My Tips on Booking and Playing a Show

Performing a solo show can be incredible

There's a lot to prepare for when setting a up a show. Let’s say you have enough material to a play a show as a solo singer/songwriter and you're ready to start booking gigs. What are some of the things that you need do help make it a perfect bar gig? 

First, it's important to start making it easy for everyone you are working with, every step of the way of the show. You’re going to want to make it easy for the venue, anyone who is promoting your show, and for the people who are coming to your show. 

You may need to do some initial investments for gear, ranging from a moderate to very expensive budget, depending on how you approach it. I suggest having your own sound PA along with your guitar amps, microphone and stands. Along with all the microphone, guitar, and power cables you need. It’s great to have accessories like lights with color LED light bulbs, too. . Have everything that you would need to pop up with at the show. If you tell the venue all you need is a power outlet and place to play, you’re going it make it super easy for them to agree on a date.

It’s also good to have your own equipment, because it empowers you into full control of your own sound or not depending on the venue’s sound. Depending on someone else and their equipment can make things more stressful than it needs to be.

All that being said, a lot of larger venues have their own sound and would prefer to use their own sound person for every show they book. In this case, you’ll need to diversify your gear and you need to make it easy for a sound person to quickly connect to your equipment. I have a direct input box from my guitar pedal board, and a direct input for my microphone.

The show’s promotion is going to be the next investment. You’re going to need some recorded tracks of your music, some good photography of your act, and some kind of digital presence. All of this is going to make it easy for newspapers, radio stations, and social media listings to promote the show. Most of this promotion material can be do-it-yourself in the beginning.

You can ask a friend to record a video of your show, you can stage some artist shots. The higher quality a gig is, the higher quality material for promotion you need is. Though, there is no guarantee that your photos or songs will be getting any spin[3]  at all, but it’s always good to work available and up to date for when the opportunity occurs. You might end up getting really lucky; it could be a light news week and the editor or publisher might need your artist photo to fill up some room in the publication. If that’s the case, you’ve probably landed one of the best advertisements you could ever get, all because you made it easy for the publication by providing a high-quality photo for your show that they are listing. 

Now that you have your song material, music gear and promotion assets ready, you need to find a venue to give you a gig date to perform. In the case of my perfect bar gig, I've been playing there for years, and didn't really need to do that much to sell them on the show.  For argument’s sake, let’s say it was a new place for me. I would advise going to the establishment in person, and ask for the person who books the music. It's good to take advantage of being a local musician by going to the venue, instead of just reaching out an email or social media. It’s more personal, and it gives a sense of who you are. Usually you'll get the right information for an email or other appropriate contact information for the booker. It’s nice to say that you stopped for a lead in for a show pitch. 

This is where your recorded and online promotional material comes in handy. It will help prove that you are worthy to take over a night showcasing your fans, links to videos of other shows, and give some validity to your pitch. 

It’s really good to say is that you space out your shows. Who wants to host an artist who played across the street and had all their friends and promotion for that gig and somehow expect the same amount of attendance that same week?[4]  It’s not going to happen. Spacing out your performance in a particular area is good for not only your venue, but also for the development of your own project.  

You’ve got the gig. Congratulations. Now it’s time to prepare. What kind of place are you playing? In my case, it was a small bar gig . They did have a PA but, I had my own sound too. 

You are going to need to get to work on your material. I like to write my setlist well in advance. This way, I can practice new songs and rehearse the sets in their entirety to get a good sense of performance flow. New songs are going to need some time to perfect.

Now it's time to start planning to promote your show. Of all the people who you really want to impress, aside from your audience, is a house manager. This person is the one who cashes out the night and determines if it was a good night or not.[6]  This person is going to be the key for securing future gigs at the place, and will be talking to the booker to get you back again if you impress them.  

That being said, numbers talk, and getting people to a gig is extremely important. It doesn’t have to be a lot of people either. You need to help make it a good night for that particular venue. A small show like mine could use a variety of small groups who stick around for the entire show and end up with a good group bar tab. 

You can’t, and shouldn’t, depend on your friends as your only source of promotion. I learned that lesson during my KouseFly band days. Your friends will come out and support you but they're not going to go to every single show. You’re going to need to expand your reach. Besides that, you are going to want to be surprised when your friends are in the audience. You should focus making it a magical experience for them, rather than having them feel it's a requirement going to your show.  

I tend to book my shows out a month, or more, in advance. This helps gives me plenty of time to set up a good promotion schedule, and also plenty of time to prepare for the show itself. There are different methods of promoting a show. You may be releasing a large body of work, like an album. Or you might be playing a little Tuesday night show for a small venue that has a capacity of only about 50 people. Your promotion strategy needs to be realistic and match needs. In my case, it was a small Tuesday night show, so it needed to be the best small warm acoustic show that night in the town. 

Most weekly and daily newspapers have a submission form available online for you to enter in your event information dates times, and then a one-liner what the show is about. This is super important. I wouldn't ask a person who is really into hip-hop to come to my folk-rock show, but I would ask a person who into a chill night with friends, listening to some Dylan-style dude playing music in the corner. The show’s one-liner really needs to reflect on what your shows about and set up the right expectations.

A lot of a lot of the radio stations get their calendars from the weekly , but it's always good to reach out to a radio station when it's closer to time just in case.  

Since we are in the digital age, social media tools like Facebook and Instagram are great tools. I like to advertise my show lay down $10 to $20[9] . I'll choose a group of people that I think would be interested in an age group. Since I live in a tourist town, I advertise mostly to people who are in the area, but do not live here. This helps me both get new faces to the show, and from over-saturating my area. I let it roll until the time of the show, it has a nice photo.

From all the above, you're hitting the long-term planners are getting a last-minute let's go out on the town okay so you got your bases covered you're going to be in the newspaper, potentially get the show mentioned on the radio and you have a digital media advertising going.

Now, it's really about preparing and getting that show tight. I like to do some equipment checks during this time. Sometimes a cable will go out, or you may need new strings. It’s good to do a good round of gear checks to ensure things are in good enough shape to get you through the show.

It’s important to plan your shows properly with your family. Live music is your lifestyle, not your family’s lifestyle. Coordinate with your significant-other properly, communication is an important part of maintaining a healthy relationship with such a difficult schedule.. It’s best to coordinate, rather than having people you love upset for not showing up to a family event.

Always… Always show up to your show at least an hour before your show starts. You have a lot of gear to set up, especially if you are on your own, and you don't want to show up to the show the time you advertised your show to be playing. If you say Eight to Eleven that means you're playing music from eight to eleven. 

I joke sometimes that “It’s not the music business, it’s the moving business.” Moving all your equipment and getting everything looking pretty, followed up by setting up your lights and taping down tripping hazards. Not only are you removing show issues and stresses by getting things set up properly, you are also telling a good story to folks who are passing by. You are telling that person walking by that window that a professional musician setting up for a show could offer a good reason to get another person or group to come in. 

Your venue is going to appreciate an early set up also, it's not going to be as crowded if you show up an hour early. It’s a good to get to know the venue’s staff too.

Get a good sound check, and try to do it within a couple minutes of starting the show. Sound checks are a great advertisement of the show ahead. I’ve often seen people reach for their cell phones and call their friends to come out after a good sound check of mine. 

If you're playing a solo acoustic, you want to be at that level where you can hear your stuff, but can talk without screaming . You’ll want the sound to be consistent around the room. I have found a PA system to help me do that, but if you have an older PA system, you’ll have to do some tweaking with the mid and the lows to find the perfect mix for the room . 

Everything's done and the people are coming in.Finally, after all of that work, the show begins. It’s good to be prepared for dealing with loud, drunk people, especially for late night shows. People who are drunk and belligerent are going to be there, and your venue should know how to handle the issue. If things get out of hand, stop the show, and quietly ask the server for assistance. 

Also, (trying not to be too much of a lecturer here) don’t drink too much yourself. It's so easy to have a few before and between sets. Drinking is one of the Achilles heels of many musicians. It’s also tough developing a habit in general for drinking while performing. It’s okay if you can handle drinking, but if it starts to inhibit your performance, you may want to consider drinking more water instead. There will be plenty of beer left when you’re done with the show. 

Finally, the show's over. You’ve played all of your sets, and the crowd is super happy and satisfied. Now it's time to pack up everything…. This is a very important step. A lot of musicians feel the job is done after the last song. Well, it is if you have roadies. Not so much for the solo player. If you leave your equipment out in the open, you’re putting your equipment at risk. Pack it up with the idea in your head of“someone is going to steal my shit.” 

It’s also good to unplug and pack it up an as soon as you can to prevent those late-night drunks from wanting to play with your instruments. Trust me, they will ask.  

Strike down get equipment down packed out to your car.  I like to get out of there as fast as I can, as there are so many stories of gear getting stolen while the band is enjoying some after hour party time. The house manager is going to appreciate you packing up as well. You are helping them get ready to close their shop.

Last step is to ask the house manager for your payout. Hopefully you negotiated a good enough to pay out and they're happy. Collect your money and tips, and you're done for the night.