Being a Dungeon Master, Advice Needed

I'm going to be doing my first campaign sometime soon and of course I had to pick the worst rated one without knowing. I'm going to be running Hoard of the Dragon Queen and I'm trying to think of good ways to begin the game. I think I might just go with the usual "You begin in a tavern" but that feels a little over used and boring, but I think that may be what I need to do as a brand new DM. I'll also have to rework different encounters because episode one begins with a blue dragon attack for level one players ._.

I'm going to be playing with two, close friends and I'm open to other friends joining, but I think my maximum is going to be four players. I'm thinking of session zero being planning out characters with my players and understanding their character's background so I can tie them in better. Maybe session zero can also be a warm up session for us where the characters can get to know each other before we seriously begin playing, and I'll get a feel for being a DM.

Do y'all have any advice for new DMs or how to tinker with a premade campaign? Do you have any recommendations of articles to read, videos to watch, or tools to use?