Pre-Show Rituals and Backstage Secrets
Okay, I’m not going to lie. This title was used as an example on Wix, but as I thought about it, I thought this would make an interesting post. A lot of times, we wonder what artists do before a show; what are their habits, rituals, etc. before they go onstage for a few hours for their audience? I have heard some weird stories about some of the mainstream artists, those of which I probably won’t share in this post, but just trust me. They’re strange.
As for me, if you joined me backstage before a show, you would probably find me pacing around, praying, drinking water, and eating cough drops. Before I go on, I try my best to calm my nerves and prepare to the best of my abilities; if I overthink before, I’ll start thinking about songs and worry about forgetting lyrics or what I’m going to say during the show. So in all honesty, I just try to remain calm. For me, eating large meals before a show is also a big no-no. A full stomach and anxiety do not mix well!
Of course, hydration and eating cough drops are important to maintain vocal cord lubrication throughout the show (a lot of times, I’ll continue this throughout the show). There’s nothing worse than feeling like you’re eating cotton when onstage! If you look carefully when I’m onstage, you could probably find 4-5 unwrapped Ricola honey-lemon cough drops; and yes, for those of you interested, I do purchase the 3-month supply at Sam’s Club (nothing wrong with saving money)!
But among all of my pre-show quirks/habits, the one that is most precious to me is prayer. Prayer helps to center me before a show and helps reduce any anxiety/nervousness that I may have and prepares me to go onstage. If you were to hear one of my prayers before a show, you would probably think it sounded like a jumbled mess. I honestly have no plan in mind when I start praying, but I more or less add parts to my prayer as I go through it. One of the most important parts that I include in my prayer is that if somebody in the audience that night does not know Christ, that through the music, through the message, they would be introduced to Him. See, that is why I do what I do. Applause is nice; standing ovations and post-show compliments are nice, but the true measure of God working in a concert is when somebody’s life is forever changed. If I can positively impact one person’s life in that manner, then I have been successful, moreover, God has been successful in using me to minister and tell His story.
