Whether it’s your first gig or you’ve performed hundreds of times, getting your fans hyped during a show and engaged throughout your performance so that they are buzzing about it days later on social media is the ultimate goal. What can you do as an artist to put on the perfect performance and play better music gigs time and time again? Here are our top tips that you can start implementing immediately so you can start giving the performance of your life – every single time!

1. Refine Your Individual Playing
   1. One of, if not the MOST, important thing you can do as an individual artist is playing your songs consistently well, even when conditions are less than ideal. How can you improve this? Start by rehearsing in a variety of environments and situations to make sure you’re prepared for anything – perform while walking around your living room, perform outside, perform without instruments, perform with the television on, and perform even in the dark (you never know when the lights may go out). Mastering your craft as an individual artist is one of the only things you can control so work hard to get really good at it, no matter the circumstance!
2. Refine Your Band’s Performance
   1. Your time on stage is NOT the time for you and your band to play songs you just learned or “winging it.” That’s what rehearsals are for. If your bandmates cannot play the set list flawlessly during rehearsal, send them home to learn the songs on their own (a little positive reinforcement also goes a long way here). The purpose of rehearsals is to perform perfectly so that, once you’re on stage and in front of audience, muscle memory takes over and mistakes are minimal. 
3. Refine Your Stage Presence
   1. You may have the best vocals or the sweetest guitar skills, but, realistically, your music is only 50% of what the audience is paying attention to. The other half is what you look like and how you present yourself while on stage. We know this may be tough to hear, but the better your stage presence, the more the audience will like you, resulting in them attending more of your shows, buying your music or following you on social media. Additionally, venue owners want to see proof of your ability to both draw in and engage the crowds so they can decide whether they want to continue booking you.
4. Reduce or Eliminate Your Stage Fright
   1. For some, the stage is a second home – comfortable and inviting. For others, no matter how talented they are, being on stage invokes feelings of fear, anxiety, and maybe a little nausea (we’ve all been there). Any show can be utterly destroyed by stage fright, leaving all your hard work crippled by fear. One of the first steps to eliminating stage fright is to remind yourself that YOU DESERVE BETTER! You have a gift that should be shared with the world. It also helps to remember that most people in the audience will never notice if you make a mistake, and most likely multitask their thoughts versus waiting to judge you. To the audience, you are their weekend entertainment, a way to kick back and let go of a stressful week.

By incorporating some of these tips into your shows, nothing can stop you from giving your audience a show they will never forget!