[bobbybobbob]

Hi all,
Got a question and I'm sure someone here would be able to help me answer it.

If you smoke pot before a performance, do you find that it makes you play worse, or out of rythm, or does it help you play better, more creative?

Would greatly appreciate some input.

Thanks
Bobbybobbob

[Benthegoodbum]

Well I've never had a performance so I don't know if it would be different, but when I'm just sitting around and I play while I'm high I usually mess up more. Considering that you are playing in front of a crowd I guess the chance would be better for one not to make many mistakes. If you've never seen snow you're not gonna know what it feels like if you catch my drift.

[Crazy 9.5 Fingers]

Good question, and there are numerous answers. I would have to say that I have played some of my best shows absolutely cold stone sober. Especially if you sing and are the front guy, being sober allows the adrenaline to take over and keep the focus. POt can sometimes add a little bit of shyness up front, though pot brownies have yielded some of the best shows ever. I would say take whatever you want but if the whole band takes it, then it might be better than just the one guy stoned in a band of unstoned players. My band years ago out in Park City, Utah played a sick Halloween party at a sold out club and we all shroomed and it was some of the best music we have ever turned out. Then there were other times when we tried it and it was pretty atrocious. Drinking can have a bad effect on guitar playing and while it might give a bit of a growl to your vocals, it will also give some slurring of your words. All in all, I love pot but I don't think it has much to do with creativity on stage, what it can do is help relax you a bit before a show and get you in a musical mood, especially if you had a rough day at work or something, pot is then definitely necessary prior to performance. I think the most important thing to do before performing is get yourself in a great mood and emit great vibes. Smile, make the other members in your band smile and have fun on stage. That is what makes music sound the best. If that fails, make a batch of potent pot brownies and see who can remember all the arrangements and vocals.

[strumminsix]

Great post!!! Agreed.

IMO, a couple beers or pufss = relaxed and in a good mood.

Any more and you are risking disaster.

[eyeprod]

i'd say one can never go wrong by performing sober. Then again, I usually don't if I can help it! My preference is some drink and a good puff before and during breaks.

[amyjared]

tho I love a good puff, it messes up my rhythm and I usually play worse. A few beers loosen me up and I usually get in the groove a lot better. Now, a good speedball of heroin and crack, and I'm at my best

[Billbbill]

From my past experience (no longer partaking due to testing on the job) it's the most subjective thing going. It all depends on the individual and their relationship with the substance in question.

For me, it seemed I'd 'get into the zone' a little more easily and maybe stay there a little longer while dabbling with some stash. At the same time if I was having a rough time playing well while high, it seemed to be rougher than normal.

Sorta reminds me of that Bill Cosby bit about coke.

Someone asks what its like doing coke and the other guy responds that it kinda accentuates or exagerates what you are. The first guy then asks, "What if you're an ASSHOLE!"

All in all I'm much more comfortable trying to get my groove on straight. Other than a drink or two I like to think I don't 'need' anything else to play well. That's just me.

No judgement intended on those who partake while they play.

[HawaiianDedhed]

I find when playing with others, a few puffs gets me more in tune with the other players (whether they are smoking or not) allowing me to be a little more sensitive to what's going on with the entire group.


Playing solo I wont touch the stuff, there's too much going on and there is less margin for error. I tend to get somewhat paranoid thinking everyone is watching (and judging) just ME.

[bodiddley]

Christ, I couldn't even go out in public when I use to smoke, much less get up on a stage. I fuck up enough even after a few drinks. I suggest doing a trial run at home with a non-stoned buddy listening to a before and after toke session to judge.

"The smoker you drink the player you get."

Joe Walsh

[squire758]

all great posts. i do agree with the part about being a little shy when your up front when your high. but relly i think it just depends on the night. i also agree with playing solo it puts more pressure on cuz there is alot less room for error. the first time i ever got on stage to play was my high school talent show. i didnt have a band so i just went out and did a drum solo then a guitar solo stone cold sober, kinda felt nervous but i got a standing ovation. i was scared of what might happen high so i didnt take the chance. but not overdoing it is a big part of me relaxing before and during shows. a couple beers is fine and maybe a jig but i dont get too wasted to effectively jam cuz i tend to forget scales alot when iim too fucked up

[eyeprod]

yeah its a fun topic. i definitely have my limits as to how much i can ingest before i get sloppy and what not.

Two factors allow me to perform while high. one is that i practice my music all the time and therefore am very confident about what i'm doing. no regular practice and i'll be a major spacer if i get high. uhhh, where were we again?? the other factor is that i smoke everyday pretty regularly. i know if i only smoked at the end of the day i'd get too high to play, initially, until i came down a bit. it would probably be the same if i wasn't a regular smoker.

[jahozer]

what, being paranoid, withdrawn, forgettful, and shy with a fucked up sense of space and time is a bad thing when performing?!?!?!?
Huh...
Seriously, it wouldnt bother me too much when I smoked every day, but now I get a little buggy when I smoke, so it would have to be towards the middle or end of the show. Some real trainwrecks can happen due to being too fuckin high. I do like to be high for highly improvisational parts, where everyone is playing off each other. I do think it lends itself to creativity in that respect.
I absolutely have noticed since I have backed off from habitual use, that I can remember more complex changes and stops. My thinking has definately cleared since. Simple things like counting to four are no problem now!!!
A few drinks, I think take the edge off, but like in darts, there is a fine line...I can tend to have a few too many if they are being supplied to the band while up there.

[phreaker]

yeah it kinda depends on who you are.

for example, i was on a "drive" with a few friends last week. i was feeling high and mighty, absolutely perfect, and i was driving, nothing happened. but there was one fella in the backseat who just sat there with his head down the whole time. whenever he tried to move hed puke.

so its different with different people. because i dont think my buddy would have been feeling up to playing a show that night.

[tigerstrat]

Pot can be rough on the voice, or make you forget words or difficult passages if less-than fully prepared. Sometimes its calming and centering effect can vastly outweigh those cons in a stress-filled performing atmosphere.

The worst imho, yet most ubiquitous substance for the stage is alcohol. Dulls the sense of rhythm, and genuine and aware creativity is sapped, perhaps replaced fwiw with a short-lived goofy boost of bravado... Maybe fine for very raw and inexact forms of music, but for anything of intermediate sophistication or greater, it can quickly blunt the edge of even the most razor sharp instrumental chops, even in moderation.

[LazyLightnin]

i prefer LOTS of weed, and 2 at the most beers. strat drinking again halfway thru 3rd set.