Any rituals/habits before performing?

[TeeJay410]

Just curious what little quirks everyone has for preparing for a performance. You can pick up on useful stuff from hearing what other people do.

I play lead guitar, so cold fingers are a bitch. A few minutes before I go on, I like to wash my hands in scalding hot water. And them dry them completely as soon as I can (if you don't dry all the way they just get cold again). Keeping the fingers warm keeps them limber.

Another thing if it's hot out, I'll dap my fretting finger tips and the curve in my left hand between the thumb and index with baby powder, so moisture won't slow down movement on the strings and neck.

[Izzy_Stradlin_XX]

I like to write symbols on my hand before going on stage. Normally the ZoSo symbol.

[sweetness]

I've heard of other guitarists doing the hot water over the hands thing before, I've never had the cold hands problem though which is really weird because I live in Michigan and I have a condition where my fingers lose circulation very easily in the cold.

My only ritual is 2-3 beers, depending on where we are in the lineup. That's usually all it takes to get me in the zone

[OmarBradley]

I play lead guitar, so cold fingers are a bitch. A few minutes before I go on, I like to wash my hands in scalding hot water. And them dry them completely as soon as I can (if you don't dry all the way they just get cold again). Keeping the fingers warm keeps them limber.

Yup, I do that. I always try to play at least for 20-30 minutes within an hour or two period before the show as well, as cliche as it sounds, I find that warming up really does help - I notice it when I'm practicing at home too. Other than that, I try not to eat too much the day of the show if it's a big/important gig.

[AxlisOld]

I don't eat much, have a couple drinks, and set up a stuffed Spongebob on my amp that Ive had every show I've ever played.

[Cosmo]

I turn on "Master Exploder" by Tenacious D and song along some lines. Mostly to break up the tension, too.

[Snake-Pit]

I don't like to drink alcohol and if I can I like to make my own dressing room because I haven't played anywhere and got given one, yet.

You'd find me most probably in the mens room getting changed, using the facilities, doing my hair and all of that.

[sweetness]

^this guy has never played a show in his life

[TeeJay410]

I don't eat much, have a couple drinks, and set up a stuffed Spongebob on my amp that Ive had every show I've ever played.

I actually do something similar. I have a small collection of horror movie and comic book action figures. I'll usually grab one and take it with me and put it on top of my amp. It's like a comfort object thing? I can't really explain it, band members think it's weird and maybe it is. I can't say it makes me play better but it makes me feel better.

[robin2002]

Depends on the scenario, but more often than not I'll just have a couple of drinks, go out and mingle with the crowd, have a smoke etc. Never really been one for finger exercises before a gig, but that's just me, everyone has their own routines.

[Powerage5]

- Write the setlists (Not always in the sense that I have to create the setlist, but I find comfort in physically writing them out I guess?)

- Have one beer

- Tune, warm up, etc. - on saxophone I tune my perfect intervals (Fourths, fifths, and octaves) against a base pitch. I never tune to an electronic tuner.

- When my ska band was still going the horn players would do our own thing for 10-15 minutes - we'd just play licks together. Not necessarily our own songs, one of us would just call out a song and we'd play through the licks if it was a song we all knew, and we'd figure out the licks if we didn't all know it. Can't really explain this one, other than maybe it got us in the zone and listening to each other.

[OmarBradley]

- Write the setlists (Not always in the sense that I have to create the setlist, but I find comfort in physically writing them out I guess?)

I like to print out set list sheets. Except they're completely different from the agreed upon set, and sometimes they're just pictures of funny internet stuff.

[DangerousCurves]

I eat Halls Honey Lemon cough drops like potato chips. Just keep popping them.

[Beat Poet]

There's four things I need to do or the gig may be ballsed up right from the start, so I make a note of the following on my snare head:

1) Flip the snare wires back on (when the band is soundchecking/arguing and I'm not required to play, I make use of the time by warming up with a practise pad on top of the snare, with the snares off to stop them rattling. A couple of times I've forgotten to put the snares back on for the gig, which gives me a nasty shock when we start the first song).

2) Plug my in-ears in (all my bands use backing tracks and if we come to the first song with a backing track and I've forgotten to plug them in, and have to stop playing in order to plug them in, it's embarrassing)

3) Place all the setlists round the stage (I'm the one elected to print them off, but it's so easy to forget to put them out, especially if you're headlining and your support is soundchecking after you. You just think "I'll just put them out when we go on" and then in the confusion just before showtime, it's easy to forget to put them out)

4) The singer in one of the bands uses a train whistle before Nightrain, which he has entrusted me to keep, but which also means I can't forget to leave it by the kick drum

[Snake-Pit]

A stupid ritual I might adopt that seems to get me in the zone is a dumb one;

It's basically the latter part of a 48 hour day.

Sleep deprivation seems to work for me; Though last time I did that and went on stage, I was part guitarist part MC/Talking like a stand up and seeing people I knew in the crowd and dedicating stuff to stuff; Practiced once like it and, was good; guitar wise. Health wise it's probably the dumbest sh*t ever.