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How to Prepare For Playing a Rock Concert: 4 Expert Musicians Share Their Insights

Unlock the secrets of rocking the stage with insights from 4 expert musicians.

Featuring Cameron McGlinchey, J.J. Thomchick, Yoel Genin, and Mike Baillie

By Magesh MageshContributing Author

There are many things to consider when playing rock music. How to warm up mentally and physically, the volume you will be playing at, and how to deal with nerves. 

I spoke to 4 expert musicians to see what advice they had for playing a Rock show.

Cameron McGlinchey

Cameron McGlinchey is an in-demand Australian session drummer known for his incredible groove. He has worked with many top artists like the Rogue Traders and the Screaming Jets.

Magesh, Musicngear: Do you have a physical or mental warm-up you do when playing a rock show?

I find performing and touring quite a solitary experience. Before a show, I'm nervous with the expectation of how much I will put into the show but relaxed as I've always done the work to get to that place.

I do some mobility work like long squats and shoulder/neck movements. I also warm up my forearms by laying them flat on my thighs and doing singles and doubles with my palms on my knees. An old trick I learned that works those muscles into warmth. 

How important do you think ear protection is when playing loud gigs?

Ear protection is important for me. I use simple foam earplugs for rehearsals particularly and then use them for most gigs.

Sometimes on a bigger stage, I enjoy the volume and quality monitoring without the plugs. With The Rogue Traders, I use in-ear monitors as it's all to track. I have fantastic molds.

Be your true self, and understand that the more you put in the more you will get out of your drumming and that includes life experience not just practice pads

I used to see you play with a band called 'Grunt' in the 1990's. There were so many professional drummers in the audience that would wait for your drum solo on the Tool song '46&2' which was phenomenal! Do you have a structure for playing a drum solo at a gig or is it improvised?

Well, that's taking me back to the old days! Thank you for your kind words. At the time I was improvising the whole thing every night. It was a wonderful exchange with my band at the time.

My solos were always in the context of the song by using a repeating motif or riff and I would solo over the top of that. I'm an emotional player and I was always interested in exploring ideas that connect with everyone in the room. I am not particularly interested in soloing these days, I'm developing an aversion to the online world of presenting yourself in a bedroom scenario and displaying ideas that are self-serving and not particularly artistic, to say the least.

From an educational perspective I get it and places like 'Drumeo' are wonderful setups to get informed and participate in the drum community. Right now I'm immersed in being of service to the song and the band. Exploring the idea that every night we are all in different states of mind, different audiences, and different rooms, so entering every show with excitement as to what may transpire is so fulfilling. 

I was always impressed with your frenetic energy when you played the drums. Many drummers lose steam after playing at a high volume several songs into the set. How did you work on your stamina?

I think that we all develop a certain 'way of being' on the drums. I've been playing my way for so long that it's second nature. I have been through all sorts of phases trying different setups, approaches to practice and gigs, styles, etc.

I've found that I am what I am to a degree and I have a style that's me. That can be a wonderful feeling and on the flipside a very negative one too. I'm just in the moment and try to take it one gig/rehearsal at a time and control what I can while accepting what I can't.

I am an expressive player and that has its place. I have always been fit and that helps with stamina but I've found touch too.

Be human and find a way to access your deeper self, take risks with your playing, and know that sometimes just turning up is enough to create opportunity

You are playing with Aussie Rock Icons 'The Screaming Jets'. What is the most challenging thing about this gig?

For me, it's that balance between honoring a long history while finding a way to inject my personal style into it. I'm of the attitude with this band that I am here to serve.

We recently released a new album which charted at no.2 on the national ARIA charts here and that was a great experience to gain some ownership of my part in The Screaming Jets.

You have had longevity in the music business playing in many top bands since the 90's. Do you have any advice for young musicians trying to break into the music business?

It's very difficult for me to give advice as it's so different for young musicians from when I was younger. Inevitably things change time and again. If you love something then it's worth pursuing. But adaptability is incredibly important.

From a big picture aspect, just be your true self, and understand that the more you put in the more you will get out of your drumming and that includes life experience not just practice pads, etc. Be human and find a way to access your deeper self, take risks with your playing, and know that sometimes just turning up is enough to create opportunity.

My father used to say 'You are not as good as you think you are on your best day, and you are not as bad as you think you are on your worst'. Good luck!

Connect with Cameron McGlinchey
Facebook / Instagram

J.J. Thomchick 

J.J. Thomchick is a professional guitarist from New York. He has a degree in guitar performance from the prestigious Berklee School of Music and was a recipient of the Harris Stanton Award for outstanding musicianship.

Do you have a physical or mental warm-up you do when playing a rock show?

I don't have a set warm-up routine, and pre-show is often hectic with limited time to do much of anything, so I try to focus on whatever I am playing for the show.

Over the years I've learned that running through the beginnings and endings of each song is always a good thing to do, so I can usually get that in before showtime. Additionally, I'll practice any difficult sections or solos to stay sharp. I find staying in the moment works best for me, rather than any unrelated exercises or warm-ups. 

How important do you think ear protection is when playing loud gigs?

It is essential. It's fun to play loud, and the energy is great, but you must protect your most valuable musical equipment - your ears! Invest in some decent ear protection for musicians, it will lead to a much more enjoyable experience and you'll be thankful later.

Also, just in case always have extra earplugs - a lot of them, and share with your friends if necessary. 

Can you talk about what guitar/amps you use for rock shows?

When I play rock it's usually on the heavier side so I need guitars that pack a punch, usually either my Les Paul or Ibanez JS1200, depending on how many notes I'm planning to play.

As for amps, my Boss Katana 100 MKII gets the job done for most of the shows I play. Very versatile, has plenty of volume and drive, and is durable. As much as I love the sweet sound of tubes, a lot of the time it's just safer to transport solid state. Plus, the reality is that unless you're playing huge venues you rarely get to push your amp and hear the awesome power of those tubes.

Playing in bands or just jamming casually with friends is a fantastic way to grow as a musician, and I highly encourage it as soon as you're comfortable enough with your instrument

Are there any guitar pedals you use live for rock music?

Aside from a tuner, I always have some kind of delay and chorus on my pedalboard regardless of the style of music. That's enough to keep things interesting!

What projects are you currently working on?

I'm very excited to be working with vocalist and songwriter Andrew Barret Cox on his upcoming album.

Do you have any advice for young musicians who want to start playing music in bands?

Playing in bands or just jamming casually with friends is a fantastic way to grow as a musician, and I highly encourage it as soon as you're comfortable enough with your instrument.

Keep things light and simple at first, build chemistry, learn from one another, and try to find similar interests.

Focus on fundamentals of ensemble playing like keeping a good rhythm, playing in tune, communicating... and most importantly - having fun!

Connect with J.J. Thomchick 
Facebook / Instagram / Website

Yoel Genin

 
Photo credit- Tuan Lin Do

Yoel Genin AKA Shwesmo is a NY-based producer, composer, and guitarist, combining Prog-Metal, Fusion, and Middle Eastern influences into a new electronic context. He attended the famous Berklee School of Music where he won the 'Tad Dameron' and 'Alex Ulanowski' awards in composition.

Do you have any warm-up routine on the guitar before you play a concert?

Yes! It's more so off the guitar than on it. I usually try to move and warm up anything that would move, starting with the neck, shoulders, elbows, and wrists, in circular motions and light stretches.

Then I stretch the fingers one by one, and do some chromatic runs on the guitar to get the fingers moving. If I'm excited, there's also a good amount of just jumping in place (:

How important do you think wearing ear protection is when playing a loud gig?

Very important. Nowadays in a lot of shows I play, we use in-ear monitors, which makes life easier in general, but also helps you control what goes in your ears and how much of it. I try to be conservative with the volume, and if I only have wedges for monitoring, I will use earplugs.

There are so many great companies that make custom ones nowadays, and it's just worth every penny. With all due respect to guitars and drums, they don't mean anything without our ears.

I usually use Line6 HX Stomp which once again is super compact and sounds great straight into a DI box. 

Can you talk about what guitar/amps you use for rock shows?

My setup has continuously shrunk over the past couple of years. Doing a lot of travel, having to deal with a heavier rig, arguing with flight attendants over cabin space, and overall amazing technology that nowadays allows it, has made me go in that direction.

For my project (Shwesmo) everything goes through Ibanez and in-the-box effects. Some are standard guitar amp simulation plugins such as Archetype by Neural DSP and even believe it or not - EZmix, which does a great job with minimal CPU, and some are added stock Ableton effects which also bring some very exciting possibilities to the guitar.

Imagine automated pitch shifters that change in specific moments in a song - very fun, and add that to automated FX switches that set you free from pushing pedal buttons!

Are there any guitar pedals you use live for rock music?

I do use a pedal for other bands I'm in (Berklee Indian Ensemble for example) - I usually use Line6 HX Stomp which once again is super compact and sounds great straight into a DI box. We live in an amazing time for live sound.

For guitars, I use Custom OD Guitars and also a surprisingly great company called NK Guitars for the headless travel-friendly ones.

I think the most important thing is to find people who are like-minded and have the passion you have. The better friends you are, the better music you'll make together.

What projects are you currently working on?

I'm currently working on my project - Shwesmo, blending prog-metal, fusion, and Middle Eastern influences into an electronic music context. An odd meter party that music geeks like me as well as people who just like to move to the music can rock to! The performance is in a duo along with my good friend and amazing drummer Yogev Gabay. We've finally started doing live shows and plan to tour soon.

I'm also part of the Berklee Indian Ensemble - after touring the US in 2023 we are currently working on some new music for our next album.

Do you have any advice for young musicians who want to start playing music in bands?

I think the most important thing is to find people who are like-minded and have the passion you have. The better friends you are, the better music you'll make together. Spend a lot of time jamming and getting to know each other personally and musically. 

Connect with Yoel Genin
Facebook / Instagram / YouTube / Bandcamp
 

Mike Baillie

Mike Baillie is the man behind Edinburgh's dream rock project, The Lonely Together. Mike has been writing unique, heartfelt songs for 15 years and has toured with the likes of Snow Patrol, Augustana, Delays, Idlewild, The Twilight Sad, and many more.

Do you have any warm-up routine on the guitar before you play a concert?

You have me immediately racking my brain, trying to think if I have a regular 'go-to' piece or not... and maybe I should... but the truth is, pre-show is usually a busy time for me. I use a lot of guitars live but rarely seem to have any of them backstage with me, before going on.

I tend to focus more on warming my voice up, before concerts with a few set exercises. One thing I DO always do, though, is try to make up something new at soundcheck, when pulling up guitar sounds. It could be a tiny little lick/hook or a full chord progression but quite often I have come up with new song ideas or even full arrangements, in these moments.

I like that 'on-the-spot' element, I think... It can make you dig a little deeper, while staying sharp, knowing that there are new friends in the room.

How important do you think wearing ear protection is when playing a loud gig?

Oh, this is a great question - specifically a great question for you to ask ME... 

If you'd asked me this when I was younger, my answer would almost certainly have been flippant and nonchalant - maybe even AGAINST ear protection - as I had never tried ANY, up to that point... all the while playing in loud rock bands, often with ridiculous guitar rigs (a Mesa Boogie Dual Rectifier II head through an Orange PPC412, at one point.. which should NEVER be done!). I've always thrived on being 'at the moment' onstage and I used to think that meant being fully enveloped in the whole sound of it, which I've come to realize can be achieved in more sensible ways...

The first stepping stone in this realization came not long after I played the Glasgow Barrowlands on volume 1 (actually just under - no joke. It was THAT loud!), using the aforementioned rig. An old friend from the Glasgow music scene, Stevie Broadfoot had developed his brand - LugPlugs - and I bought some to support his new venture.

The best thing about LugPlugs was that they were wearable - tying around your neck with a velcro strip - which I found very useful and user-friendly, in rehearsals. This was my first experience of actually looking after my ears... so, I still feel a debt to Stevie and still treasure that original set of LugPlugs, as he is sadly no longer with us.

The LugPlugs made me curious about options for live shows and while I still, more often than not, use wedge monitors when playing solo, we (The Lonely Together) use in-ear monitors onstage these days, which we find to be beneficial for several reasons, let alone prioritizing the health and wellbeing of our ears/hearing. This stubborn kid has finally grown up...!

Two pedals that haven't left my board for way over ten years are the original 'legacy' models of Canadian pedal gods/manufacturers, Diamond- the J-Drive MK3 overdrive pedal and the Memory Lane
 

Can you talk about what guitar/amps you use for rock shows?

Well, I'm a big Fender guy, when it comes to life... I have sworn by my 70s Telecaster Deluxe for many years - it's come right through the wars with me and sounds just as versatile and fantastic as the day I bought it. I have also added a Jazzmaster into rotation, in recent years - the J. Mascis signature model - gifted to me by a dear friend, a few years back. These guitars help me achieve the sparkling clean tones I'm always after and can shimmer and jangle for days, while also holding their own when affected by overdrive/distortion/chorus/reverb etc

I have also brought in a Gretsch Streamliner G2622 more recently, as a travel/budget-friendly understudy to my Gibson ES-335 Satin Cherry, which I no longer take out to shows. I'm always looking at options though and there are a few on the list, currently - you may see me bringing a Duesenberg to the party, soon...!

As for amps, I have two regular 'go-to' options at the moment, which I will switch in and out, depending on the show. The first is my Blackstar HT Soloist 60 (valve combo) - a pretty great all-rounder, with a stunning clean tone. I don't tend to use footswitches (although the one that comes with this model is great, I am just loyal to specific pedals on my board), so this amp does the business for me, even in its most natural state. The second is another great valve combo - my Vox AC15 Custom. I bought this limited edition red model, second hand and fully flight-cased at an incredible price and it's been with me all over the place, ever since. Again, I love it because the clean tone is so punchy and warm... and it's just a little easier to get around than the Blackstar...

Are there any guitar pedals you use live for rock music?

I am a huge lover of guitar pedals. So much so, you might regret asking me this question... but here goes:

First thing's first, two pedals that haven't left my board for way over ten years are the original 'legacy' models of Canadian pedal gods/manufacturers, Diamond- the J-Drive MK3 overdrive pedal and the Memory Lane (the tap-tempo function of which, I believe, was an all-analog world first). I love and swear by these two pedals over any others.

Another firm favorite on my board is the Cathedral (stereo reverb) from Electro Harmonix. These guys don't mess around (I have also used their POG (octave), SuperEgo (synth engine), Holy Grail (reverb), and their original Small Clone (chorus) pedals on and off, over the years) and the Cathedral pedal has stuck around for a long time, in my setup. For the first run of 'Endless Sunset Oblivion' shows, though, I have been switching to the Strymon Big Sky for certain sounds, as I'm pretty sure it doesn't get better.

I've always been one for keeping the basic elements of my sound exactly that - basic... but then I love to explore and add quirky, experimental textures from there. In this realm, there are many colors in the palette, which I will often switch in and out, according to the songs' needs. I have added all sorts of fun, over the years, with pedals such as the Moog Moogerfooger Murf, the POG, the Boss Harmonist, and many others... but more recent, notable mentions belong to the Chase Bliss Mood II (it's unbelievable), the Old Blood Noise Endeavors vs Chvrches Screen Violence (wow) and one from the Death by Audio catalogue that I will not name (it's special!).

As someone who rarely talks gear, despite being very passionate about it and always committed to finding new and interesting sounds for my music, I appreciate the opportunity to let loose - so thank you for asking, Magesh.

Also, a big shout out to my buddy Paul (Above As Below - check it out), who very generously turned me on to the world of live compression, recently.

Find your joy in music and make it for yourself, before ever making it with others in mind

What projects are you currently working on?

I have recently started work on demo-ing ideas for two different albums (while still working on promoting 'Endless Sunset Oblivion' - go buy it via Bandcamp!)

The first is a new The Lonely Together record. The second is a slightly more spacious, stripped-back affair, rooted in Americana, with the potential to be something of a 'solo' album/different project. 

Music is not enough these days, though... so, in the meantime, I'm also working on some groundbreaking choreography, to be unleashed when I make my big entrance on TikTok!

Do you have any advice for young musicians who want to start playing music in bands?

1. Always show up on time. Early is even better!

2. Find your joy in music and make it for yourself, before ever making it with others in mind.

3. Be ready to work your a** off - and at so much more than just the music, itself.

4. Be prepared to be ignored and rejected, at every turn - thick skin is necessary.

5. Don't use AI, no matter how 'cool' the tools may appear. You have a human heart - use it.

Connect with Mike Baillie
Website / Instagram / Facebook / Bandcamp

About Magesh Magesh

Magesh is a musician and producer who has worked with Rihanna, Lionel Richie, Ricky Martin, Chris Brown, The Pussy Cat Dolls, Nelly Furtado, and Vernon Reid of Living Colour. He released an instructional drumming DVD called "Unique Beats" where he mixed the drum kit with electronics and Indian hand percussion. He recently moved from Australia to the UK to explore new musical opportunities.
Website: mageshdrumteacher.co.uk

Contact Magesh Magesh at magesh.magesh7@gmail.com

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