Most indie acts don’t have roadies or tour managers, so that increases the number of things to worry about before a gig, as the duties all fall on the artist. Between sound check and hanging out in the green room before you go on, here are some major and minor things you should double check, to ensure all goes well with your performance.

–Do you have extra guitar picks/drum sticks? These things get dropped, lost, flung to the crowd so much you always need a good stash at the ready on stage.

–Are all your batteries fresh? Make sure you have fresh, alkaline batteries in your tuners, acoustic/electric guitars and anything else that requires batteries. Even if you’re plugging in your effects/tuning pedals, have a new set of batteries in them, in case something comes unplugged during the performance.

–Is the guitar strap firmly in place over the pegs, and are the pegs screwed in tight? One of the more frustrating and embarrassing things that can happen onstage is your guitar falling off because you didn’t put the strap on fully or tighten the screws that  hold the pegs in.

–Are all the cables and cords plugged in? Nothing is worse in the live environment than having to plug a cable in during the show. It makes such a horrible, loud, cracking and screeching sound that all it will do is annoy of the crowd.

–Do you have a backup guitar/extra strings on stage and not locked up in the case backstage?

–Are you and the sound person cool? Did you work everything out in sound check? If there was an issue, double check to make sure you’re good to go. Sound people are incredibly busy, especially on nights of a multi-act bill, so be considerate of their needs.

–Is someone manning the merch table? If not, you swag could move rapidly, but not in a way that you like.

–Do you have the set list ready, and extra copies to give each band member? Everyone needs to have and be on the same page.

–Do you remember all the lyrics/song keys/chord changes? Find a quiet space to go through it all in your head, especially if you’re playing new material.

–Have you checked back in with the sound person and the stage/club manager? The start time may have changed, or another sound issue may have cropped up after the band before you finished.

–Is your fly zipped up? Because if it’s down, you may not know it, but the audience most certainly will.

–Are you sober? Don’t blow it by downing so many shots to calm your nerves that you can’t stand up well enough to play your instrument by the end of the set.

Are you nervous yet? Let’s hope so. With all this kind of stuff to think about before a gig, even the biggest acts still get nervous. Feed off that nervous energy and give ’em a great show.