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Fun Interactions with the Crowd

Brianvw

Brianvw

May 12, 2011
358
68
#1
Hey, All;

I play in a 60's revival band, and we are looking to improve our interaction with the crowd. We're looking for fun things to do during and between songs, things that the crowd will find fun and keep them coming back to hear us.

We like to bring hula hoops and tambourines, maracas, etc, and pass them out to people to use. Fun when they start getting loaded!

We'd love to find some stuff to add; activities, games, contests, and the like.

What do you all do?
 
#7
Singer (with wireless mic) dancing with the crowd (read: Hot Chicks)

T-shirt give-aways. We used to throw out band t-shirts during songs or , depending on the venue / crowd....we'd give them away as prizes for dancing, trivia answers, etc.

Chicks on stage singing with the band for a particular tune...

We used to have a standing gig at a local club every year on the night before Thanksgiving. We used to do 'Turkey Bowling' in the middle of the second set. Sounds stupid, but it went over HUGE.....every time.
 
#9
We have certain songs that seem to help us connect with the audience. We play classic rock pretty much, but throwing in some tongue in cheek songs (for us) like "ring of fire", or "hot rod lincoln", or "please release me" by Tom Jones etc. seem to help us joke around with the audience.

Other than that, its taking requests and the occasional girl with a tamborine.
 
#10
Make your own shakers and let people keep them! Take empty 20oz soda bottles. Wash them out and let them dry. Fill them about 1/4 of the way with Popcorn seeds, dried beans, peas, lentels, paperclips - whatever will make noise. Put a dab of superglue on the threads and screw the top back on. Instant shakers that the crowd can use all night long and if they keep them, it will be a token of the band! Long since remembered. By the way, we started doing this back in 1994 when we would open our shows with In the Summer Time by Mongo Jerry and the first 2 or 3 minutes would be getting the crowd involved into the tune with their own shakers!
 
#11
Another thought....

When I was in a cover band...We played songs on the heavier side (sort of)...

Alice in Chains
Journey
Blink 182
Ozzy
Deep Purple
etc.

BUT

We threw in "Sweet Caroline" from Neil Diamond and it was an instant hit with every crowd!! From the business executive crowd after work on a Friday night to the sleazy biker bars on a Saturday night...EVERYONE sang along, especially the BA BA BA part and the So Good, So Good part. Talk about getting the crowd into it.....it was like we were throwing a party in our living room and everyone was invited.
 
#12
marijn van gils said:
Not really...

But that means you now do have a lot of good audience participation stuff to add to this tread, which would be actually useful!
Click to expand...

We, well my bands

front person, young female lead guitarist hands out cow bells and tambourines and has lead entire bars outside then back into the bar. It works ok, I guess, not really my thing.

In New Orleans the bands have the crowds engaged with sing alongs and they choose all the right songs.
 
#13
Our "crowd interaction" is usually around the 3rd set where we just ask them what they want to hear. You need guys that are good on the jam though and a singer that remembers ALOT of random lyrics.

Oh and +1 on not giving the audience anything rhythmic. Not just drunks but north americans in general are fairly poor with time.
 
#14
We do metal. (Ok I'll wait for the bad jokes to end....you done yet....good!) The plan is to get the singer (female) guitarist and myself all on wireless to walk into the crowd and play up the interaction and such. Headbang with the band, have the vocalist hand out a t-shirt or something to a random headbanger (something for participation?).
 
#15
bluewine said:
I saw lots of bands in New Orleans this week. These bands were so good, the audience paticipatoin stuff just seemed to happen naturally.

Know what I mean?
Click to expand...

Yup. They've put a lot of work into making it seem natural. Finding the right songs for sing-alongs, the ones that universally connect – like the "Sweet Caroline" somebody else in the thread mentioned. Takes time, work and experience to pull it off.

It's kind of like practicing your a*terisk off to the point where it seems natural and easy to the punters – until they try it themselves and find it's not so easy, not so natural.

OP: Hula hoops is cool for the genre. I may steal that idea...:ninja:

I'm trying to get a surf band going and aim to have the following ideas:

Surfboard with band name painted on it instead of a banner
inflatable pool furniture
inflatable mattresses and rings such as sharks, duckies, alligators etc
Mini-Sand Castle competition
branded small beach balls for bouncing around for spilling drinks and breaking glasses :D + GIANT one for outdoor shows/festivals :hyper:

Some merch ideas/giveaways:
branded beach balls/toys
branded shovels & buckets
branded paddler rings/ wings
branded Beach blankets/towels
 
#16
I was in a 60s band a couple of years ago that used to get three people up from the audience, give them a tennis raquet each and get them to play air guitar (or tennis raquet guitar) while doing Shadows dance movements. The best one got a prize of something silly like a packet of jelly beans or a chocolate bar.
 
#17
Sixpack324 said:
Another thought....

When I was in a cover band...We played songs on the heavier side (sort of)...

Alice in Chains
Journey
Blink 182
Ozzy
Deep Purple
etc.

BUT

We threw in "Sweet Caroline" from Neil Diamond and it was an instant hit with every crowd!! From the business executive crowd after work on a Friday night to the sleazy biker bars on a Saturday night...EVERYONE sang along, especially the BA BA BA part and the So Good, So Good part. Talk about getting the crowd into it.....it was like we were throwing a party in our living room and everyone was invited.
Click to expand...


I may have to suggest that....we're on the heavier side and I can see how that would go over.


I like the idea about contests and giveaways.
 
#19
One way to enhance the giveaway is to stay away from the whole raffle idea. its more work than its worth sometimes.. You need a person to gather tickets, money (if a donation for charity or something), etc... this is a method we have used in the past to get peeps involved with a giveaway without the whole "raffle" thing...

"the first person to the stage with _______ gets a cd (t-shirt, etc)!!

So if you have a rowdy crowd, a good one is "the first woman to the stage with a condom wins a _____"...

Or "the first guy to the stage with birth control pills wins a_____"..

you get the idea. fill in the blanks.

If it's a subdued crowd, i don't take responsibility for consequences by anyone using my examples. :ninja:
 

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