I've only ever worked professionally as a producer, never an entertainer. I've made a lot of tracks on my own though.
That being said, I would really like to perform on stage. I'm so used to being behind the scenes, but I am about to move to a new city and I feel so intimidated because it will just be me and my girlfriend. Any tips on how I could make the experience a little less scary?
BTW i will not have any live instruments in my sets unfortunately because my beats are all made with synths and samples (i own the rights to all of which), and I dont know any instrumentalists where I will be moving. I'm so scared of bombing, but I feel like I need to nut up and do it if I'm gonna pursue music.
just looking for some help.

Thanks
Ryan

 

in case anybody is wondering this is the music i would be performing:
Stream Hazey music | Listen to songs, albums, playlists for free on SoundCloud

 

First, some more common advices

1. Remain Calm – Do Breathing Exercises. Take some time before you go onstage to do deep breathing exercises. ...
2. Avoid Caffeine. ...
3. Be Prepared. ...
4. Be Positive. ...
5. Find A Friendly Face. ...
6. Stand with Confidence. ...
7. Do some Stretches or Yoga. ...
   

https://www.howtobecomeaprofessionalsinger.com/10-tips-overcoming-stage-fright-singing/

But with a new city nobody knows you
that's good, no one has wrong perception about you.

And a bit of a "who gives an f... attitude" helps also. (took me years to get there )

Learn from the big guys.
Slipknot calls their fans Maggots .... Who gives an f... what a maggot think
or the Nirvana statement

or

 

The fear arises because it is a new environment, your head needs some time to re-store the new environment in its brain. For you it is a new phase of life and unfortunately we let ourselves be guided by fears instead of looking forward to the new possibilities, there are many new things to discover and after a while you will feel safe and secure. Humans are very adaptable and something will happen.

Think positive - it's a new challenge and problems need to be solved. You can do it.

 

Seriously...
Have sex before!

 

I remember my first live performance very well. About 15 years ago. As lead singer and guitarist for a rock/blues band.
I was terrified for weeks before, but when I got up there on the stage and rigged up my stuff, I found I was surprisingly calm... I just did what I needed to do before the show, the audience grew and I could see they looked forward to it, they simply assumed we knew what we were doing. And it worked out fine!
Just get out there and do it. And when it's over, you 'll go - 'Hey that wasn't so bad after all! When's the next gig?'

 

Practice! Practice your whole show from start finish and be confident in what you do. The more confidence you have, the less frightening your performances will be. Also, think about how you will interact with the crowd. Remember there is a difference between being a good musician/singer and being a good entertainer.

 

if you've never done this before your first attempts are going to be mainly one thing: different than you expect. things will feel different thank you think, some things you were afraid of might turn out to be no big deal, and some stuff that you never expected to be a problem could end up becoming big problems. start small and go through the experience. do it repeatedly and then eventually, you'll develop a feel for how things are on stage and about how 'you' feel like on stage.

and most importantly. messing up is no big deal in the long term, and in case something unexpected happens, stand up and try again. dare to fail. that's an important mindset to have IMO.

good luck

 

Nervous about performing...
Viagra

 

Well I wish I could help, but really just pay attention to your instruments/equipment, you will not notice the crowd until the third song or so. And then you're already in the groove. Then just keep on keepin' on.

Some people get help from a beer or two beforehand (as I should know, we played our first gig blind drunk), but go easy on that or any other chemical enhancement.

Best of luck!

 

As a drummer/(Backgroundsinger) I've played at hundreds of events.
From small pubs (where you can see all 15 people listening) to large stages in city centers
where you can only see the first 2 rows but don't recognize any faces.
Trying to remember my first one is difficult. At least 30 years ago, but somehow I survived.
And that's my message to you: you'll survive it. Whether it will be perfect or not performance-wise, a great success or not,
you will survive. And if there's is a little bit of a performer in you, you will start to love it.
Wherever I could I would seek contact with the audience. Let them know you are there for the same reason as they are.
You're not on that stage because of your ego (I hope) but to spread the love of music and how that impacts others who come to listen.
Regardless of genre.

Preparation is key so make sure you find a venue that suits the kind of music you'll be performing. Discuss this with the person who's booking you. To keep the pressure low maybe perform the first time for free or just expenses. It gives the venue the option to try a new artist and you be freed of the pressure from a real gig.
Without any live instruments, you are on your own. So technical preparations is another issue and technical failures should be eliminated as much as possible. Make a gear list. Make sure you have spares for essential cables etc.
Check out the venue physical. Do they supply lighting? Discuss power supply and backup in case of...... and make sure you have your own backup as well. Being a second laptop, hard drive, or whatever.

Oh and wait till you have settled in. Till you've found yourself a job, spoke to the neighbors, made some friends at the gym...... and then invite them to your first gig as mental support.

 

As some other people suggested already, be prepared is the most useful advice I guess, so you'll be confident on your skills. Other than that I think it helps if you think you'll be there doing what you love and people will be there just to have some fun while you do what you love. I mean, think you're all having a good time together, that way it's less stressfull and you'll be putting less pressure on yourself.

 

Oh, and a couple of practical tips: Be there early, the more time you have to soundcheck the better. And then make friends with the venue's soundperson. You'll be glad that you did.

But don't stress it, just get up there and make some noise!

 

Oops, I thought this was a sex thread!


But hey, same answer, right? Become confident with your ability to perform, and try and find the right audience to appreciate you. And then you will have fun!

 

Be so sober, you don't make a mistake at all
Or be so high, you don't know what the fuck is happening

 

There are people who have that gift: to perform on stage and do magic.
They are personalities with a miracle inside, they were born like this (and they know it), they know how to turn any place into a show, even if they are in line at the post office or at the grocery store.
They have" the performance" inside: It is an energy that flows and nothing and nobody can stop it, the superpower of generating strong empathy between the performer and the audience using art

Ask yourself this question and give yourself an answer: Do you have that energy?

1. Yes ---> your worries are just silly paranoia: just go on stage and blow up your joie de vivre
2. Maybe ---> Go to point 3
3. No ---> Forget the stage, it's not your natural place, it will only make you unhappy: do other things in your life

 

Maybe he falls asleep after it and misses the performance alltogether


Anyway i would just say, fuck those feelings and just do your thing

This advice always works:

 

Get stoned, problem solved.-