songwriters,inc. magazine

CAPTIVATE YOUR
AUDIENCE
Contrary to popular belief, I don’t only work with
superstars. In fact, most of my work is with indie
artists who are playing live music in the trenches
and trying to make a music career work. My
approach is different with an indie artist than a
major act. It starts with understanding the difference
in how they’ll perform their live songs
and most importantly, how they’ll open their
sets. It starts with the first song they play in
front of a live music audience.
Choose the right energy level. Your first song
needs energy – but not too much, and not too
little. That’s how we like to meet people, after
all. Unfortunately, a lot of artists start a live
performance with an overwhelming intro,
then blaze through the song (and maybe two
or three more) without stopping or giving
the audience a chance to respond. The
result: the artist has no idea what the audience
thinks of them. And in some ways it
appears to their audience they don’t really
care about them much because all they
want to do is sing and play at them, instead
of involving them in their show.
You know those types of people! You meet
them for the first time and all they do is
talk about themselves for the first 10 minutes
without ever asking about you. They
seem clueless and insensitive, don’t they?
Not a good way to start a relationship.
is making sure you look at the audience as you
perform. The song shouldn’t be about your woes,
or the pain you’re going through, or a broken relationship.
That would be like saying to someone
you are meeting for the first time, “Hi, I’m Tom,
and I’m really in a lot of pain from a previous
relationship that went bad … do you want to hear
about it?” That’s a weird way to introduce yourself,
not to mention very awkward.
Start with a song you know so well you don’t
have to think about it. This first song needs to
be easy to play and sing, and easy to move to.
Not that you necessarily have to move, but it’s a
song where you feel free, comfortable, and confident
— you don’t have to think about stuff. You
want to concentrate on your audience and start
the communication process. It’s not a song where
your vocalists belt out their best licks. This is
not a time for extended solos or six-minute jam
sessions.
Make sure the song is the right length. Keep it
short, around 3 to 4 minutes long. Because during
the first song, your audience is trying to decide
if they like you or not. Your goal is to introduce
yourself and start the relationship on the right
foot. You need to get your audience on your
side at the beginning of your show! From there,
you can build the relationship. When you meet
someone for the first time, you are looking for a
connection with them. Your audience will decide
very quickly whether you have that connection or
chemistry.
the beginning of your meal, you should not start
your show with a showstopper. I know it’s tempting
to go off in the first song so people will respond,
but it’s not wise. And if you give them everything
in the first song, you will have nowhere to take your
audience for the rest of the show. Your audience’s
decision to like you isn’t because of your vocal
licks, your playing ability, or the cool words you are
singing. They are deciding in that first song if they
like who you are onstage.
I realize I’m speaking to musicians – so it may be
different when you go to a show, because you look
for musical things. But remember, your audience is
not generally made up of musicians! Besides, you’ll
give them your best songs, great vocal licks, and
guitar riffs later in the show, after you’ve captured
and engaged them.
Have a cool intro for each song that you have
prepared to play. I spend a lot of time with song
intros when I’m working with artists, getting as
creative as I need to be so the audience will be
drawn into the song. This is extremely important
in the first song! Typically, the intro is too short.
It needs to be long enough so you can move to the
front of the stage, engage the audience visually, and
get their attention.
Don’t play the short intro from your recording for
an audience you’re dating, because the audience
(during the first song) is not listening as much
as watching. A short intro won’t allow you to go
out and put pressure on the audience to start the
relationship. Consequently, you don’t have time to
gather up your audience, and they’re not with you
when you begin the lyrics, verse, and melody.
It’s like a mother hen who sets off across the street
before gathering her chicks together. She hopes
they’ll follow, because she knows where she is
going. The problem is the chicks don’t know, and
she loses quite a few along the way. (And once
just keep
me where
the light is
-John Mayer
Make sure the songs you sing are
right for your audience. The first
song’s content needs to be for and to
your audience, and your attention needs Don’t make your first song your best song. Just they’re lost, they’re hard to get back!)
to be on them, not the song. Part of that like a waiter doesn’t bring you the main course at
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