There is a lot more to putting on a show then just showing up. Standing on stage and playing or singing won’t strengthen your fan base or sell more tickets. People come to your show to be entertained, and that’s what you need to do.
If you haven’t been on stage often and don’t really know how to put on a show, here are a few simple techniques and pieces of advice on how you can succeed in bringing your audience back for more and having them be your best piece of free publicity, word-of-mouth.
Practice: A well-practiced musician/singer puts on a better show. Why? If the words and chord changes are engrained in your mind and you have practiced them relentlessly, you won’t have much to worry about once it’s time to hit the stage. A well-honed piece of music means you will be able to concentrate on the audience instead of the song.
Watch the music pros do their shows: Follow the leaders. Rent DVD’s of some of the top selling concert performers in any genre of music and pay attention to both the noticeable interaction the performer has with the audience in addition to the little nuances. They are participating in audience chatter, which helps build a sense of belonging for the audience members. Some of the top selling performers that audiences expect an excellent show from consistently are:
Celine Dion
Prince
Dolly Parton
Madonna
Kiss
Shania Twain
Barry Manilow
Tina Turner
Other outstanding performers are:
Christina Aguilera
Beyonce
Jay-Z
Justin Timberlake
Britney Spears
Watch stand-up comics: Renting a DVD of your favorite comic will help you gain comedic timing for your own show. When an audience laughs with you, it makes their time with you more memorable. Pay attention to what the comic says on the DVD and watch the reaction from the audience. Listen to how the comic says his or her one-liners and jokes. Also, watch how often he/she uses current headlines in their comedy routine.
Read up on current events: Integrate current events into your audience chatter.
Pull from your past: Pulling stories and events from your past and incorporating them into your show at the right time will bond your audience with you in a deeper way. People are more interested in others they can relate to than those they can’t.
Build a routine for your show: Think of yourself as an actor and build a routine for your show. Write down things to say and memorize them. Flesh them out and put yourself in the audience’s position: Would you find that line funny? Does what you are going to say make sense in your set order?
Build a routine in your show with your band mates: Learn dance steps and fun physical routines to rock your audience out during your show. Audience members love to watch as a guitar player, a bass player and a singer move across a stage together with perfect ease and in perfect step.
Step onto a home stage: Grab a few friends and put a show on for them at your house. Use them as a mock audience and gauge their responses to your rehearsal. Poll them after to find out what made them pay more attention to you during the show and what made them yawn.
Build a rapport with your audience by learning to involve them in your show: There’s nothing that gets an audience more excited than the possibility of being pulled up on stage and sharing a mic with you or pointing them out during the show and having a chat with them.
If you mess up, your audience will forgive: If you forget the lyrics, mess up on the chord changes or pause a little too long in-between song, your audience will forgive you as long as you are humble and own up to your mistake. Play the roll of a diva and a lot of the audience won’t come back for more.
One last note: Stage fright is a common factor for those who perform. Learn to embrace your stage fright because in many cases it may help you make a much better show for your audience.
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