Be prepared:
Make sure you have an extra set of strings (or two) in case you break a string (changing strings the day of the gig will help keep that from happening, but it does happen sometimes and with no warning). If one breaks near your break time, take a break and change it. If it happens near the start of a set, it's good to be able to change it on the fly while you chatter on engagingly--although that's a skill that takes some practice. Don't try it if you don't think you can pull it off. Worth working on, though.
Make sure you have some spare instrument and mic cables in case one goes bad on you.
If some of your equipment needs batteries, make sure you've got back ups.
Keep a good heavy duty extension cord and a power strip in you gig bag if you have to plug things in. You never know where the power source will be.
Try and have some short anecdotes to tell about your songs or some bits of banter to use. This is especially helpful if you have to pause to tune.
If you're using an amp, make sure that you can at least tilt it upward (some, like the Genz Benz 60LT have a tilt-back cabinet. Others like the DS-4 have a tilt leg that you have to install). But it's even better if you can get the amp up off the floor altogether onto an amp stand or a keyboard stand, chair or piano bench, what-have-you. This will help disperse the sound better. Obviously, if you go the small PA route, you'll have your speakers up on speaker stands. And you won't need to worry about this if you're going into the PA, but a tilt up will still be good if you're using your amp as a monitor. Some amps have a hole in the bottom that makes them speaker stand mountable. A nice feature.
If you're using the amp as your main sound reinforcement, put it to your side, not right behind you (unless you can put it WELL back behind you). Tilted up at your feet can work if you're standing and the amp isn't facing directly up into the pickup pattern of the mic. At low, stage monitor volume, behind you can be fine and depending on the pickup you have might be preferable to tilted up in front of you. Your body and gutar will shield the mic and the amp may not be loud enough to feed back though your mic anyway. But at higher, room-filling volumes, that all changes. Try and find a place to practice where you can play around with your amp and mic placement at realistic gig-level volumes.
Make sure you have water with you in something that is not too likely to spill.
Make sure you have MORE songs that you THINK you can play in your time slot.
Try and vary your set list choices to whatever extent you can (happy tunes, sad or intense ones; fast ones and slow ones; don't play everything in the same key or in the same positions if you can; if you can do both, try to alternate between strumming and fingerpicking--and that can be done either from tune to tune or in the same tune, depending on how you play and how advanced your skill set is).
Try and relax and think about making the music and putting it out there inn the room, not about the fact that everyone is looking at you--or that no seems to be paying attention to you at all while they talk amongst themselves and order their drinks.....
Try and go by the venue sometime before the gig to get a sense of the space and what you'll need to bring and do once you get there. And get there early for the gig.
You might think about having some simple business cards printed up to give to anyone who shows any interest. Every gig can lead to others.
Louis
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