Hope your Christmas gigs were good and that your new year’s gig will be fantastic! This is a great time of year for working musicians. You may want to party along with the audience, but don’t let it get out of hand or your performance will suffer. This doesn’t have to be a buzz-kill. Talk to band members ahead of time about how to help each other out before anyone slips.

I knew a bass player who would politely accept drinks from happy fans, but had his own drink ready. In the dim light no one ever caught on and he could stay sharp. He said he wasn’t going to let some drunken fan mess up his show or his reputation.

It’s sad to see once successful musicians or singer/songwriters who can’t get through a show or barely stumble through. They let down their bandmates, the audience, and themselves. Don’t let that be you.

This is a case where little things add up to big things and just not getting drunk sets you apart from so many other bands. You will be asked back. You will have a longer career. And you will make more money.