Your gimmicks and ideas to involve the crowd....

jonas_24112 · #1 08-25-2011, 12:59 PM

So besides good frontman, good music and song selections. What are some things you or your awesome front man do to get the crowd spurred up? Some examples of what I've seen......

1. Frontman has props like a stick horse for "Save a Horse, Ride a Cowboy" or costume changes for him as well.
2. Picking several ladies out the crowd to do backup on "Mustang Sally"

What you got??? Ideas???

bassplayerbob · #2 08-25-2011, 01:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jonas_24112

So besides good frontman, good music and song selections. What are some things you or your awesome front man do to get the crowd spurred up? Some examples of what I've seen......

1. Frontman has props like a stick horse for "Save a Horse, Ride a Cowboy" or costume changes for him as well.
2. Picking several ladies out the crowd to do backup on "Mustang Sally"

What you got??? Ideas???

We have a shot of the night. Buy a round and get a prize, buy the band a round and something that lights up! We go to the party shop and get party favors. People love it.

KillianRussell · #3 08-25-2011, 03:55 PM

More of a New Orleans style than a gimmick per se, call and response vocals where the call by comes from the stage, the response is sung by audience work.

Na na na na na .....hey jude

ride sally ride

walk this way

MatticusMania · #4 08-25-2011, 03:57 PM

Hidey hidey hidey high....

Rockmusician · #5 08-25-2011, 03:59 PM

Personally, I don't believe in gimmicks. If the band is good, the audience will be involved.

MatticusMania · #6 08-25-2011, 04:01 PM

I was in a band called Ugly Ape... I wanted to draw up flyers on banans and leave them in inconspicuous places. And then throw bananas at audience members. Sadly it never happened.

Papa Dangerous · #7 08-25-2011, 04:01 PM

I think GG Allin had a good idea when he defecated on stage, smashed bottles, and pranced around nude attacking the crowd. But hey, we all can't be a G.G. right?

hudpucker · #8 08-26-2011, 12:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rockmusician

Personally, I don't believe in gimmicks. If the band is good, the audience will be involved.

Yep.

Around here the crummier of the hipster bands frequently employ some sort of schtick to offset/counteract their terminal lack of talent onstage.

Phalex · #9 08-26-2011, 12:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bassplayerbob

We have a shot of the night. Buy a round and get a prize, buy the band a round and something that lights up! We go to the party shop and get party favors. People love it.

We do something similar: Buy the band a round of drinks and get one free. One of these days I'm hoping it catches on......

A friend of mines band has an orange highway cone on stage. They invite people up to the stage to bong beers out of it. (I have no idea if they ever even rinse that disgusting thing out........)

pklima · #10 08-26-2011, 12:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MatticusMania

I was in a band called Ugly Ape... I wanted to draw up flyers on banans and leave them in inconspicuous places. And then throw bananas at audience members. Sadly it never happened.

Hahaha. That's considered very offensive in Europe, you know.

Quote:

Originally Posted by hudpucker

Yep.

Around here the crummier of the hipster bands frequently employ some sort of schtick to offset/counteract their terminal lack of talent onstage.

I would rather have a terminal lack of talent than not believe in gimmicks! Gimmicks are fun.

Von Felgenhauer · #11 08-26-2011, 12:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rockmusician

Personally, I don't believe in gimmicks. If the band is good, the audience will be involved.

Tell that to KISS.

spaz21387 · #12 08-26-2011, 12:38 PM

we use flash pots. They really get the crowd going. When something blows up people always have this wth was that look on their face

HeadyVan Halen · #13 08-26-2011, 12:51 PM

Invite a pretty girl on stage.
Strap guitar on her.
Tell her to play. (her volume is off)
You turn your back and play like she's playing.
Crowd loves it, you exchange numbers and save for diapers and wipes.
End.

billryan68 · #14 08-26-2011, 12:54 PM

Chicks who flash tits to the band get to sign my white Jazz bass with a black Sharpie, right then & there. They love it...!

MatticusMania · #15 08-26-2011, 01:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pklima

Hahaha. That's considered very offensive in Europe, you know.

Which part? Throwing bananas at the audience? It might offend some Americans as well. Are bananas some sort of extra offensive symbol in Europe?

pklima · #16 08-26-2011, 01:19 PM

Yeah, throwing bananas.

MatticusMania · #17 08-26-2011, 01:22 PM

HAHAH! Thats hilarious! Are bananas extra offensive, though? Or would they be just as offended if it were some other soft fruit, like say, a peach?

pklima · #18 08-26-2011, 01:27 PM

Yeah, throwing bananas specifically. Other fruit is, well, just throwing fruit. Kinda mean but not considered racist.

Then again, one band on tour of Europe had some dead pigeons on stage with them. By the end of the tour they were quite rotten. The last stop of the tour they started throwing pieces of those at the audience with the help of the opening band (who related the story to me - fortunately I wasn't there myself). Not racist, but really putrid.

MatticusMania · #19 08-26-2011, 01:30 PM

So I must ask, what is offensive about bananas? The phallic implications? Im just curious...

pklima · #20 08-26-2011, 01:35 PM

(German pole valuter Silke Spiegelburg)

It's not the phallic implications, it really is considered racist. Throwing bananas at people in Europe is interpreted as calling them monkeys. Throwing rotting bits of pigeons really is safer.