Map, yes, duh. Double-thousand duh.
And even if you have a booker who's supposedly advanced your shows and given you directions, always try to double check with the club AND google maps. Be on top of this. Getting lost SUCKS, and often the club / promoter may be the only person who knows about a street being closed off. Try to do this well ahead of time.
----
Double-triple agreed about rule number 1 re sound. Everyone is happy when you actually sound good as a band. Then you just sound better.

To add: chances are however the vocal mic is set to fight with your band's insane stage sound is not doing anything to help the mess that's blowing away your singer's voice already. Chances are the person with the thankless job of being the soundperson at shit club #1 doesn't care since he/she's asked a billion bands to turn down, so the vocal mic will get turned up really loudly so the club thinks he's at least TRYING, and it'll be the shittiest thing turned up loudest (the cymbals probably).

I don't necessarily agree with the idea of stopping and tuning. I've worked with enough bands that keep the flow of their show on and people are practiced enough to tune when they can, and stay in tune progressively through the show. granted, the fact that I'm hired to be there to witness it means it's professional music time, so maybe that's just something you work towards. But yeah, if you're that kinda band, staying in tune is a good thing. If you're the Cramps, who cares?

I had a way to deal with whiny bitches complaining on stage about "my" sound back in the day. It was called "feedback". It mysteriously continued all night long. Admittedly, I was being as childish as the band, but back then, it seemed appropriate.

The number 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 things any band needs to know on for the best live sound is:

1) turn your rig down, let the PA do the work (x5)

Wanna know why your singer is always crap? Hard to sing when you can't hear. Seriously, is that all that hard to understand? It baffles me that bands STILL haven't figured this out yet.

Drummers, wanna not wind up winded after the 6th song? Try not destroying your set while playing. You and your gear will last longer. Plus, playing softer allows for better drum-head intonation overall, and a clearer sound on everything you hit.

Want a bigger guitar sound? You know, Marshall-wall? Try one good two-speaker cabinet and better electronics in your pick-ups. It's a lot damn easier making a good rig sound huge from the board.

The quieter you play--in rehearsal AND on stage--the more flexibility you have with your sound, and in this case, flexibility = BETTER. Also, it allows you to sound vastly better with a SMALLER PA. And if you're renting, smaller PA = less cost. It also means LESS HUMP, LESS TRAILER WEIGHT, LESS GAS COSTS AND LESS CHANCE THAT GEAR WILL BREAK-DOWN. And lower stage volume goes a hell of a long way to making a bad situation tolerable when you do get stuck with a dink of a club PA.

Bands would do themselves a great favor by learning the difference between looking like a pro [s#it-piles of gear] and being a pro [by using the lowest stage volume you can get by with while still getting your tone].

It seriously is that simple...

To clarify tho:
there really is nothing like seeing an amazingly loud as shit, awesome band. but notice that the qualifier was AWESOME. And typically if they're that good there really is no PA/soundman +/- situation that can ruin it or improve it. they're just great. I'd never want to hear the Melvins quiet -- and I have the last four times I saw them -- and it blew.

AND ANOTHER THING: If you want your amp to be louder without having to be louder? put it next to your face. why ruin everyone's night with your shitty tone that's too loud?

1969 - Canned Heat - Sarasota, Florida - in a quonsett hut shaped civic auditorium holding about 2000 kids. Walk in. Someone comes out and turns on what is an entire wall of guitar and bass amps, 2 tiers tall, 15 across backwalling the entire stage. The hum and hiss of those amps was deafening, and the band had yet to even plug in. The came out, speedily, jacked in... and blew the entire small city away.

Was it good? You bet it was. I don't think they relied on the house system for anything, so they have to have been even sending vocals and drums through their wall. Do I still hear as well as before that night? Maybe not. Was it their fault to use loud as their thing? No, they had no choice. Their fault to bring their loud along with them? No, they had no choice.

These day, even is bad small clubs, so much more is known about sound reinforcement that bands don't have to bring armour with them on the road.

By the way, I saw a concert in Boston a couple weeks ago by a popular touring band from England in a huge indoor venue, and the house made it too loud, Everyting was one loud level. Even Canned Heat had dynamics back then.

My conclusion? Make it good. Somehow.

well, this is where we differ............DRUMMERS - you have to hit really hard, then pour milk on the snare drum - doesn't that ruin the microphone? YES! but only until you realise that a rubber will protect it! ($500 later)
BUT, doesn't that make the microphone sound like shit? YES - but who cares - theres milk on the snare drum!
Yes, but doesn't that ruin the drum?
YES - but theres MILK on the snare drum!!!!
YES but doesn't that ruin everything? and make the drummers clothes smell like, errrrr, milk??
YES! but theres milk on the snare drum!
Couldn't you get the same effect with any other liquid?
Blood is GREAT - when I bit through the side of my mouth (there wasn't any gum) and spat out pints of blood onto the snare - that was pretty fucking amazing....but MILK is great!
ALWAYS destroy the drums - you have to!

MA

Thank you! This is all great advice. I'm a fledgling musician right now and looking forward to my future, and am hoping to play large venues. And everything here is just stuff I'm definitely going to try to remember and practice!

God damnit, you're leaking trade secrets! Shhhh!!!!

Cheers,

-zt

sorry - just tickle the drums ....if you can....just use brushes.

always use the nylon tip sticks as they will never damage anything and one pair will last most of your career.

love peace and respect

MarteeeeeeeeeeeeeeeN 'softly softly' Atkins