Yeah. I know some people swear by a beer before the gig but having done this (well considerably more than that TBH 
) and also done gigs cold sober I strongly recommend sober. It’s amazing how my playing gets worse after a couple drinks.
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Lots and lots of great advice already. So, all I really can do is to reinforce:
- mistakes will happen (either by you or the others). Don’t groan or get mad (absolutely no point in that). Smile to yourself or to the others.
- if you make a mistake, have some “safe options” as fall backs (e.g., staying on the root(s) for a while; playing quarter notes only; …) The thing that differentiates more experienced players from less experienced players is how to come out of a mistake; how they “recover” from them
- butterflies are good; they help you get started and going. A good start calms the nerves, you get more settled, and “autopilot” takes over (Note: autopilot is NOT the same as indifference!!). In the same vein: don’t start your set with the most difficult song!
- above all: have fun!! Your mindset going into a gig should be: I am going to have tons of fun - it’s going to be a blast!
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Great advice
The beginning is by far the most important moment
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I don’t know how people can play when they are impaired. I played a few times when was sick as a puppy and topped up with NyQuil. The entire set was a blur.
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Go for it. You will get nervous. You will mess up. It’s all part of your learning and everyone there will have been through the same thing and happy to support you. You’ll regret it if you don’t. However hard you practice on your own playing with other people is where it’s at and you’ll learn more from that than anything else. More fun too when you take that leap, meet like minded musicians and eventually you’ll get to perform which is even more nerve wracking but truly awesome.
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Agreed. Best time to drink is straight after a gig cuz the adrenaline from nerves makes it go straight to your head! So you get drunk
quicker - and cheaper!
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All well and good if you have a road crew breaking down and loading the trucks. Otherwise avoid altered state of mind especially if you are going to drive. Just my nsho.
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^^^^
This!!
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I was the sucker who was always lugging my svt head and 8×10 wheeled monster then set up and break down the drummers massive kit. Hated it.
Not to mention when we had to get the baby grand piano down to the rehearsal space, I was the one at the bottom by myself. No wonder I have had three discectomies in the years that followed.
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The audience thought you were playing Jazz I bet !
So are you saying Keith Richards had it all wrong? lol The list goes on when it comes to drugs and alcohol with music. Just saying… A few drinks in moderation can absolutely help with nerves if you don’t go to crazy! If you are really that nervous and cant get over it you are pretty much done! With anything really! Its amazing how a lot of of these famous Rock Stars actually performed every night though!
I don’t enjoy playing impaired at all. It screws with my timing and feels sloppy when I play, even after just 1 g&t. I’d rather just wait until I get home and have one to celebrate / calm the adrenaline.
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Clearly there are people out there who’s ‘normal’ is soaked in copious volumes of alcohol or narcotics (whether this is in music, or every day life). Equally, there is a culture around music that is heavily influenced by booze and drugs, with plenty of examples of people that didn’t make it to the other side, or did, depending on one’s perspective 
Incidentally, I have mentioned elsewhere on this forum that I have a friend who is a guitarist in a well known band. Years ago, I introduced him to cycling. Now, when he’s touring, he always has a bike with him so that he can get away from the tedium, and temptations, of hanging around for the show. He’s in his mid-50s and is as healthy as he has ever been, but has seen plenty of people pass beyond this mortal coil.
I’m not trying to moralise. Obviously, there’s a you do you, I’ll do me element to all of this. But, for me, it’s a hard pass on any mind altering substances before standing on any stage. As I posted above, there is an element of enjoying the ride that heightens the senses, if you can manage the nerves. I guess that I am lucky in that in my professional life, I regularly present in front of both small and large groups of people, so I’m used to the feeling exposed and managing that tension 
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No interest in joining the 27 club.
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Luckily, I survived that particular filter 
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yeah lol I have dodged that bullet
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Thanks man! and welcome!
Obv im talking about when you get home dude!
I don’t have any particular advice re stage fright, but what I can say is don’t do this - if the guitarist starts playing a song, and it’s not the one that’s next on the set list, don’t walk up behind him, prod him on the shoulder and say “hey, we’re supposed to play x next.” Instead, just play the song he started.
I definitely have not done this myself. Nope. Never.
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But you said “straight after”
Do you live above the gig? 