10 Things Never To Say On Stage

How you conduct your business on stage can be the difference whether you're perceived as an amateur or as a pro. Performers without a lot of experience tend to use a number of phrases when things go bad on stage that just make things worse. The also rely of some very worn-out cliches are that are better left unsaid.

Here's a list of 10 things to never say on stage by Ari Herstand that recently appeared on Digital Music News. I'm just going to repeat the phrases; you can follow the link for the more complete explanations.

1. "We're having technical difficulties."

2. "I forgot the lyrics."

3. "I want to thank my girlfriend."

4. "I'm sorry."

5. "Your city sucks."

6. "This song is about my Granda who died of cancer. Love you Nana."

7. "I'm broke."

8. "You guys suck."

9. "Any requests?"

10. "How does it sound?"

Here's the best advice:

• Don't acknowledge mistakes
• Don't insult your audience
• Don't insult your band, crew or soundman
• Don't lay a guilt trip on your audience
• Don't look lost on stage

Performing is a muscle and it takes exercising just like anything else. The more you do it, the better you get. If you follow the advice and stay away from the above cliches, you'll be way ahead of the game.

----------------------------------

Help support this blog. Any purchases made through our Amazon links help support this website with no cost to you.

Follow me on Forbes for some insights on the new music business.

You should follow me on Twitter and Facebook for daily news and updates on production and the music business.

Check out my Big Picture blog for discussion on common music, engineering and production tips and tricks.