Ok, your a bad ass(Good) musician, your on stage. Playing your instrument is just one aspect of being on stage. Your image and how you present your self is vital. The audience is not just people who bought a ticket to hear music, they are people like you and i, with strong opinions and razor edge criticism, not to mention , some of them are musicians too, good ones at that.
1. Focus on your instrument and your audience, smiling with them every now and then dosnt hurt. I often almost flirt with the audience, smiling and even winking..they like interaction, it makes the musical experience more personal and memorable.

2. Dress well, if you dress like a wuss , people will tell you. Ive seen it.

3. Interact with your musicians.Im a bassist, so me and my drummer act like fools in the show, laughing and doing our fills and stabs. and trying out new licks.

4. This is personal..I have this thing about wires on the ground..I CANT be standing on any wires, ive gotta have my feet on solid ground..The Bass players will understand this.

5. Communicate with your onstage engineer, not hearing what you want is very common, even on the biggest productions. so be ready for the unexpected. Those who use in-ear monitors, use it wisely

6. Dont lose your focus, dont let the audience distract you..looking at people sucks your energy, see the audience as one entity. choosing when to be personal. If a fight breaks out in the audience, dont be concerned about who is gonna win . Just be concerned about what you did in rehearsal.

7. lastly, If someone in the audience try to hurt your lead singer or your band mates, defend them at all costs.dont leave your brother or sister to fend for them self, your a band, remember. Dont leave your band mates behind!

Ha! Number 7 is a good one.

I once saw a guy get a beer bottle busted over his head, right in front of me, while I was playing, followed by blood gushing all over the dance floor. This made me contemplate the fact, that if a fight ever spilled over onto the stage, grabbing a bass guitar by the neck, near the headstock, would equip you with a rather formidible weapon. After that realization, I didn't worry too much about my safety on stage.

And another tip is... no matter what, don't stop playing! The conventional wisdom is that no one will attack the band while they are still playing!

Yes sir the bass is mid-evil Im guilty of thinking that too, but hey, expect the unexpected, ya man.
Your so right about never stop playing. thats a cardinal rule, "if you stop you flop!"... never stop playing, no matter how great the mistake. Stop only for a MAJOR emergency.

Thanks for sharing brotha!

Please share with us your onstage experiences and rituals. Blessings to all serious musicians!

Yeah, everyone can "freestyle" while fixing any inconvenience On defending you're band mates, YES, protect each others like a band of brothers. On the bass guitar / weapon, I've always imagined the guitars of my band mates as an axe whenever trouble comes up

- Ryan

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haha.. Thanks for sharing Ryan!

Shiah I am right with ya on point #4!

Cables irk me to no end! I always kick em out the way!