What is the Best Way to Travel When the Gigs are Back to Back?

First regarding the contest for when Datamusicata passed the 365,000 hits mark, we just crossed 346,000 hits as of Sunday, July 13, 2008. Now on to today’s post.

I just completed a weekend of southern California concerts. Friday in San Luis Obispo at the Clubhouse (www.clubhousereport.com) and Saturday in Woodland Hills at a house concert. And I want to talk about scheduling and travel on the day of the gig as opposed to traveling after the gig and sleeping late the next day.

Here’s what I decided would be the best plan. I would drive up to SLO on Thursday evening and then take a relaxing day Friday after sleeping til I woke up and then driving the 200 miles back to Los Angeles after the gig as I thought I would be wired anyhow.

And that is what I did.

I didn’t sleep as late as I planned because I was staying with some dear friends and their dogs begin their day before I do. But I still had a relaxing day and was always focused on the concert that evening.

I did some light exercise and a hike in the mountains behind Morro Bay, very light lunch and I was at the club by 5 pm. The show started at 8:30 and I like my shows to start on time or very close to that. I ate a salad and then sat in the dressing room and played for two hours.

The crowd was receptive and while not as many as I had hoped, Steve Key (www.stevekey.com) did a good job of getting enough folks in there to fill all the chairs at all the tables. The sound was quite good and I had a grand time and seemingly so did everyone else.

Then I did the long drive back to Los Angeles. It took me about three hours and when I go home, I was starved, exhausted and, somehow, wired from the drive. I couldn’t get to sleep until around 4 am.

At 6:30 the new kittens woke me up wanted to play “chew Jimmy’s hand”; I finally got back to sleep and the gardener showed up with many noisy machines. I gave up and got up. Fixed an early dinner and then took a nap, which lasted until too late for me to do my routine.

Instead of being at the gig at 5 pm, I was in the shower at 5 pm and when I got to the gig I had to impose upon my wife to bring the things that I forgot. I set everything up and went into my dressing room to warm up.

Even tho I played for about an hour before the show, I was not warmed up. Doing a two hour concert the night before had left my chops a little stiff and my intellect in the hopper. It literally took me until the second set to get my voice and chops back to a respectable level for my expectations.

And my looping box work was a little too long in developing. I was tired and just not as sharp as I had been the night before. Don’t misunderstand me, the show was all that it should be, but I was actually better the night before.

I need the rest and I need the two hours warm up to really be there for the audience, that’s why my second set is usually more musically solid than the first, unless I get to warm up first.

So thanks for reading this far. Here’s what I’m telling you today. Get plenty of rest before a show, get plenty of warm up and that depends upon what happened the night before and lastly, don’t drive after the gig. Go back to the hotel or wherever you are staying and sleep. Get up early enough in the morning to drive to where you must be, then take a nap and get ready for the gig.

That would have been the better plan. That good night’s sleep before a gig is all important. Your voice is the first place that weariness shows up. And it also impacts your celerity, your snappy comebacks and your performance.

Comments

[Bobby Brogan]

In regards to your vocal cords being stiff do you do vocal warm downs...some light humming or singing scales in mixed voice not for more than a half hour...i also drink cold water when I come off stage becos I am always drenched in sweat...but it also narrows the blood vessals and then the next day drink something warm in addition to water...skipping the tea bag I go for honey and hot water...the honey gives your throat a good lubing so the hot water wont dry you out...a hot water bottle or a heating pad also works dialating the blood vessals in the throat and getting the blood moving...the idea is the same as for an athlete...ice to stopp excess blood to minimize swelling and the next day heat to get the circulation moving...in addition to warming up vocally
I dont know what your specific routine is when doing back to back shows....I usually go out for abit with friends to eat(I cant eat before a show) and to unwind...I usually have an adult beverage...Tho I'm starting to think that may not be a good idea...If my voice is already amped up alcohol makes me go hoarse...and if it isnt it still dialates the blood vessals so my range is diminished...some singers can have a drink and not have it show up in their voice...the lead Singer of Countiing Crows often drinks onstage to the point of being drunk and surring his words abit but it never shows up in his vocal performances...Were as with me whether its a heineken or a good glass of scotch my voice goes...Also even a very small amoubnt opf alcohol interferes with my sleep...it didnt when I was in my early twenties but now if I have a glass of wine with dinner I'm restless unless its early enough in the day that I metabolize it out...And the day of a performance alcohol is out of the question for me anyway...but I digress...those are my guidelines for me...oh one more thing...I dont warm up my voice in a straight half hour vocalization that is considered the standard...and is what I have been taught to do...i cant relax if i go like that I get tense which is counterproductive ...so I do warm ups thru the day on and off...even if i am not performing that night...cos if i'm awake(and sometimes when I'm asleep) I sing thruout the day...ok now I'm done