What makes a band FUN?

[RichardW]

define fun. I saw the Clash twice. They blew me away with their energy and passion, but I don't recall thinking that they looked like they were having fun. It was all very serious.

The audience will follow your lead. If the band is loose, smiling, moving around (at least a little bit), bantering (a little bit) between songs (with one another and/or the audience), not sweating "mistakes" and enjoying the music you play, I think the audience will have fun. This is not the job solely of the lead singer. We occasionally play with two horn players and those guys mug and goof around on stage and the audience loves it.

 

[DavC]

i played 6 nights a week ... looking like you're really really happy to be there every night , and looking like you're having so much fun , is actually the hardest part of playing out .. !

some bands naturally are full of ' class clowns ' ... but most have a few folks that are always whining and complaining and bringing everybody down ...

some folks , like myself , where very happy funny drunks ... which is problematic after a few decades .. !!

if a band kinda sucks , i would have a hard time being happy/having fun ... actually , i wouldn't be in a sucky band ..

so you really need to ' know your tunes well ' , ' be prepared in every respect ' , ... then you should be able to relax and have fun entertaining people .. !! if you're just another juke box / music player , no one will be very interested ..

 

[hrodbert696]

Love the genre of music or hate it, I think this is a pretty good example of fun...

Ha! I love the Hives, and yeah, that was fun, but man was it also sloppy. Which I suppose makes the OP's point, you can be tight but not fun and fun but not tight. Ideally, of course, be both.

What makes a band fun?

Tight catchy grooves.

No dead space between songs.

A sense of humor.

Engaging the audience, including stuff like giving them singalong material or having a booty shaking contest or whatever.

Being into it yourself, physically - have fun and move up there.

 

[Gaolee]

Nobody has mentioned playing Mustang Sally yet. Play that. It's the magic unicorn song.

 

[Scottkarch]

My band is 4 48-52 year olds. We've had people from their 20s to our age come up and say how much fun we are to watch. They say they can tell we're having fun, and it's just more fun to watch guys having fun.

Nobody is super animated.. we talk a bit with the audience but nothhing big. We smile a lot.. to the audience, to each other.. we laugh onstage. If there is a mistake we don't give the stink eye..we usually laugh even more... in fact, our friends have finally realized if we look at each other and laugh, someone made a mistake.. and they rarely catch it. We love playing... it must show, and our happiness wears off.

Don't fake over the top gregariousness unless you really are that way.. hopefully if you are having fun, it shows. Our guitar players do quite a bit of hand watching.... but not too much. I've seen some incredibly talented bands just stare at their hands... not smile, not move... it's not all about the music. It's also a performance.

 

[Biggbass]

Play more dance tunes

 

[bfields]

A common but painfully honest assessment I hear is "you are guys are Good but your aren't Fun.
Our singer is a singer - not really a front person.

Suggestions?

Do you have video? That might help figure it out.

One possibility: a lot of us, if we're concentrating on something, even if we're having all the fun in the world, we tend to stand still and frown and look at what we're doing.

 

[City]

Nobody want a bunch of shoe inspectors. You have to make eye contact and engage. You have to play fun stuff too, even if it isn't your cup of tea. If your band punks it out....play blitzkrieg bop (Hey Ho - Let's Go!!!), if you play variety....I say....Mustang Sally. Sing alongs, dance alongs. I bet if you ask BassCliff he may sheepishly tell you that he hates line dancing music, but those crowd participation, line dancing numbers, get everyone on the floor. Brings the fun, and pays the bills. Best of luck to you.

 

[gt96g]

That is a difficult question and the answer will be different for different people but I will take a stab at it.

I have been in a number of bands, some working cover bands, some original (No Pay) projects, and some jam sessions in between and here is what it boils down to for me. The bands I have the most fun in have three things, equal commitment from all members, talented musicians, and a shared philosophy. For example my previous group was a cover band, we played out a lot and made a good deal of money, but I was unhappy with the product, the sound wasn't as tight as it should have been and the shows did not have good flow or energy. I pleaded my case to the band leaders to no avail and eventually left the group. I was making decent money but I just couldn't get around how I felt regarding the product we were delivering.

My current band is quite the opposite. It is original music, we play out once or twice a month for no pay, but everyone is 100% committed to a quality product and the talent in the band is reflected both live and recorded. This project is not financially lucrative but I am passionate about the music and am having a ton of fun. The cover band netted me about $135 a night in pay. My compensation with this group is cheering concert goers who truly appreciate what we are doing.

 

[MYLOWFREQ]

I too once had a band, and we also got similar comments from the audience. Our singer was an ok singer, but a horrible front man. here's my suggestion, do not spend time in between the songs and try to tie them together. tell the singer to practice some speech once in every three songs or so. The good news is that being entertaining is easier than being a good singer

 

[SanDiegoHarry]

1) good front man REALLY helps.
2) Band members obviously having a good time. Many players, particularly in heavier rock / metal, feel the need to look "Grim" and "angry". That's not very fun for audiences. Think of what Cheap Trick so bloody popular back in the early '80s - they bounced around the stage, strutted, had FUN. Go to a P-Funk concert and it's *nothing* but folks having fun, dressing goofy, acting silly - and playing fun music. It's not hard - it just takes some courage and flair.

 

[Jimmy4string]

Good thread and great replies!
I have made it a lifetime study of bands and the energy and entertainment because i think entertainment is fun. I grew up in the 80's with hard rock bands like Van Halen and Motley Crue. To me they had awesome live shows very entertaining. There was a lot to look at on stage. VH had David Lee Roth jumping and kicking everywhere and Eddie nailing crazy guitar solos. Motley had Nicki sixx looking like he was going to slay everyone with the bass, Tommy lee constatly twirling sticks the whole time he was playing (really looked impossible and mesmerizing) and Vince Neal running around hyping up the crowd. Of course fun is subjective. Being the front man i try and take all the live stuff i have seen and throw it out there. I am naturally a huge attention seeker too -so i try and use that to advantage. Now i i would prefer some animation from my band mates, but i am just hoping my energy and antics are contagious. Above all i think is have fun and be entertaining. OH and alcohol! For the crowd not the band

 

[Morris2103]

Pull loads of mad faces

 

[Rip Van Dan]

Not sure if this is the correct forum.....but we have a 5 pc rock cover band, all respectable musicians, decent equipment, sound and tightness improving weekly.

A common but painfully honest assessment I hear is "you are guys are Good but your aren't Fun.
Our singer is a singer - not really a front person.

Suggestions?

Your lead singer doesn't NEED to be the fun, front person, but someone in your group does. Easy to do if it's a guitar or bass player. If it's a keyboard player or drummer, you need to have the right up front on the stage where they can easily be seen as the driver of the bus and they need to be animated so they draw attention to themselves when they are driving.

 

[10cc]

A common but painfully honest assessment I hear is "you are guys are Good but your aren't Fun.?

I'd translate this into they do not like our songs.

 

[jive1]

Here's another tip. Practice in front of a mirror, especially the singer.
First, it will let you see what you look like when you perform.
Second, it will help you get over feeling silly or self conscious. If you can perform for yourself and get over yourself, it'll be easier to do for an audience.

IMO, IME, the best performers often exhibit antisocial and narcissistic behavior. It's just that it works on stage, but fails in the real world. A great frontman has no problem performing seriously in front of a mirror, although we might cringe at that behavior. A great comedian is often someone who can listen to themselves talk all day, even though it would annoy us in real life. Whether it's a great frontman, funny comedian, engaging DJ, seductive stripper, etc., the one thing they have in common is not having issue with being the center of attention. Of course there are exceptions, but I find this to often be the rule.

 

[Runnerman]

Jive is right on as usual. I agree that there are those born to be the center of attention. But you are right, all of us can improve our entertainability. I think if someone sits back and says this band is no fun....they are probably no fun. My wife used to say to my kids "only boring people get bored" and I think that sort of sentiment is in play here too.

 

[Ron Johnson]

Perhaps the singer isn't confident? Help them out and perhaps get them some vocal training. I find that I'm not entertaining on stage unless I'm confident. So if I do a fill-in gig and didn't have sufficient time to learn the material well, I will just stand around not doing much other than playing. But if I'm well rehearsed then I am good with the audience.

 

[Cole Louis Allar]

I agree with this. For years, I was in a band where I was too scared to move outside of a three foot radius for fear that our singer would spin (or whatever the crap) and knock me the eff down. Even though I felt like I just stood there, people would compliment us on our live show.

Yeah. Sometimes it's best to just stay put. I once saw a band on YouTube where the guitarist was spinning his guitar around his neck and smashed the vocalist in the face. Needless to say, the vocalist never went near the guitarist during live shows again.

 

[Bassman Spiff]

Lots of really great insight in this thread.

IMO, the audience's response will generally match your motivation for being there. Are you there to simply perform? Or, are you there to entertain?

The difference is subtle - but to truly entertain, you have to engage the audience at a level beyond playing notes together.