Knowing what to bring to an open mic is one of those skills you only learn the hard way — usually after you've shown up without a tuner, a notebook, or a backup pen. A good open mic checklist isn't long, but every item on it solves a real problem you'll face once or twice a year. This open mic preparation guide covers what to pack as a comedian, musician, or poet, the universal items every performer should carry, and the few things you should leave at home.
The universal open mic checklist
Every performer, regardless of medium, should walk into a room with the same baseline kit. A phone with at least 50% battery, because you'll want to record your set. A pen and a small notebook for jotting things you noticed during other people's sets — bits of audience response, lighting cues, or new ideas. A water bottle, because mic venues are usually loud and dry and the bar will be slammed. A bit of cash, since some venues charge a small cover or expect a tip jar contribution. A printed or memorized list of your set in performance order. And a backup phone charger or battery pack for when the night runs long.
What to bring to an open mic as a comedian
Comedians travel light. The most important thing to bring is your written set — either memorized cold or on a single index card with one or two word reminders, never paragraphs. Bring a stopwatch app you can glance at during your set if the venue doesn't have a visible clock. Bring two or three jokes you haven't tried yet in case you have extra time at the end. Bring an Instagram handle ready to share if the host asks for one. And bring a thick skin — comedy mics are often the toughest crowds you'll perform for, and the open mic checklist for a comic is mostly mental.
What to bring to an open mic as a musician
Musicians need more gear than comedians and forgetting one item can end your set. Bring your instrument, obviously, but also bring a backup set of strings, a tuner (clip-on works best), picks if you use them, a capo if any of your songs need one, and a strap. If the venue uses a DI, bring a quarter-inch cable; not every venue has spares. If you play electric, bring your own pedal if your sound depends on it. Bring a printed setlist in large font you can read from the stage. Bring a mic windscreen if you sing close to the mic and tend to pop. And bring a small towel for sweaty hands or a damp mic.
What to bring to an open mic as a poet or spoken word performer
Poets need the least equipment but the most preparation. Bring your poems printed in a font large enough to read in dim stage light — at least 14pt — single-sided, in the order you plan to perform them. If you have any chance of performing from memory, do so; reading from paper creates distance from the audience. Bring a folder or thin binder so the pages don't flap or wrinkle on stage. Bring a pen to make last-minute edits if a line isn't landing in your head. And bring a small bookmark or paper clip to mark where you are if you have multiple poems and might need to skip one for time.
What to wear and how it affects your set
What you wear isn't usually on the open mic checklist but it should be. Wear something you can move in — shrug, gesture, hold an instrument — without thinking about your clothes. Avoid loud patterns that distract from your face on stage. Avoid jangly jewelry that creates noise into a clip-on mic. Wear shoes that grip; some stages are slick. If you're performing music, wear something with no rustling fabric near a chest mic. If you're a comedian, wear something that matches the persona of the material — sloppy bedroom comic and high-status comic are different costumes.
What not to bring to an open mic
The shorter list: don't bring a large entourage. One or two friends is great support; six friends crowds the room and pressures the host. Don't bring an expensive instrument you can't replace if it gets knocked over in a bar — bring the gigging version, not the studio version. Don't bring a complicated multi-pedal rig to a five-minute slot when no one else is using one; the changeover will eat your set time. Don't bring printed promotional flyers and pass them out during other people's sets. Don't bring an attitude that the room owes you stage time — bring the assumption that you're a guest at someone else's party.
Once your kit is dialed in and you're hitting open mics consistently, the next bottleneck isn't gear — it's getting booked at venues that pay. That's where the work shifts from packing a bag to writing pitch emails, tracking responses, and keeping up with bookers across multiple cities. An AI booking agent like Estelle handles that outreach for you in the background, emailing tailored pitches to venues that match your act and surfacing replies in your inbox. The open mic checklist gets you on stage tonight; Estelle keeps your calendar full of stages worth showing up to next month.