbal per drum on three stands, and I typically get my shit set up and off the stage before anyone in my band. as a sound engineer, people who do the things in this post only make my job harder and more stressful. It’s not my job to pick up your 7 beers you decided to have during your set because you spilled 5 of them. I crack the whip at bands who don’t set up or break down fast, because not only does the next band have to bust ass to set up, so do I to get a decent sound check in. When i see a drummer breaking down on stage, i run up there and yell at him to get the fuck off, move his shit, and take his own sweet time breaking down on the side of the stage. I’ve even yelled ay my own bandmates for wrapping cables on stage. These are all things I absolutely DO NOT put up with.

    • Some people have said bad things about you, but you’re alright in my book, Charles Manson.

  • Drummers whine about people making fun of them and calling them stupid but when you do crap like this, you should expect it. No one cares how fast you can take your stuff apart, we want it off the stage. That applies to EVERYONE in a band. Get stuff moved and clean your crap up (bottles, etc etc). Don’t take time to wrap chords or anything like that unless it is a necessity. If you’re worried about thieves, ask a bro to watch your junk.

  • Rocking up to gigs just expecting that you can borrow gear from other bands. Then asking the sound tech about it.

    Wandering away before sound check before doors open as well is another hate.

  • Everyone forgets about us in the back, the ones who are the driving force behind the sound:
    The engineer needs to get the stage set up for the next band, so yea,
    the quicker you get off stage the quicker the engineer can set up the
    other bands shit, put the mics in their proper spot, do a quick sound
    check, and get the show rolling. It’s not just about the bands. Sound
    Engineers need to get the show rolling, so when you have people standing
    all over the stage while you’re trying to move quickly and get things
    in order, you now have to weave in and out of 7 extra people, try not to
    knock their shit over as they wrap their cables and pack their cymbals,
    etc… You can’t set up mics for the next band if their instruments
    aren’t up there. It should take ~7 minutes to get the stage cleared,
    another 7-10 minutes to set up the next band, and 3-5 minutes to do a
    sound check before the next band sets foot on stage. Those are estimated
    times, and usually it has to be a lot quicker.

  • Wow, so much hate. I’ve played shows for years and never seen bands hate each other like this. “You took two extra minutes! Fuck you!” A local band opening for a nationally touring act and making the show run late I can maybe understand, but I’ve never seen that happen. And to you people who say “nobody wants to see your shitty local band anyway”, how closed-minded do you have to be? I thought metal was a genre not based on popularity? All those bands you love started out that way. Now yes, %90 of local bands are generic but still I give them all a chance. A lot aren’t striving to become big, they just want to play the genre of music they love and have fun. No need for the hate. Most of it is jealousy. Most metal fans are musicians themselves and hate to see others starting to do well. I’m just glad bands I’ve played haven’t acted so stuck up and self-important and fans I’ve seen (apart from the occasional drunken assholes) have been pretty open minded and receptive to a band they’ve never heard of before that night.

  • So, your five complaints, boiled down are:
    Time’s up-you’re off the stage (x3), don’t take my cords and don’t hog the merch table. I’ve never had a problem at the merch table myself, but those other two are pretty annoying.
    My personal experience would lead me to give the following five tips to new bands
    1. Keep the stage volume low and let the sound guy (and the PA system) do his (its) job.
    2. Act crazy on stage, act professional off stage.
    3. Be on-time starting and stopping. (Being prepared to play extra when the following act doesn’t follow this advice is a good idea, in my book, but never muscle over into someone else’s time unless they are clearly not ready)
    4. Don’t start shit with the audience nor with the venue employees. This goes along with tip #2.
    5. Bring a spare (ideally two spares) for every cord. If you use active electronics or wireless, bring spare batteries. Also bring spare strings.

  • My buddy summed it up best: “My thoughts are always this: treat the show like a one night stand, get in there, introduce yourself, perform as hard and fast as possible, then get the eff out before anyone starts crying or asking questions.”

  • So, a headlining act can’t have their crap spread out across multiple tables? o.O

  • THE BUTTHURT IN THIS THREAD CANNOT BE CONTAINED!

  • the first one must be an American thing, in UK the cymbal stands are shared and never leave the stage, as is the kit….. the other three – people who cant tell time or read a watch!! 30 mins is 30 mins!!

  • Im a complete noob to all this. I have played live before but either it was completely unprofessional (dive bar where 80% of the 40 strong crowd were waaaay underage. Like 14-16) or we used the same gear (like everyone used pretty much the same drum setup and cymbals, same amps with our own pedals. I used a RP1000 and literally just ripped off stage after). Most of these being for school stuff (Largest crowd I played to was like 250 snot nose brats for as we were providing music for a theatrical performance. I’ve played in a similar setting around 40-50 times) I was wondering if any of you could help me out with tips for real live shows so I don’t look like a complete twat when I eventually do some more serious gigs. Thanks.

  • Chris:
    Please take this photo down,toy are using it without permission.Gary Kessler

  • Chris:
    Please take this photo down you are using it without permission

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