Any pre gig routine?

Larry

"Uncle Larry"
I don't have a routine per se, as I usually have no extra time. However I do try, on the ride to the gig, to think of one thing I will try and do that night. Like for instance I will say to myself..."Tonight I am really going to try and read the leaders mind on a higher level than I default to." I try and be there mentally for him, working towards 100% of the time. Of course I can't do 100% but it's good to set that goal. Like if he looks back, I want to be fully aware of that the second it happens. I want to lock eyes the moment he glances back, so he knows I got his back. Sometimes I realize it too late, and I think...I should have been more mentally present. It's hard because I try and get to my happy place when I play and sometimes that is at the expense of my conscious mind.

On nights when I forget to set a mini goal, that's what I try to avoid. Things always seem to work out better when I am actively engaged instead of running on autopilot. So my routine is to make a playing goal that night.

Got routine?
 
my ride to the gig, I go over my gear list constantly. stick bag, cymbals, pedals etc... drives me crazy. also I have to listen to some good rock music, nothing soft or too pop. and I stress like hell about getting there and setting up. once the kits finished and its go time I can feel the stress melt away, and the beer starts to taste better too.
 
Yup - no matter how comfortable or relaxed I am I still find myself visiting the urinal at least once in the gap between the last band and our set.

I use the journey to stretch out my legs!

Well, you did ask.......!
 
A nap. 30 to 50 min, depending on how tired I am. I work for myself, day job, so fortunately I can be flexible. It really makes the night time feel fresher.
 
A nap. 30 to 50 min, depending on how tired I am. I work for myself, day job, so fortunately I can be flexible. It really makes the night time feel fresher.

Krampus, I like your name. No one in the US knows what Im talking about when I tell them about the Krampus
 
I (figuratively) turn on a switch when the music starts, and go from there. No warm-up, no personal pep talk, I just play. That's not to say I'm overly-confident, or jaded, or that I don't look forward to playing, or that I regard playing as going to work. I just transition easily from whatever I'm doing, to playing, and back again. I don't get into a "zone" or anything.

Bermuda
 
Drive there, set up, play. Nothing more, nothing less. (oh ... quite often, piss and moan about the patrons in the way while I'm trying to load in....)
 
I usually try to listen to something on the way to the gig that is inspiring to me. Something with great drum parts (duh) or great groove, or both. I don't need it to fire me up, but it does seem to set the mood.
 
Nothing really other than staying relaxed. The one thing I won't do is;

- show up late or too close to playing time. I hate moving gear, setting up, sound check and play. With no break before playing - I'm just too wound up or tired or anxious because of the close call. I like to have at least a half hour or more to relax grab a drink maybe a bit of a stretch..and then calmly make sure everything is in place.

- having a nap was mentioned.. but be careful with that - a 15-20 minute power nap can be refreshing if you are really burnt out. But a 30-45 minute nap can put you into a state of 'sleep inertia' where your body thinks it's gone to sleep and doesn't fully wake up... so it can make it hard to remember changes (deer in the headlights!) and think ahead etc.

- also taking gear inventory was mentioned on the ride to the gig.. I do that before I leave (as most of my stuff is already packed and ready to go). I also count all the bundles of stuff I need to carry.. usually about 10-14 packages. Good to know if you have people helping you load-in/out as sometimes a 'package' can wander off mysteriously thanks to an overzealous helper..(still smarting from the helper that walked off with a few cymbal stands!)
 
Nothing really other than staying relaxed. The one thing I won't do is;

- show up late or too close to playing time. I hate moving gear, setting up, sound check and play. With no break before playing - I'm just too wound up or tired or anxious because of the close call. I like to have at least a half hour or more to relax grab a drink maybe a bit of a stretch..and then calmly make sure everything is in place.
Pretty much sums it up for me too. Our setup is fairly heavy duty if we're running our own show, so I like to get in early, setup way ahead of time, & make sure we soundcheck before the audience start filling the venue. I almost always want to take a sit down meal prior to the show too.
 
I warm up a little bit before every show but apart from that, nothing really.....I just go with the flow......Drive there, setup, have a couple of beers and minutes before the show I do a recap of the mistakes from the last gig so they don't happen again.
 
OMG I rarely get any time before a gig. I'm still adjusting cymbals in the first few song breaks. If it's a new place I've never been to then I will get there a little earlier, but rarely do I have more than a few minutes. I arrive between 45 minutes and 1 hour to start time. Oh and I do wear a pair of lucky underwear that I never wash lol.
 
My routine involves cursing and swearing that I need to move this stuff and then drag it all back home again when I'm done. Then talking to myself promising I'll never take another gig again....
 
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Pre gig routine:

1. Find the gig.

2. Down a couple of scotch and waters.

3. Try not to fall off the drum throne.
 
No set routine really. Show up early. Set up. Play.

I don't want to get caught up in a routine that would cause anxiety if i couldn't complete said routine. On the ride to the gig, i prefer to listen to music different than what will be played at the gig. I will do a few singles and doubles here and there beforehand but no set routine.
 
and I stress like hell about getting there and setting up. once the kits finished and its go time I can feel the stress melt away, and the beer starts to taste better too.

I am a ball of stress ALL DAY until we start playing the first song. My appetite sucks at lunchtime and early dinner before show (and as a bodybuilder, I usually eat a LOT.)

I am super-stressed setting up everything. Of course my drums are the main thing, but I also am the sound/light guy for my band as well, so I have to get some of that set up and double-checked as well. And we're just a basement-talent band that has been VERY fortunate to get regular gigs but it's still stressful.

Once we get EVERYTHING set-up and soundchecked and everything seems to be fine, I'll have a beer and finally start to relax a bit. But it's all worth it when you start playing and hear the applause. From all 5 people.....kidding. Maybe.
 
Eat eat eat! Nothing is more detrimental to a good show than having the energy to do so. Something healthy and light, and no drinking of any booze at all. That was about the only "ritual" so to speak. Everything else was done as needed for the show/venue.
 
Ideally finish set up with enough time left to relax a bit and enjoy a cold one. Not always possible depending on the venue. Nothing worse than counting off the first tune immediately after load-in and set up. No warm up routine as the first song or two should loosen things up. Back in my marathon days, I always wondered about the runners who woul warm up with a pre-race run, as if you can't get loose during a 26.2 mile run. Never saw the need to hit a practice pad before a gig but many guys swear by it.
 
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