7 Things You Should Never Do On Stage
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When you play a gig and perform on stage, you have a massive opportunity to either:
– display your professionalism, build a stronger bond with your fans and make it far more likely you'll get more gigs that help you grow your career in the music business, or…
– reveal that you're still an amateur and are not yet ready to be a professional musician.
What makes the difference?
Answer:
Avoiding the crippling, reputation-killing mistakes I'll explain to you in this music industry article.
When you steer clear of the 7 things I'm about to explain, you'll not only help your audience (and your band) enjoy your performance more…
You'll also understand how to maintain your image and reputation off stage as well.
EARN A LOT MORE MONEY
PLAYING LIVE
EMAIL TO GET ACCESS
By submitting your info, you agree to send it to Tom Hess Music Corporation who will process and use it according to their privacy policy.
These are some of the insider music career secrets of the pros musicians pay me a lot of money to teach them in the Music Careers Mentoring Program to help them thrive in the music business and live the dream at a level most musicians only dream about.
First, I'll show you what the mistakes – that you should avoid when you perform on stage – are.
Then, we'll go deeper into each one and I'll show you 'how' to best avoid them …
… and explain how to apply what you learned to other parts of your music career.
Here are the 7 things to never do on stage:
Now, let's go deeper into each one:
Mistake #1 To Avoid When You Perform On Stage: Letting The Audience Control Your Enthusiasm
Not every crowd will be equally enthusiastic and energetic when you walk on stage.
But guess what?
Your job is to perform for the audience as if they are the greatest, most energetic fans on Earth.
You cannot let a lack of enthusiasm from the audience affect your energy and enthusiasm when performing.
You have to lead them, not the other way around.
Don’t get frustrated if/when the crowd isn’t responding to your show. Keep your energy and enthusiasm up. That’s what professional musicians in the music industry do. Amateurs get annoyed, embarrassed, demotivated and discouraged and then make the mistake of showing it.
Perform like a professional musician.
This, admittedly, is not always easy to do… but you can learn to do it via coaching, feedback on your live performances and training on your live show.
That is one of many things I help musicians with in the Music Careers Mentoring Program to help them build their careers much faster than they could by relying on trial and error.
That said, even if you're doing your best to perform with high energy, it's easy to fall into the next mistake, which is:
Mistake #2 To Avoid When You Perform On Stage: Drawing Attention To Mistakes
Everyone makes mistakes from time to time, but amateurs in the music industry reveal to everyone when they make them.
Professional musicians do not.
Perform like a professional musician.
Don’t talk about your mistakes. Don’t make strange faces. Don't display poor body language. Don't lash out at other band members. Don't do anything that communicates that you (or anyone else on stage) made a mistake.
Remind to yourself (and to your band) that most of your fans will not notice your mistakes.
So, the better you are at hiding the mistakes that do occur, the better your fans will think you played.
There are two great ways to improve this music industry skill. One is to practice playing through mistakes when you rehearse the music at home.
The other? It's to get a lot of gigs so you have a lot of practice playing through mistakes under pressure. This is, obviously, beyond the scope of this article, but it is something I can help you with in the Music Careers Mentoring Program. In the MCMP, I coach you on how to get more (and better-paying) gigs, so can build a successful career you can feel proud of.
Now that you know to avoid telegraphing your mistakes, the next mistake to avoid on stage is:
Mistake #3 To Avoid When You Perform On Stage: Treating A Live Performance Like A Rehearsal
Don’t have discussions with your bandmates in between songs ... PLAY!
Whatever needs to be discussed ought to have already been discussed during your band rehearsals.
These discussions do not belong on stage.
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Your fans – who are taking time out of their lives to come see you perform on stage – expect to hear music and to see a show. If they see your band huddled in a corner having a meeting, many will check out mentally… and some will become bored and leave the venue.
Make this clear to your other band members long in advance of the show, so they're aware of the consequences of this mistake (and know to avoid it as well).
Question: "But Tom Hess, how do I bring this up to the other band members if I'm not the band leader?"
Answer: If the band you're in is not open to constructive input on something that can help it get more gigs and become more successful – quit that band and either:
1. Start your own band where you're the leader.
2. Join a different band that takes its career in the music industry far more seriously. (You should research the band you're looking to join before you approach them to minimize your chance of wasting time and regretting your decision to join them down the road.)
Of course, the logistics of finding band members (if you're putting together your own band)… or joining the band you want to be in are far beyond the scope of this music industry article. But that is one of (many) things I can personally help you with in the Music Careers Mentoring Program.
Many of the musicians I've coached have become very successful in their local areas (getting lots of well-paying gigs). Quite a few others – like Tom S. from the Czech Republic – have toured all over Europe (and the world).
That said, even if your band is transitioning smoothly from song to song without idle chatter does not mean your fans are enjoying your live show if you're making the next music industry mistake, which is:
Mistake #4 To Avoid When You Perform On Stage: Looking Like A Statue
Don’t be boring by standing in one place as you play or sing.
Act like you want to be there. Perform as if you’re having a good time and make eye contact with the audience.
Pro tip: play for the back of the room. Any stage movements you do while playing or singing always look smaller to the audience than they feel to you. So, make the motions big enough to be seen (and felt) by the people in the back row.
This is where personal feedback on your live performances (and stage presence) can be extremely helpful for you as you grow your career in the music industry. (This feedback is one of many kinds of help I give to musicians I mentor to build successful music careers.)
But the mistakes I warned you about so far are quite tame compared to the next one that can truly wreck your reputation in the music business:
Mistake #5 To Avoid When You Perform On Stage: Putting Other People Down In Front Of Your Audience
Don’t criticize the venue, the sound or light technicians, the waitresses or the fans (!) from the stage.
This might sound crazy, but I've seen some bands do this. And the amount of damage this low-class behavior does to your reputation and relationships is difficult to put into words.
For one thing, nobody cares about your bickering with other members of the venue's staff (or your own team). Your fans are there to see a show and to have a good time.
For another, similar to mistakes in your band's playing, telegraphing issues your fans might not even be aware of only makes the experience of watching your show less enjoyable for them.
Next, of all the mistakes on this list, the one that makes me cringe the most has to be…
Mistake #6 To Avoid When You Perform On Stage: Complaining To Your Fans
Especially if this complaining takes form of petty, low-class reveals about how little you're getting paid for the gig. (Yes, this is also something I've seen many times in my years of playing in bands and working with musicians.)
Your fans have their own problems. They do not care about yours. They are watching your show to have a good time – not to hear you complain.
Besides, if you're unhappy with what you're getting paid for a gig, you have a lot of options to turn around this part of your music career, such as:
– bringing more people to your gig to negotiate higher pay with the venue or the booking agent
– making money on the back end of a gig (i.e. by selling so much merch to people at the venue that whatever you get paid by the venue for the 'gig' itself feels more like a rounding error).
– building your email list (which can partially happen at the gig itself). This gives you the ability to sell your offers to your fans in between gigs and make your music career so lucrative, you can afford to do gigs for free.
– having multiple streams of income (playing gigs, doing session work, music licensing, selling special meet ups with your band, selling VIP passes to your fans, doing affiliate marketing, etc.)
I can help you build these music career income streams by working with you directly in the Music Careers Mentoring Program.
For example, I once mentored a guitar player from Slovenia whom I helped make so much money with his teaching business, his band was able to tour the world and open up for huge acts like Scorpions and Nickelback. I coached and guided him every step of the way.
I helped many other musicians who had more modest ambitions (e.g. get more local gigs) reach their music career goals too.
But even if you avoid all the mistakes so far, there is one other error that can wreck your performance, drain you of energy and rob you of motivation to build your music career. And that mistake is…
Mistake #7 To Avoid When You Perform On Stage: Feeding The Trolls
Every live performer will occasionally get hecklers at their shows. When you come across yours, do not get into arguments with them from the stage.
Remember, your fans are not attending your gig to see you go back and forth with trolls (just like they are not there to hear you complaining and putting others around you down).
The best strategy here – similar to dealing with a low-energy crowd – is to keep performing your best. The rest of the audience (who are on your side) will likely boo the heckler out of the venue on your behalf… while you look more like a professional musician through it all.
Now that you know how to avoid crippling mistakes when you perform on stage, I want to show you how to use your increased live performance knowledge to 'get' more gigs and make a lot more money playing live. I show you how in my free eGuide: How To Get More Gigs And Earn A Lot More Money Playing Live. These are the secrets most bands don't know (which is why they struggle to get gigs). Download it today and discover the little-known (but powerful) strategies for getting all the gigs you can handle.
You now know a lot more about performing on stage like a true professional musician. But what this article can't do for you is work 'with' you on building your music career from where it is now to where you want it to be.
It cannot answer your questions and give you laser-guided solutions to your specific music career challenges. And it cannot give you in-depth feedback on your music career strategy, help you pre-empt mistakes and find shortcuts that help you become successful faster.
But I can do all that for you in my Music Careers Mentoring Program. In the MCMP, I show you how to reach whatever goals you have in the music business … I give you actionable assignments that build your career faster … and I talk to you 1-1 to help you through any challenges you're facing and help you overcome them with ease.
I've helped hundreds of musicians become successful pros in music and can help you too.
Go here to learn more about the Music Careers Mentoring Program and apply for mentoring.
