So you had a bad show. It happens, often. Maybe you hit some wrong notes on guitar. Perhaps your vocals weren't as great as they usually are. Maybe you were having a bad day or the sound system was poor. Maybe the audience response wasn't quite the arena-style crowd roar you expected. Or, worst of all, you just weren't getting along with your band mates. It happens, often.
I tour and travel full-time with the love of my life, my wife. We live together, work together, perform together, and spend just about every hour of every day together. We average 150 shows annually. We don't always get along perfectly! haha! We have many great shows. We have average shows. And, we have a handful of shows each year where we are just not meshing. It happens.
The good news is that 95% (maybe more) of your audience will never know any difference... and they don't need to. Bad shows are part of the business. Much like a professional athlete, professional musicians are often judged to only be as good as their last performance. Everybody has a bad day. Everybody gets sick every now and then. Everybody does not always get along well with others. It happens.
Here are some tips to help you ride out the stormy days and make the best of bad situations.
1. Do not, EVER, apologize or devalue your performance. As artists, we are our worst critics. We are emotionally intertwined with our performance and therefore can never be completely objective. Remember this: A show is never as bad as we perceive it to be. The audience does not know all of the crap going through our heads as we just can't seem to hit the right note. In fact, fans may think it's the best show ever. Don't take that away from them! Don't make matters worse by apologizing, holding your head down, and acting like you just lost your dog. Hold your head high, know that you did the best you could at the time and move forward.
2. Don't argue with band mates on stage. I am guilty of breaking this rule. We've had some righteous arguments 'behind the mic,' usually having nothing to do with music - Love & marriage! ;) - Now, it's a great feeling to think there is an invisible barrier at front of stage and nobody knows what you're saying under your breath. Maybe they don't. But, the negative energy is felt by others. Showtime is showtime. Keep arguments off the stage.
3. Focus on your performance, regardless of audience response. Sure, we all love screaming crowds, clapping and shouting our names, treating us like the Rock Gods we see in our heads... And when that happens it's a great feeling. Everybody performs well when the audience is lively and responsive. However, if you want to go the distance in the music business, you better learn to perform with a smile in adverse situations. Folks won't always clap. Heck, they won't always smile. Or, they may love your music and performance, but just prefer to talk with a long lost friend. Don't take audience response so personal. The world does not revolve around you, even at your shows. Be confident in your performance and learn to dance in the storm.
4. Video record shows and LEARN the lessons. Life's a journey. We learn every day. Setbacks and sour notes are part of the process. We record most of our shows and watch them to learn. We build on our good notes and learn from the bad ones. It can be painful sometimes to watch a poor performance and relive it. However, sometimes that's the best way to move beyond it and learn to avoid that situation again in the future. Some of the strongest parts of our show, and some great songs, have been inspired by lessons learned from mistakes made.
LIVE music is just that... LIVE. It's life and unexpected things can, and will, happen. The beauty of music lies is the creation, the moment, the experience. The magic is still there, regardless of your personal emotions during the process. Do not take away the priceless joy that moment holds for another by apologizing and devaluing it. Even really bad days are still pretty damn good when you're following your heart and doing what you love. Never forget that and keep on rocking'!
~Heath
I tour and travel full-time with the love of my life, my wife. We live together, work together, perform together, and spend just about every hour of every day together. We average 150 shows annually. We don't always get along perfectly! haha! We have many great shows. We have average shows. And, we have a handful of shows each year where we are just not meshing. It happens.
The good news is that 95% (maybe more) of your audience will never know any difference... and they don't need to. Bad shows are part of the business. Much like a professional athlete, professional musicians are often judged to only be as good as their last performance. Everybody has a bad day. Everybody gets sick every now and then. Everybody does not always get along well with others. It happens.
Here are some tips to help you ride out the stormy days and make the best of bad situations.
1. Do not, EVER, apologize or devalue your performance. As artists, we are our worst critics. We are emotionally intertwined with our performance and therefore can never be completely objective. Remember this: A show is never as bad as we perceive it to be. The audience does not know all of the crap going through our heads as we just can't seem to hit the right note. In fact, fans may think it's the best show ever. Don't take that away from them! Don't make matters worse by apologizing, holding your head down, and acting like you just lost your dog. Hold your head high, know that you did the best you could at the time and move forward.
2. Don't argue with band mates on stage. I am guilty of breaking this rule. We've had some righteous arguments 'behind the mic,' usually having nothing to do with music - Love & marriage! ;) - Now, it's a great feeling to think there is an invisible barrier at front of stage and nobody knows what you're saying under your breath. Maybe they don't. But, the negative energy is felt by others. Showtime is showtime. Keep arguments off the stage.
3. Focus on your performance, regardless of audience response. Sure, we all love screaming crowds, clapping and shouting our names, treating us like the Rock Gods we see in our heads... And when that happens it's a great feeling. Everybody performs well when the audience is lively and responsive. However, if you want to go the distance in the music business, you better learn to perform with a smile in adverse situations. Folks won't always clap. Heck, they won't always smile. Or, they may love your music and performance, but just prefer to talk with a long lost friend. Don't take audience response so personal. The world does not revolve around you, even at your shows. Be confident in your performance and learn to dance in the storm.
4. Video record shows and LEARN the lessons. Life's a journey. We learn every day. Setbacks and sour notes are part of the process. We record most of our shows and watch them to learn. We build on our good notes and learn from the bad ones. It can be painful sometimes to watch a poor performance and relive it. However, sometimes that's the best way to move beyond it and learn to avoid that situation again in the future. Some of the strongest parts of our show, and some great songs, have been inspired by lessons learned from mistakes made.
LIVE music is just that... LIVE. It's life and unexpected things can, and will, happen. The beauty of music lies is the creation, the moment, the experience. The magic is still there, regardless of your personal emotions during the process. Do not take away the priceless joy that moment holds for another by apologizing and devaluing it. Even really bad days are still pretty damn good when you're following your heart and doing what you love. Never forget that and keep on rocking'!
~Heath