wat if u have a dead set of audiences??

I heard that most "eastern" crowds are quite static

 

Some people might say get really pumped and try to involve the audience.

I feel the opposite. When i watch local bands (non famous), i find it creepy when they (the lead singer) has a superman attitude and thinks hes teh second coming of the lord, doing stupid antics like preaching to the crowd or 'everybody jump' , put ur hands together, stuff like that makes me feel awkward as an audience member because its very forced. If i feel like clapping, i will.

I tihnk if the audience feels comfortable, they will get more into it. I try to have a relaxed feel on stage.

 

That's tough...been there. During your break ask some people in the audience if you are too loud...or not loud enough. If your band is tight on stage, it could be a mix issue. Also, if you are not playing danceable music, that could be it too.

 

...and make sure the bass is up enough in the mix to get them moving naturally.

A lot of bands, in my opinion, keep the bass too low in the mix and it is the single biggest factor in getting people moving without even thinking about it.

 

I've done gigs where crowds go nuts and clap and dancing all night and Ive done gigs where the crowd just stand there and look at the band like its got two heads. Late gigs are always the best ones to get the crowd going. I always find that playing 12am till 2am is the best time to play a gig as opposed to 10:30 till 12:30. That extra bit of drinking goes along way to get the crowd going.

It depends on the type of music a crowd likes as well. If your playing to a bunch of young people who's only musical input is from the the radio and on tv and dj's from night clubs.(who just usually play music thats currently on tv and radio) Then there's no point doing radiohead and metalica and muse. You got to keep to more popish material. If your playing to a music lovers venue where the people are music fans then you can do some original material and more interesting music. Go and see bands that can get the crowd going see what they are playing and doing and put your own spin on it. But I think you got to cater to the crowd. The more my band does that the more butts are up on that dance floor.

 

We played a bunch of Bike Nights this past summer. They were real good to us but it is mainly a social event so there wasn't a ton of dancing going on no matter what we played. If you are playing a more social atmosphere, thgat will happen...until the drinks kick in...

 

Watch The Hives play.

They play in front of a few like they're playing for millions.

Really a sight to behold.

 

I've found that it takes a little bit of a seed to get people going. very few people want to be the studipest looking person in the room. It only takes a couple of people acting crazy to loosen everyone else up. That being said, I'm a dancin fool and it would probably be tough for me to get into Mr. Big to the point of busting a move.

 

It can be really difficult getting all Japanese audiences dancing but everytime my friend Hideyuki showed up, people got dancing!

There you go, just buy a pitcher for whoever you know can get 'em going everytime!

 

Yours is a question that bands have wrestled with forever.

What you can't do is let it get under your skin. It will show in your playing.

You have to accept that some crowds are cold regardless of what you do.

The most succesful bar bands that I've played with(and there's been a few of them) are diversified enough to play a few songs in several genres. Generally fitting the material to the age group can get you a bit of a foot up. Heavy metal wont go over very well on wednesday nite at the Elks club,no matter how good you play.

Another catch 22 is that most good bands have a lot of thier own material. Problem being that the average person in a bar wants to hear something familiar to him/her. As boring as it is, you're playing to the audience so covers will uaually get more response than original stuff.

Keep a rubber chicken on the stage and if someone screws up, frail **** out of them with the chicken. If you can get them smiling, you're on your way.

I once played with a guy who had a neat little thing to get the audience smiling.

He would really hype up that there was gonna be a big "free giveaway" after the next song so pay attention so you don't miss it.

After the song he would announce that the free giveaway was chewing gum. after a pregnant pause he would say: for those who are interested, just feel around on the bottom of your chair......

Corny but you get the pix and it worked.

Drinking a lot makes it easier to deal with them too.