Timing is everything – especially when it comes to eating and drinking before, during and after gigs. You want to be at your best when performing, and this requires giving some thought to what and when you’re going to eat and drink and how it might affect your playing. I’ve touched on some of this before – for example, don’t perform on an empty stomach – but it’s an important enough topic to be addressed as a separate subject.
This seems simple, but first of all, be aware that you have to time your meal according to what time you have to go on stage. You don’t want to eat right before you go on, and if the venue doesn’t serve food, you probably won’t be able to anyway. Ideally, you want to eat a couple of hours before the gig, so you don’t feel sluggish or bloated right before performing. Ideally.
There's no problem getting food and drink when you've got a gig at U.S. Brews in Centerport, New York.
It’s best to keep the meal on the lighter and healthier side, but hey, I’d be lying if I said I’ve never had pizza before playing. (To be fair, I’ve also enjoyed healthier fare like turkey wraps and the like.) That said, sometimes there are situations where scarfing down food right before a gig are unavoidable and you won’t have time to deliberate on your culinary options, like if you have to rush to the venue right after work, or if the pre-show sound check runs late and it’s too late to go out and grab a bite.
The best laid plans of mice, men and musicians often go astray. Sometimes you’ll be playing at a bar or restaurant and ask for a meal before playing – and the kitchen will be late in serving you. One time at a gig at the Country Corner in East Setauket, Long Island, I had to grab my dinner right before going on, balance the plate on top of my amp, and sneak bites in between songs. Aside from completely killing my stage presence it was hard to keep food off my hands and my guitar. But I was so hungry I didn't care.
The drummer in our band told us of a gig where the club was late in serving chicken wings to the lead singer, and she didn't get her plate until it was time to go on. The solution? She put the plate on the bar and ate a wing after every song. Luckily, the bar was close to the stage, but we're still trying to figure out how she didn't make a mess of things.
There have been many times when I was rushing to a gig and knew I wouldn’t have time to eat once I got there. I know I'm hardly alone in this regard. 7-Eleven and McDonald’s to the rescue! I had to eat in the car while driving. Doing this is literally a balancing act in making sure you don’t spill food all over the seats and your stage attire. Don’t order tacos or fried chicken or food that will be completely impossible to eat without making a mess. Well, if you do make that mistake, trust me, you’ll only make it once.
Even if the venue does serve food, it may not be to your liking. I was having pizza (what can I tell you, I’m a New Yorker who likes pizza) before seeing a show at the Suffolk Theater in Riverhead, Long Island. I was surprised to see someone from a famous band (hint: they're backing up Jon Anderson) walk in. I looked at him and said, “hey, don’t they serve food at the venue? You don't like it?” He looked at me and made a face…before picking up a pizza and taking it to the theater.
If you’re going to be playing a short set and you’re short on time beforehand, it’s probably better to have a quick snack before playing and eat a big meal after.
If a band member has medical or dietary needs, the rest of the group needs to be aware. Diabetics cannot afford to screw around with their blood sugar levels. Musicians who are lactose-intolerant, on a gluten-free diet, have food allergies, or have other dietary restrictions obviously must be accommodated. If you’re on a professional level where you can specify individual members’ needs on a rider, that’s ideal; otherwise, it’s up to the band members, the people at the venue, and the application of common sense.
Dedicated music clubs usually have a menu, so that patrons and musicians alike can be well fed. Here's the Hyeseon Hong Big Band at Birdland, October 2024.
It wasn't hard to find food and drink at this gig! In fact, the hosts of the Gallery North Outdoor Art Show and Music Festival 2024 had a separate area with complimentary food and refreshments for the performers.
For this and other reasons, I never go to a gig without a “survival cooler.” Sometimes, even when you’re performing at a place that you know has food, for whatever reason, you won’t be able to eat there. In fact, don’t even take for granted the fact that food might even be available. A few summers ago, our band had a gig at a library. I figured there had to be a place to eat nearby. Bzzzt – wrong. The closest place was a 7-Eleven and it was in fact not close by, and there were no other places in sight to get food.
So I figured, no problem, I’ll just load up from the library’s vending machine. Even if it was all crappy junk food, I'd be able to eat something. I walked up to the machine but a librarian called out, “the vending machine doesn’t work!” So, I couldn’t get anything to eat, or more importantly, drink, and it was a hot summer night. Even if there was a water fountain in the library, it would have done no good while we were playing our hour and a half set outside.
In desperation I told the rest of the band that I’d have to make a quick drive to 7-Eleven and hope to make it back in time. But then our keyboard player showed us his cooler filled with cans of seltzer. Remember that episode of The Twilight Zone where the guy wandering in the desert desperately begs the other guy for water from his canteen? Well, that was us. Happily, he had one can of seltzer for each of us, which we rationed to last us through the gig. Lesson learned – now I always bring my survival cooler to a gig, filled with drinks, a sandwich, fruit and snacks. If it’s a hot summer gig it’s really important to stay hydrated, as I mentioned in the last installment, “The Extremes of Performing Outdoors” (Issue 218). Passing out on stage isn’t good.
If you’re a singer you’ll want to pay particular attention to what you drink before and during the gig. Water is always good, and some singers like it warm, with honey or lemon. Herbal tea is also a beverage of choice for many singers. Sugary drinks can cause dehydration, and some singers complain they cause a “coating” on the back of the throat. Alcohol and caffeine are not good – they can dehydrate you, aside from the fact that it’s really unprofessional to play drunk onstage.
The singer in the band I'm in noted: "I can't eat or drink a lot right before a gig. If I'm full I lose some of my high notes when I reach for them, which is really bad. The notes just don't come out. And my stomach doesn't feel good when I sing power songs if I've eaten a meal within an hour or so before I sing. Having a small snack, like some fruit, is OK and usually a good idea because it's not good to be hungry either! And water is the only thing I can drink when I'm singing – nothing with bubbles, nothing with acidity, nothing sweetened – just good old water."
I've mentioned this before but if you drink too much beer you may find yourself getting the urge to go in the middle of the set, which can be anywhere from uncomfortable to painful. There’s been more than one gig I’ve played when the drummer had to play an extended drum solo while one of the other guys rushed to the bathroom. I confess, I’ve been that guy. I’m not saying it's strictly forbidden to have a beer or wine or a shot during a gig – let’s get real; a lot of us on a local level look at a gig as a social occasion, not a "job" as such. Just be aware of what happens when you do it to excess.
Don’t eat foods or drink acidic drinks that are going to upset your stomach. Some of us have struggled with GERD and other digestive system issues and are well aware of the consequences of eating things like spicy or greasy food. But even if you have a healthy digestive system, you shouldn't eat a heavy meal right before playing if you can help it. Last summer at a gig in Springfield, New Jersey I ate a little too much pizza (I know; this is becoming a running gag and at this point you have to be thinking I don't practice what I preach) about 45 minutes before show time. About four or five songs into the set I started feeling really weird, a combination of upset stomach and fatigue. I was wondering why I felt out of sorts. Then I remembered I had eaten too soon before show time. Sometimes you have to be hit on the head, or punched in the gut, as it were, to get the message.
Our band played here. Want to guess what we had for dinner?
But another reason to avoid problematic belly-busting foods…well, how do I put this delicately? You don’t want to be crop dusting the drummer during your set! Carbonated drinks can also set some people off, though I’ve personally never had a problem. (Well, let me check with our drummer.)
Considering that many performers are pros, or at least experienced at this part of playing in a band, and control their food intake before a show, it’s no surprise that many of us like to indulge in a post-show meal. After playing a gig the hunger may really hit you, especially after a long night. It’s a physical workout – you use up a lot of energy and the body wants to refuel. Besides, after the excitement of playing, the adrenaline will be flowing and you’ll be too keyed up to go to bed anyway.
If you’re an older guy like me, and/or have overindulged post-show, you’ll pay for it the next day, but if you’re having a special night, it's hard not to want to keep it going. Even if it’s 1:00 in the morning and you have to wake up for work at 6:00 the next day. (Although there are some of us who want to be over and out shortly after the gig is done.) Hanging out at the venue or diner or restaurant afterward is a fun way to catch up with your musician friends after playing a show and just relax and bask in the glow of a gig well done.
That's OK; our band had no intention of preparing our own meals while playing at the 2024 Montauk Music Festival.
Header image courtesy of Pixabay.com/JJ-Jordan.
