Talking to a live crowd is tough

by Adam Steele

During the first show we ever played in the first band I was ever in, we said almost nothing to the crowd between songs and it was awkward silence out the rear. Second, third and fourth show…pretty much the same thing if not worse. After we’d had enough of embarrassing ourselves, we started trying your classic things like “how’s everybody doing?”

Crowd’s response: “mehhhh.”

Then we think, maybe we can say something funny, cause everyone likes to laugh right? So we tried “Insert crappy joke or funny noise here.”

Crowd’s response: “uhhhh, booo!”

So about fifteen shows in, we started getting more ballsy. After realizing that some of the great bands that we had seen would tell stories between songs, we decided to give storytelling a shot.

Crowd’s response: “…” (at the bar getting another beer).

Finally after going to one of the best shows we’ve ever seen, we picked up on something that we had somehow never realized. Whenever they addressed the crowd between songs, they were playing. During an extended intro to a song, the singer yelled out, “make some noise!” and the crowd roared. While he told a story and the guitarists tuned up, the drummer was playing a beat, and the crowd was all ears, laughing at things that really weren’t that funny. And sure enough, when we tried the same thing at our shows, the crowd response was ten times better…people actually listened and reacted!

When you think about it for a minute, it makes perfect sense. It’s the same reason why horror movies are much more intense with suspenseful music or the big speech in a drama movie has a much bigger impact with an orchestra behind it. Music affects people’s emotions and it can help a lot when talking to a live crowd.