22 Jun How to Connect with Your Fans During a Live Show
Think of some of your favorite artists that you have seen live, are those your favorite concerts because they just played music or did they interact and engage the audience? For me, my favorite live music performances that I have ever been to are the ones where the artist had a flair and skill for interacting with their audience.
Do you ever watch an artist get on stage and see how well they handle their performance and audience? It’s one of my favorite things.
Engaging with your audience and creating a relationship ensures that those fans are going to come back, and they are going to talk about you long after the performance is over. The applause will prove to be deep and long, and you may even get a standing ovation at the end.
Here are some of my tips that I have picked up on to engage an audience.
- Know your audience
- Be aware of the age, and demographics of your certain audience. You are going to interact with people differently depending on whether they are a younger or older crowd. To prepare for this, you can ask ahead of time if there is an expected build to the audience, and then make that confirmation before your set.
- Confidence!
- Don’t look at notes or anything of what you are going to do next. Always own your show, and if you forget, make something up and talk to the audience! Have a few backup plans in case you forget, but be confident with what you are doing.
- Be aware of the audience (scan it throughout)
- Be aware of how engaged the audience is and what their overall emotion is throughout your performance, and gauge reactions. By being aware and scanning the audience throughout, you will be able to respond accordingly to what their vibe is. For instance, if they are too bored, enjoying what you are doing, or are in need of a faster song.
- Get the audience involved
- It’s so important to involve the audience in songs and what you are doing on stage. There are numerous ways to do this. This can happen by a call and response, a question, having them sing certain lyrics, and the list goes on. I have such a strong memory of one of my first concerts ever because of this. It was Taylor Swift (who is an amazing performer,) and she perfectly utilized call and response. So, encourage participation from the audience either during, before or after your songs. There aren’t many audiences who don’t enjoy being a part of the performance.
- Personal anecdotes
- Get personal with the audience! This can be done in many different ways. You can tell a story, (possibly even about a certain song or the meaning behind it,) or make them laugh with self-deprecation (making fun of yourself before or during can always lighten the mood). By being personal with your audience they will automatically feel more connected and engaged with you on a different level.
- Laughter!
- Humor is always one of the key ingredients to getting people to like you. If you can make an audience laugh, you are a step ahead. It is the best ice breaker, and will all in all make your audience receptive.
- Have fun!
- The most important thing is to have fun! If you are doing what you love, and showing passion, there is a good chance your audience will see that, and engage with you on some level or another. It makes all of the difference for the audience if we see someone having fun and loving what they are doing.
Live music is back and one of the best things about live music and performances is the audience and connecting with them. This allows us to be the best performers we can be. It will make the wait worth it when you can interact and see joy and engagement on your fans/audiences faces!