Trying to get ideas for some cool stage gimmicks. We've got our first headlining slot at a reputable venue and it's got a huge stage and the place holds 1,400 people so.... I want to make it fun. We've played there before with a bunch of ****ty bands that we made look bad.

Anyways, I was thinking LEDs, strobes, projector screen (maybe), and confetti. I was looking at those handheld confetti launchers.

Would any of this be cool at all? What are some of the best/worst stage gimmicks you've seen?

Set yourself on fire!

I don't think that's ever been done before!

>.>

Dress up like superheroes , and have flying sharks that shoot fricken' laser beams that are attached to their heads.

A well-planned light show with a video projector would be totally kick-***.

Put spinning rims on your guitars

Or it would be cool if you could get a strobe light to flash every time the kick drum hit :0

Or eat a spider. That'll make them love you immediately.

LASERS

I really hate strobe lights. /personal preference

Grats on the gig

doing a good gig would be an awesome gimmick

I agree with detty.

However--- Ive been to shows where it "snowed" They also took leaf blowers rigged with toilet paper and shot it across the audience.

Flamethrowers are always nice.

play in the middle of the crowd with no stage, and play 6000 times louder than you should be.

and play dirty.

Seconded. And then jump into a pool of kerosene. Explosive music ftw.

Pull a Great White.

The coolest gimmick I ever saw was this guitar/bass jazz duo. They played in the actual church part of this old church (the sanctuary?) and the guitarist brought out this classy looking old lamp. All the other lights were turned off, so it was just these two guys sitting in a little circle of light playing.

I guess that doesn't help you any, but I wanted to share.

....we already play well. I personally enjoy shows that are more than just a band wanking onstage for 2 hours. I love visually entertaining shows, this is what I'm getting at.

Set up a strobe light and play the Invincibility Theme from Super Mario Brothers, then drop the Strobe and get on with the show.

-When people hear the song, they see pods. The pods are an important part of the show.

Good, because I hate gigs that are just bands wanking onstage for 2 hours. But a show can be very entertaining without use of gimmicks, and the gimmicks will be better received if the band is already entertaining.