Do you remember your first gig?

[Cecil6243]

Nothing to write home about but I was in a garage rock band with some friends in college in northeastern Michigan. Our first first gig was in front of about 500 people in a large dance hall. We played warm up for another more established band. The place didn't have the capacity for all the lights etc. and the power went out twice as we hit a crescendo of a song that started out slow. We finally cut some of the lights.

Although I played some guitar I was the lead singer primarily because no one else could sing other than the drummer who ended up being lead back up singer for Conway Twitty later on. He must have been a better singer than me.

I remember thinking thank God I over memorized the lyrics as it was a little unnerving seeing that many people out there.

At least I looked the part.



How about you?

[pieterh]

We did a youth club when we were teenagers. We knew nothing about playing live and sucked big time...!

We did covers of songs by The Police, Dire Straits and Teardrop Explodes amongst others as well as songs that the bass player had written (he’s gone on to have a career as a song writer...).

But we learned from it and got better. A bit...

[Kerbie]

Yeah, I was 14 and I got hired as the percussionist for my hometown city's community theater. It was a really cool place, one of the oldest in the country. I thought I had died and gone to heaven! Best job in the world for a kid. I was playing every night alongside professional musicians. Nothing like learning from the best! I had a blast.

[Nymuso]

No, not really. I played a bunch of talent shows and whatnot when I was 12 or 13 but really can’t remember which one was first. But I remember this - I never had stage fright. Just went out there and played the songs. I was well practiced. If you’re sure of what you’re doing there’s nothing to fear.

[JonPR]

Originally Posted by Cecil6243

Nothing to write home about but I was in a garage rock band with some friends in college in northeastern Michigan. Our first first gig was in front of about 500 people in a large dance hall. We played warm up for another more established band.

Wow, that's a big one for your first gig!
I'm not sure I've ever played for as many as 500 in my whole (55-year) "career".

My first public performance was a three-tune floor spot in a pub folk club - probably in front of no more than 50 people - with a fellow guitarist. We played a clumsy cover of a Jansch-Renbourn tune and a couple of blues jams - all instrumental. (This was in October 1966, and I'd been teaching myself guitar for just 10 months by then.)
My first gig with a band was the following month at a private party - again probably only around 50 people there, at most. And I was playing washtub bass at that one, not guitar!

This is me on the left, November 1966 (the guitar player is the one I did the duo gig with the previous month):



My first solo performance was probably a few years after that - again, fingerstyle guitar instrumentals at a folk club open mic. I don't have a definite memory of a date for that.

[Slothead56]

I sang my first solo in church when I was 4, but lets not count that....

I sang in choir and small groups all through school so I was used to being in front of people.

Fast forward to Fall, 1975. I played an Open Mic my Sophomore year in college. The folks running the coffee house on campus liked me enough to have me back a couple weeks later as the owner for the main act. Played Friday and Saturday night, 45 minute sets and they paid me $50. That was huge money at the time.

[fazool]

Vividly.

I am a late bloomer and it just happened.

I played my whole life and honestly never had any intent or desire to perform - I just played for the intense love of the music and playing.

My good friend runs the number one band in town and heard me play and said "wow that's good - you should come out and play with us".

Yeah, yeah.....sure whatever......


He pushed and pushed and then sent out an announcement to his twitter followers, all our coworkers, his facebook page - announcing me as a guest guitarist at their next show.

I picked my all-time favorite song as my first in my set list.

We played a local club that was *PACKED* with about 400 people. It was crazy - overwhelming and so much fun. My wife and kids and our friends and a *SEA* of people.

One of the other songs we played was one of my favorite new wave songs. I was kind of baffled by the sensory overload of a huge show and so much going on for a first time. I had tunnel vision and the thing I remember of that song was my this blur of people and seeing my wife dancing in the middle of everyone......

I've played out with them some more since then and got the bug to perform from that........literally one of the best days of my entire life

[Glennwillow]

I remember my first experience of playing in public like it was yesterday. I played the guitar, my Harmony 12-string, with 3 other guys singing with me. We did a half-dozen songs at a Hootenanny in the fall of 1966 with probably 350 people in the audience. I was 18 years old. I was petrified but we actually did quite well. That was where I first met my future wife.

I would not have volunteered to sing and play in public, but I was in my dorm room (Purdue U.) playing a bunch of stuff with these guys singing with me when the social director for the dorm heard us, came by, and asked us to sing at this Hootenanny. They were all gung-ho about the whole thing while I was petrified, but how could I say no??!!

I'm glad I did it, though. And meeting my future wife certainly changed my life in a very good way.

- Glenn

[Rudy4]

Sure.

We volunteered to play a junior high mixer set up by the local PTA. Our band was a four piece and did the latest "British invasion" covers and some covers of popular American bands.

It was a success and we were shocked that each of us got envelopes containing a crisp $20 for playing. It was my first paying gig, and I felt a lot of street cred for only being a 7th grader! I'm 67 now, so twenty bucks was a handsome sum at that time.

Oh yeah like it was yesterday. I was 16 and was playing bass at the time. Our 4 piece played a full set at my bandmates' high school. Shortly after that we played an opening set at a club.

I'm in constant contact with the guitar player (we've been friends for 46 years) and I occasionally chat with the lead singer. It would be nice to get together with the band again and play through our set list but no one is in contact with the drummer.

[ljguitar]

Originally Posted by Cecil6243

…How about you?

Hi Cecil

I started music lessons at age 8, and played for people from that age till now, but don't remember the 1st time.

[fitness1]

Me singing and playing 6 string acoustic - my buddy (to this day) playing 12 string at an outdoor party for his workmates - summer of '77 I believe....hey, 50 bucks was a lot of money back then

[Silly Moustache]

As a drummer (or percussionist) yes. it was the first and last school band concert.

School had 750 "inmates" and (some) parents came along.

We played the Radetsky March (I played tenor drum), and Jamaican rumba (I played bongos) - and I loved it!

I think I was may 12 or thirteen. it was arranged and conducted by a lovely teacher called Mr Percy, who was sadly stabbed to death in our playground a short time later, so that was the end of our music lessons.

However, there was an Ajax drum kit in the music room which I "liberated" until I got my own set of Premiers, which I kept until the mid '70s.

Our first gigs (as a rock band) were in the same hall on Friday nights, then we got "a manager!" and changed from Shadows, Ventures, Cougars etc, and changed to R&B" and were son playing clubs and concerts all over the greater London area.

I think my first singer.guitarist spots were around West London (all lost to history, and beer and whacky baccy - you know what they say - if you can remember it -you weren't there!)

[Bob Womack]

It was a lake house/pool party deep into summer, 1972. Firsts band, first gig. My "power trio" set up on the patio facing west and the lake. I was all of about fourteen. I played electric guitar and sang lead. Even this early I began to see that I didn't like being the frontman but I loved rhythm/lead guitar. I'd bet we were terrible, but we got paid. This is a pic from the load-out late that night. Sitting on the tailgate of a Rambler American station wagon are (L_R) Billy Attaway (drums), myself, and Dennis Dodson (bass). I am still in contact with Bill and we both still actively play.

Bob

Originally Posted by Bob Womack

I am still in contact with Bill and we both still actively play.

The guitar player pretty much wasn't playing anymore. He still had some nice gear but wasn't doing much. Over the past few years I continuously encouraged (pestered?) him into playing again. He's now practicing regularly and has put together a duo with another friend. I'd go over and jam but we live 900 miles apart.