Eli Lev – PRESHOW RITUALS

In this Preshow Rituals segment, the indie folk artist, Eli Lev, reveals what he does before taking the stage. You can check out the story, after the break.

I live for live shows.

The energy, the connection, the ephemeral nature of the entire experience – it’s a sacred space that I try to never take for granted, and something I’ve dearly missed throughout this last year.

Once live performances do start happening again (I’ve got a few outdoor socially distant shows coming up), I’ll be ready.

This is how I prepare myself for the big moment…

The three days before, I’ll make sure to get lots of sleep and drink plenty of water and start the day right. My morning routine is up to four hours now. It includes an hour of meditation, a morning run, writing in my gratitude journal, yoga, and daily cold showers which always wake me up and get me energized.

A day before the show, I’ll make sure my guitar’s strings are in good shape and clean the guitar neck while going over my setlist. A full 45-minute vocal routine is a great way to do an overall vocal check, and I’ll make sure to do some yoga to keep me limber. I usually stand while performing to feel the rhythm better, so yoga really helps (especially if it’s a longer set time).

Just before showtime, I’ll drink some throat coat tea, tune all my guitars, do some jumping jacks, soundcheck, chat with folks in the audience, and go over the setlist in my mind.

Once I get on stage it all becomes natural. Every part of my pre-show ritual clicks in and allows me to completely connect to the music and the audience. It’s a wonderful thing, and I can’t wait to get back to the live music magic.

Keep up with him on Facebook and Instagram.