Concert Tips I learned from attending a Gordon Lightfoot concert that had nothing to do with his amazing talent and everything to do with audience engagement and interaction.
Today I share 3 concert tips that can be used across venues and genres to improve audience connection and enjoyment. I recently attended a Gordon Lightfoot concert. Although I had a great time, the musician in me is always finding better ways of doing things on stage. Because maintaining an audience’s attention for an extended period of time is a difficult task, there are things unrelated to musicianship that need attention.
Make The Concert Visually Engaging for your Audience
Planning movement, props and important moments ahead of time is crucial.
- Prepare changes between songs
- Stage setup
- Move around on the stage or have band move around
- Use props
Make Your Playlist Audience-Friendly to Encourage Audience Interaction
This is not a numbers game. Perform only the songs that you sound good on. Remember, your audience has paid to see you perform so give them the familiar songs they love and not just the ones you love to play.
- Consider performing fewer songs to the best of your ability
- Play solos
- Ask the audience what songs they want to hear ahead of time, if possible
- Scatter familiar or popular songs throughout the show to maintain excitement
- The first song you play should be a popular one
- Save one of your best songs for the encore
Concert Tips To Be A Prolific & Engaging Storyteller
It’s not all about the songs. To engage an audience at a concert you need to make those songs mean something by telling stories.
- Share the who, what, when, why and where of songs
- Put the audience at ease
- Think about what stories to tell and what songs they go with
- Explain what you are passionate about
Resources
ABOUT HOST BREE NOBLE
Bree Noble is an entrepreneur, musician and speaker. She founded Women of Substance Radio, an online radio station that promotes quality female artists in all genres, in 2007. She launched the Women of Substance Music Podcast in November 2014, a 5 day per week show which promotes Independent female artists. Her podcast has hit #1 in New & Noteworthy for the Music, Arts and Society & Culture categories and #4 Audio Podcast on all of iTunes. She draws on her extensive experience running her own music business, both as a solo musician and as an Industry professional, to train and mentor other female musicians. Learn more about the station, the show and the artists atwww.wosradio.com. Connect with Bree on Twitter @BreeNoble or on Facebook or on Instagram @breenoblemusic
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