Is it our job to entertain?

[bassist1962]

I have learned to strike a balance through the years. You have to have some sort of raport/respect for your audience. They are the reason you are working that particular venue, yet you have to be yourself as well. I play hard rock, but I don't jump around even though the guitarist and singer may be doing so. When we play the acoustics, and I am on URB, I don't stand on it, spin it, lay down with it, or anything else that I am 'supposed' to do as an entertainer that plays this instrument. I have actually had more band members upset over the fact that I just stand there and play either BG or URB than audience members. As far as the music goes, again there is a balance there that I have been lucky to find. my band played songs that were good musically, the audience loved, are/were played on the radio, yet you don't hear people (other bands) playing them. It's all about balance.

[mje]

Something fingers said reminded me of a quote by Segovia I read when I was a teenage classical guitar student. He said (and I paraphrase) that whenever someone could here you, you were performing, and you owned it to them to be as musical as possible- even if you were just tuning up.

[damonsmith]

Originally Posted by RareBear

You should play to your venue. If you're playing in a local bar for instance, there should be a lot of sensitivity to playing within the spirit of the affair--not a top volume stadium concert approach but a hey folks let's make this a joyful night at the local pub attitude. I can't stand a group who takes themselves too seriously under those circumstances--blasting covers of other people's music like this will imortalize them in the annals of greatness. It's not a bloody "concert"--it's a "happenstance" mostly i.e. people blundering in not necessarily to hear what you've got. So, under the circumstances, be "inviting"--be personable, strike a balance and don't overpower, don't get lost in your delusion and smash your equipment like you're the Who circa 1967. Is it entertainment? Only if you're entertaining the sprit of the venue and not just "entertaining" YOUR ambitions or delusions.

If you're original enough and sensitive enough to have earned a following who will pay to sit in a seat and let you go at it, then is when you've earned the latitude to let 'er rip.

+ 1.
That is kind of what I said in my first post in this thread.