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When the final note has been played, the audience is on their feet with loud applause, I then exit the stage with a smile and blow a kiss good night to all. Cue house lights and exit music. I immediately head to my dressing room and seek out the coldest bottle of water I can find. You can’t drink cold water before you sing, but you must keep your vocal chords properly moistened. It is so refreshing after a show to find an ice-cold bottle of water buried in the slush of the cooler. Ahhhh, just what I needed. Pack away violin safely. Touch up the makeup, blot the perspiration from my brow. Now I’m ready to face the world again.
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What exactly happens backstage before a show? Ask 100 musicians, and you will get 100 different answers. Almost all mention mental preparation and the actual getting dressed for a show. Every performer I know admits that he/she gets somewhat nervous or excited just before going onstage. Backstage is the priming before the ignition. I can only speak from personal experiences, so I think I’ll share a few other things that have happened.
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Many times stage managers and some meeting planners are obviously not used to dealing with professional musicians who have been doing the job longer then they have been born. Nor are they used to dealing with musicians who actually have business sense with a knack for planning ahead. There is a reason things are in writing in a contract or on a rider.
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Many times I am asked by other musicians and/or managers “Why is ‘leader pay’ more than ‘sideman pay?'” The short answer is quite simple: The leader has more responsibility in preparation for the gig. The long answer goes into more detail about actually leading the group by setting the tempos, dealing with contracts, communication, booking other musicians, confirming rider and stage plot and other technical information, music selections/requests, clothing requests, directions, transportation, menu selections (including dietary restrictions), location requirements, insurance requirements, etc.
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If you are a musician, one thing you must always have: black clothes. But what types? Types include: pit black, dress black, rock black, stage black, formal black, and backup black. You might say, “But isn’t black all the same?” And that is where you would be completely wrong.

Pit black is what musicians wear in the orchestra pit. Depending on the show, and how much of you can actually be seen, it can be anything from a black T-shirt with black jeans to a full formal tux. Sometimes, it’s tux top with black jeans on bottom. Most of the time, it’s whatever black you happen to put on that night. Shoes and socks don’t matter since no one sees them anyway; many musicians wear sandals or sneakers. Makeup and hair in a comfortable style for the musician.
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What goes up must come down. Or does it? I am referring to that feeling that many performers have within a day or two after a show – the dreaded “Post-show Drop.” Some want to hide in a cave and hibernate, while others have to find things to keep them busy. Not all performers experience this, but upon my discussions with many of my musician and other theatre friends, they feel it. I feel it.

Adrenaline is a drug. It’s the feeling you can do anything! Your body responds in ways you didn’t think existed, and it’s an amazing feeling! Then the need for your body to create it suddenly stops, what’s there runs through your system, and your body relaxes. It is during this relaxation time that will determine if you drop “hard” or “soft.” It’s a roller coaster ride, for sure!
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Although I’m sure Webster’s dictionary has a more scholarly definition, I define “elation” as that feeling after you know you’ve done a good job on a show. This is where I am tonight. Maybe it’s lack of sleep mixed with the constant natural high from performance adrenaline, but it’s definitely a good feeling.

How can one describe the sensation of being onstage in front of a live audience where people (most total strangers) are literally yelling your name between songs? My little secret is that I do love it, as I think everyone loves being recognized in some fashion or another. However, I must maintain professionalism at all times on stage. Acknowledge via a smile or a nod, but never encourage the disruption of a show. Still, I think that personalization adds to the excitement of having a LIVE show. If people want to hear the music without disruption, they will get a professionally mastered recording and listen at home. But when they want to see, hear, FEEL the music, they go to a live show.
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Why do ensembles have rehearsals? What is the real VALUE of a rehearsal? Rehearsals are for rehearsing as a group the music you have had in your possession for usually a few weeks or longer. Rehearsals are NOT for sight-reading those parts and trying to get away with playing as part of large group where you can “hide” in the section. It is even more important when you are the ONLY person playing that part. Rehearsals are to make it “tight;” to make it sound like you’ve been playing together for years. The attacks on the notes, the slurs of the bow, the body language and flow of the music. When the ensemble has the luxury of having a conductor, he or she needs to make sure the ensemble is all on the same page – musically, stylistically, and interpretatively.
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This is one of the most common mistakes most musicians make. Whose card do you give to a guest when asked? It depends on the situation and type of event. Do you hand him your card with your name, phone, website, e-mail, etc.? Do you simply tell him your name and maybe a website? Do you give the contractor’s card? Do you give the band website? Do you give the meeting planner’s card? Or the agent’s? Or is it the venue card? If you give all of the above, you will definitely forget someone, and in most cases, never be hired again by one or more the above.
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“It’s like wrangling cats.” – Matt Perrine from Treme on HBO when asked about being a leader of his own group.

I love musicians. I love their energy, their passion, their drive. Every person is unique, but musicians have a certain something special that makes them just downright strange. I definitely put myself in this category as I have always marched to the beat of my own drummer. Sometimes, there is no drum. This strangeness is what makes musicians so wonderful, and also so frustrating with whom to work.
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