I usually forget to do this, but recording your set (just a phone recording) is useful for analysing and honing what you’re doing.
Picture everyone in the crowd in their underwear.
My two cents in this matter are to never let yourself be shrouded in mystery about payment.
This industry tends to contain employers that don’t really like to talk about money and most of the times it just makes it more awkward for you aswell, having to bring up the matter while not looking like you demand your works value too aggressively.
Always make it clear what they are offering, while specifying when and how the payment happens, it will save you a lot of otiose pain further down your gigs line.
Being certain but not aggressive about this matter is a trait some people respect, while shadier people tend to feel as intimidation.
This could help you get from two beers from a reasonable amount of your times worth.
So yeah, also what I just realised in my show yesterday while toying with my octatrack and my friends typhon ( I also saw another elektronaut make a similar post a couple weeks back) that I know I have this huge sound mangler machine, I COULD use everything I can imagine, but sometimes it is better to just toy around on a synth without any complication, and it IS really okay just to toy around without any complication, let the flow of the show guide you.
And most importantly, feel good doing it.
Know when to stop, if it feels like a chore and your show could be replaced with someone else playing, don’t stress yourself, your well being should come first, and then the music.
And stay safe. Respect people. Have fun.
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Don’t press the stop button on your master clock accidently. If you do, don’t look shocked or surprised but just press the play button 
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Not to be confused with “Take a picture of everyone in the crowd in their underwear.”
Save that for the after party.
THIS
I think it’s worth finding the balance of taking yourself seriously enough but absolutely no more seriously than that. Like, make sure you have everything you need, that your gear works, you’re on time, et al, but don’t get up your own ass about the set/ gig. You don’t want to psych yourself out. If you project a fun time the people in attendance will probably have a fun time and that’s what they’ll remember.
Separate tip; if you do something wrong, keep doing it. One wrong note stands out, repeat it and it’s just part of the song. Repetition validates.
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This comes from the world of stringed instrument free improv but works for electronic music as well. Set up a musical “home base” that sounds intentional and musical. Then you can go wild on improv and hit a bunch of wrong notes. So long as you return to your home base, it sounds intentional and “out there.” With Elektron devices, it’s even easier with “reload.”
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Yup. I started out as a string player.
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Better yet, play a party where everyone IS in only their underwear.
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I can’t add anything that hasn’t been said but honestly if you are having fun the crowd will probably have fun. I have broken all the other rules and listened to a recording of a DJ mix I did at a party and all I notice is all the times I screwed up. But then everyone would tell me how much fun they had during my set.
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what kind of music are you playing? how long’s the set? whats the venue like? etc. etc?
edit: wanted to say congrats on your first show, that’s really exciting!
…i see some don’t drink and drive advice here…very reasonable…
but…
since it’s ur very first try…u’ll gonna feel pretty agitated for sure…
that’s a GOOD thing…
so make sure to turn it into an advantage…
and the best way to do so, is, well, one little shot of whiskey or vodka or tequila…
5 minutes before u hit the stage…
and to sum up the best advices here…
take ur time!!!..full on…but yes…time works both ways once u bang the room…
so some mission timer, in case ur set is fully improvised, it’s a good thing to keep an eye on from time to time…but it’s better to rehearse and time ur set upfront to simply know where it’s at with each track…
and hell yeah, whatever u might feel like AFTERWARDS, just say thank u in response to anybodys given opinon…
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You likely won’t be 100% happy with it, but always remember that live shows are always a bit chaotic and you won’t be abled to nail everything, ever no matter how long you do it. Just go with it, if you fuck up try not to show it. In the end you’re there to entertain, people don’t give a shit about small mistakes as long as they don’t ruin the flow of your set, and they won’t unless you let them.
If someone comes to you after the set and tells you it was good, don’t start telling them everything that went wrong. They liked it, that’s what matters. Say thank you and glad that you enjoyed it. Don’t bum them out.
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I can’t agree with this enough. Whether I’m playing music, speaking in public, or even presenting stuff at work, the #1 rule is the audience doesn’t have the sheet music—they won’t know you made a mistake unless you tell them.
So don’t sweat it. Don’t apologize, don’t get self-conscious. When you screw up (and you probably will), the only one who knows about it is you.
And even if someone does notice, hey, mistakes are part of live music. An audience will forgive a lot so long as you look like you know what you’re doing. Some of my favorite live shows were when the band got so caught up in the moment they forgot to come back around to the chorus or whatever. For us in the audience, we trusted in the band to deliver us to the end of the song and they did.
Audiences tend to model what they see on stage. If you look like you’re having fun, they’ll have fun.
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This * 1000.
Rehearse at home EXACTLY as you would be performing (as much as possible).
To make it ‘real’ record your sets and DON’T STOP just because you make a mistake - play through it, don’t get distracted, keep your game face and see if you can make your mistake a feature.
Like everyone said, double check you’ve packed all your gear, remember headphones so you can check your sound/run your set without having to wait for the sound guy to give you a line.
And don’t worry about being whatever age you are - on stage, it’s all equal.
Have fun!
Bill
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There goes my encore
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10 seconds on stage is 3 minutes on the floor.
Slow moves, go steady, pace yourself. If you tweak any knob, be mindful of it, listen to the change in sound, make it deliberate and make sure the crowd feel the change.
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I’m 46 and looking to do my first show this year. Age is irrelevant. Go out there and have fun! Loads of good tips in the previous posts 
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On stage, you can either be who you think they want you to be or who you are. When I was younger, I wanted to amp up the excitement as much as possible, I wanted the room to fall in love with me. But that person running and dancing around on the stage wasn’t really me. In real life I was the dude sitting up all night working on overdubs and mixes and skipping the parties (unless they wanted a performer).
Later, as I was less concerned in making a name for myself, I started to have more genuine fun. I would challenge myself to engage with the audience in a way that was less “come on everybody clap your hands” and more “how’s everybody doing tonight?”. I would try to insert some improvised elements and found ways in performance to play off their energy. Sleepy night? No need to agitate folks. Folks are loving it? Play the hit again, why the heck not?
I think the right answer is in between ‘do it for them’ and ‘do it for yourself’, I think there is some ‘playing it up’ to be done, it’s important to acknowledge the ridiculous situation of a bunch of people focusing on one person for entertainment purposes. Make a video of yourself playing through the set and ask yourself ‘Is this interesting? Would I like to see this if it wasn’t me? Is there something small I could do to make this more watchable?’ And what would it mean to set the tuba up at the edge of the stage and never use it? Are you OK to be Tuba Person?
In terms of preparation, if you can get to a place where you can set up in five minutes and play to an outdoors festival crowd during moderate rain while the crowd runs off in search of shelter, you should be fine. That’s an exaggeration, but I figure if you are ready for that you are ready for anything. Have a back-up plan, make sure you can hear yourself and don’t take anything the audience does personally.
As far as making contact with the venue folks, you don’t want to sike yourself out with being early, polite and talking to folks, 90 percent of the non-commercial shows I’ve played (at art spaces, houses, basements, etc) have been total messes and its basically just show up and pray that there’s a sound system. Not saying that this will be your situation, but that you are even considering other people tells me that you don’t need to worry about being polite. Get there when they say to get there, get the sound check if you can, enjoy yourself.
Good luck though, it’s so cool that you are doing this, and I hope it is a rewarding and fun experience! Happy to chat about it more if you are interested.
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