Band Member Intros - Yes or No?

[GBBSbassist]

In my opinion, it's only neat if you guys have stage personas that you're playing. No one at a show watching a band really cares if the guitar player's name is Mike Buckowski. Now, if his name was "The Cookie Monster", maybe a different story.

 

[Ian Lewis]

I'm in a party rock cover band where nobody introduces the band members - not at the end of a set, not in the middle of a tune, not at all.

Other than this, the frontman is very good communicating with the audience. He repeats the band name, slides in a funny anecdote before a song here and there, all the normal stuff. But he doesn't intro the musicians, ever.

On the one hand, I get it. It's a cover band. Who cares what the drummer's name is. On the other hand, it feels a little to me like a violation of tradition and makes me a little sad. It's the only band (of dozens) I've played in where it's this way.

Thoughts? How do you guys do it in your bands?

I'm in a twenty-two piece dance band - It'd take all night

 

[Polfuste]

In the Jazz band, the pianist introduces us. He's not really the BL, as we take all decisions the four of us; but he's a school teacher: his work is to talk all day long. He naturally takes the role of speaking for the band, joking with public. He does it very well, generally at the end of the first set, and sometimes repeat it at the end of the second one, when we stop playing. And I introduce him.

In the Afro-ska reggae original band, the two singers share this role. And they do it during a tune, not everytime the same. They introduce me as "the sorcerer" . I always find it funny and like it.

 

[bearfoot]

I like band member intros sprinkled in throughout a set, after someone has a particularly "on" moment.