Good Tiger – PRESHOW RITUALS

In this Preshow Rituals segment, Elliot Coleman of the rock band, Good Tiger, shares what he does before every show. You can check out his rituals, after the break.

When I first read Motley Crue’s band autobiography, “The Dirt”, at the tender age of 18, I was convinced that if I ever got into a band, I would spend each day on the road living in the fast lane like they once did. I’d drink copious amounts of Jack Daniels, cruise for chicks, and do every drug within arms reach. Fast forward to my ripe age of 33, and in the last eight years of touring, I’ve done none of that. I spend each day on the road looking for coffee, avoiding sugar, and calling my wife whenever I get the chance. I like to live in the slow lane, because touring takes a lot out of you, whether it be in a van, sprinter, or bus.

As far as pre-show rituals go, the things I do to ensure a good vocal performance almost boil down to an almost OCD level of preparation, with maybe a little superstition thrown in there as well. For breakfast, I’ll eat something light, and preferably non-citrus, with a bottle of water. Lunch consists of little snacks here and there, but no actual “meal”, as I’m trying to avoid accidentally eating too much, because if I go onstage with too much food in my stomach it’s gonna make hitting those already hard to hit notes THAT much harder. I generally start warming up about 40 minutes before our set time. I go through alto and tenor vocal warm-ups that take about 22 minutes to complete. I prefer to do these in the privacy of the van while everybody is inside because even I think vocal warm-ups are loud and annoying, but if it’s too cold, I’ll do it in the green room with my face buried into a towel. I’ve never missed a warm-up before a show, I know missing it would mean the difference between a good performance, and a bad one.

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