Rugrats – PRESHOW RITUALS

In this Preshow Rituals segment, the metalcore band, Rugrats, reveals what they do before taking the stage. You can check out the story, after the break.

Hello. My name is Tore and I am the drummer in Rugrats.

The mood at the preshow-stage of the show really depends on the get-in and soundcheck. When you arrive at a venue and meet a nice crew and the sound guy has that professional and calm vibe, you know things can’t go too wrong. A good and thorough soundcheck is always the best place to start. Having a comfortable backstage-room also helps a lot.

Eating is important, but more importantly, is what and when you eat. Greasy and heavy food can make you sluggish while a too light meal will make you hungry again. Typically right before you go on stage. A healthy and medium-sized meal often does the trick. If a decent meal isn’t available, bassist and screamer Jon can vouch just having a couple of Snickers bars will get you through the day and hopefully the show.

Drinking wise is also important as it can depend from show to show, day today. Everyone who has had the experience of being too drunk on stage knows it often doesn’t turn out for the best. Jon likes to keeps his limit on a maximum of three beers before stage time. Tore is about the same but again, it varies from night tonight. A case of the local brew usually puts a smile on the Rugrats faces. No hard liquor until after!

Me, being the drummer, always like to keep my sticks and practice-pad close. About an hour before showtime you can see me sneak off into a corner with my metronome. The ancient rituals I perform is a secret, all you can hear is the sticks as they hit the pad.

Jon, being a more straight-to-business character, mostly just walks up to the stage when the time comes and lets it rip, beer in hand.

Sharing the backstage with another band can be a really nice time, but it can also be a pain in the ass. Remember to treat your colleagues with respect. No one wants to work with a band full of assholes.

Since the entertainment business is already filled with divas, we like to keep our backstage-rider straight to the point. If you need 50 blue jellybeans to play a good show, you should reconsider your line of work.