Rock Stars! I really hope you enjoyed this video. I also hope these 7 tips will help you on your first gig. Don't forget to comment below and tell me about your pre-gig checklist, your best live show or even your worst. It's all about learning from each other!

Thanks Sage, you are spot-on with all of your steps. My first live gig was 2 months ago, it went so well that I was asked back this month (yesterday as a matter of fact), My "Real Job" prior to retiring and becoming a guitar player was as a "Public Speaker" for a major software company. I've spoken at over 50 conferences, 100 conventions, and was the Keynote Speaker 6 different times. I have to say that it's the best job in the world (except for playing guitar for an audience - that is more fun than I've ever had "working"). What makes the difference between a great public speaker and a "not-so-great" public speaker is everything you mentioned. And the biggest items are: 1) Practice, practice, practice; and 2) Rehearsal "Dress-like" - where there is no stopping, no "do-overs", no "Mulligans" haha. While I was speaking In front of a large audience once I was using the term "Best Practices" and I used this term quite often depending on the topic I was speaking on. One time, in front of some 500+ people, I said "Breast Practices" - I didn't even know that I said it, everyone started laughing (with 500 people / that made 1,000 "breasts). I really didn't know what happened, until the "Master of Ceremonies" walked across the stage to tell me what I did - Wow, did I feel like running out the door, instead I laughed with the audience and apologized to everyone there and told them that I had a fear that such a failure could happen some day - and it did. Luckily, it never happened again, thank the Lord. I also always warmed up my mouth, throat, lips by saying tongue twisters. Saying the alphabet as fast as I can, and even Singing scales - because speaking is just like singing, you just don't have a Fender Stratocaster to hide behind 😅 Thanks so much for your tips, I hope that everyone reads them and takes them to heart. You cannot practice too much, and getting through the times where you go "brain dead" is something you will have to deal with sooner or later - hopefully you do it during "Dress Rehearsal" and not in the middle of a real gig. Thanks again. Talk to you soon, Greg

I am 21 and have just picked up the guitar, after having it sit in my room for 5 years. you will be my master (or my sage), I think your teachings are all very valuable (and not just valuable but encouraging.) Love, from England.

Been taking in all your advice and tutorials for nearly a decade.. I’ve played a few solo gigs, I truly appreciate you..

I was in a coffeehouse band for about eight years and played hundreds of gigs with them. Then I worked my way into filk circles and doing hour-long parody song shows at local science fiction conventions, and I built a small following from those. For the last couple of years, I've shifted to an acoustic focus, have made a bunch of TikTok videos and built a modest following there, and have been hitting the open mics, playing mostly folky fingerpicking stuff. I've been writing some songs and trying to learn songs that people don't play very often. (Being able to fingerpick helps a LOT to differentiate my sets from other players, I've found.) I've also been working on building confidence in my vocals. Last month, all of that finally started paying off. I went to a local open mic that's always so busy that they have to do a lottery for who gets to play, and I got a low number. I played three songs. I started with "Fire and Rain," then tuned down to Drop-D and played "Rocky Mountain High," (a full step lower than the original), and ended with a little-known Dan Fogelberg song called "Nature of the Game" in Double-Drop-D. I play all of them fairly accurately to the originals, and I had the crowd from the first few notes of "Fire and Rain," then held onto them through the rest of the set. Immediately after I got off stage, the bar manager came over and offered me a two hour "New Artist Spotlight" gig in October (no pay, but I do get a bar tab), so I have plenty of time to work up my set list and practice the hell out of it. If that goes well and I bring enough people in, I may get a paying weekend gig at that same bar. I've got my fingers crossed! One thing I do that helps is that I put together an online playlist of all the songs I want to do (recordings of me performing them, when possible) and I play nothing but those songs when I'm driving anywhere. That way, I get the set list and lyrics in my head and I can practice singing. Even though I have hundreds of hours of playing live under my belt, I'm still nervous, but the ideas in this video will help me ground and pull off a great show (I hope!)

I will never play in front of anyone else I suspect, but I admire you for helping those with aspirations to do so!

Hi! Thanks!! I have played with a band for four or five years now, but currently I am starting my personal musical project and that means playing and singing alone! It is terrifying as well as exciting and fulfilling. So far I have brought someone with me, a musician at least, but sooner than later I will be alone in some of my performances. I totally agree with everything you mentioned. And of course, we will make mistakes but life goes on!!! It is just so big in our minds. Let's keep believing in ourselves, practicing and getting better. But above all, let's enjoy!!!

Great stuff. Played two gigs in my life time with others. We had several practices. It helped playing with a professional guitar musician and who was my guitar teacher. And your right. It was blast.

Perfect! Those 7 things I try to do every time! Thanks for sharing those things!

Thanks Eric. That's very good information. Another great lesson !

"An amateur rehearses until they get it right. A professional rehearses until they can't get it wrong." - Julie Andrews (and many others)

In the key of Awesome advice

Let it go!!! 😅 Love this. ❤ I agree …know each song…. Practice … Practice!!! Thanks Erich 🎵🙏🎵🎸

Too Cool!

I love you dearly

You'd never make it in a jam band with this advice. Good musicians can play without all that rehearsal and set lists? Maybe a guide of songs to play with one leader. Otherwise great advice overall

Back in the 80s we had our set list so memorized that we would just be on auto pilot, all gakked up on cocaine and beer. I wouldn't recommend that method.