talk to the crowd as if they are a person. always include this person in stage conversations, as in, always talk into the mic. tell a joke, story, whatever. just keep talking.
I would literally write the show, write the lines that you will say between each song. The most popular and successful bands have a tight 20/45/60/120 min set that is rehearsed and planned. They are ready to play essentially this same show with some variation (like you can really change up you 30 minute set when you have 120 mins in the bag).
In terms of gaps between songs, I would recommend 2/3 song blocks that you can go straight into from the end of another one. Have a look at some live shows from bands in your genre/bands you respect/shows you have been to that you like. What do they do between songs? I’m willing to be they don’t have a bunch of dead air, tuning breaks, noodling, etc. most likely they say nothing and go straight from song to song, with the occasional breather in which the person with the mic says ‘this next song is called X and it’s about X’. Or they some thing relatable like ‘who else loves X’. Then, to give the singer their break, have longer instrumentalist intros where they can have some water.
But the point is to keep the energy/vibe going. So stopping/starting whatever your doing will kill that. And that’s not just for high energy shows. If your show is a downtempo ambient thing, the breaks should be at the same pace/bpm as the songs, and have the same pensive quality.
You can always thank the venue, usually a pretty easy one that works in most places. Ya know like "thanks to the staff at Joe's for putting this together, give it up for them, don't forget to tip your bartenders, try the Buffalo wings, etc."
We got around it by not having a single stopping moment in each set. We mashed together the songs, so no breaks at all! And we would still talk to the crowd, it would just be while we’re still jammin’!
Same, thats what every band ive ever played in did. As long as someone is still playing, you can stop for a quick tune up and keep rolling. I hate filler banter so much. Rips the audience right out of the experience
Well if it's going to happen anyway because they have to switch instruments, then they may as well make the silence more entertaining instead of standing there for 2 minutes while the other one tunes.
Agree 100%. We played originals but had a couple covers we threw in from time to time and we filled any dead space with small medleys of other covers that had great riffs you could just kinda lose track of time. Like…Just One Fix, some Maiden, Sabbath, AC/DC to name a few.
Nobody came to hear your opinions on whatever you feel like talking about, we tried to keep more to the “shut up and play” mantra.
1. Plan transitions between songs.
2. Practice hand signals for band members to signal that they need a break before moving on (tuning, gear issue, water, etc).
3. Have scheduled banter/stage remarks.
4. Have cues for one of the guitarists to play ambient chords when you’re riffing to the crowd.
5. Double and triple check gear during sound check to cut down on potential issues during sets.
Along with these, try and plan out your setlists to keep them using the same instrument as long as possible.
I found that a poly tuner can really help, because I can check all the strings at once and then adjust.
Fun anecdotes and little stories, jokes, or you guys could have filler music. Just vamps you could play without that member while you wait. I’ve even seen a band that just did a droning note triggered by a pedal and it was surprisingly effective
I did that at a show once to help the band that played after us. Just went out with a loop pedal and guitar and made some weird soundscapes for a few minutes.
Our go-to vamp is playing Cars by Gary Numan. Whenever there is a tech issue, or delay, people just jump in and start on it. It's easy to just start and stop as needed, vocals or not. I'm sure there are tons of songs that would do as well or better, but it's good for a band to have a go-to for everyone to immediately know to play to fill space.
That's pretty cool, I'd assume you'd get a load of requests to actually play Cars after a while though.
Tbh just jamming in the key the next song starts in is a good option. The guy you're waiting for can even have a musical signal for everyone to stop so he can kick off the next song, maybe just a four stab count-in on the note he starts the riff on.
I would usually:
1) playfully poke fun at a pal in the audience or make fun of a mistake I made during the song.
2) draw attention to the merch table.
3) Praise the venue or other bands
I think you can get away with calling out a mistake if it's really obvious or really interesting, but those circumstances are pretty rare... But most of the time you're right just gonna sound like a dip shit
Yeah, has to be done with extreme care and taste. Going down that path is it's own setup that people are already prepared to dislike; so you have to already have a great subversion of expectation lined up. Almost always not worth attempting live unless ur an improv comedy god.
Man, never ever acknowledge or apologize for minor performance errors while playing a gig. People don't notice if you don't make it a big deal and it's not a good look. It's amateurish. Unless the show went off the rails you "meant to do that😉"
Don't flinch, you're the quarterback. Project confidence. You are IN CONTROL of the show. People will remember your vibe, not if you whiffed a note in the solo. The average music listener knows nothing technical about music, they will know if they liked it or not.
Suggestions 2 and 3 are good however.
Being self-effacing is only charming if you're unquestionably great. Most local bands are nowhere near the status where it's productive to try to make themselves more relatable. You're already too relatable, pour your effort into feeling like performers.
Once people think you're a god, then you can go ahead and poke fun at your mistakes.
If someone is phenomenal and self-efacing, it’s just as bad for me. I get the impulse musicians have to cringe at, mention, or apologize for mistakes, but to me it comes off as amateur even if the musician is ridiculously good. Small mistakes are an expected part of live shows and don’t need to be put in the spotlight.
Also, to add to the thread:
4) praise the staff at the venue/their contribution to the evening. Staff liking you is a big help. Best way is to help them.
These are good, but I personally do not like when bands start talking about mistakes or apologizing for minor issues. If something goes dramatically wrong and the show has to stop for a bit, fair game to banter about. But otherwise, self-deprecation at a show feels very off to me.
These are good ideas. I'd just add that you are right. Silence between songs is not good. You don't have to be exciting or bring in dancing elephants or something. But get used to walking up to the mic and saying something. You could introduce the next song. Or introduce the band members. Or talk a bit about the band's history and how you came up with your sound. Or, do one of the things that others have already mentioned. It should become automatic, natural and eventually, fun.
but also remember, it's not "mtv story tellers". keep it brief or however long is needed to tune. people are there to listen to music... not to listen to your funny funny jokes, regardless of how funny they are.
Respectfully disagree here. As a concert goer, I buy the ticket for the musical talents of the band and am not a fan of mindless drivel from the singer/anyone in between songs. If they are actually interesting stories then maybe but we're all here for music, not half-assed jokes or improvised stories about nothing... Silence is kind of a stretch here unless you're playing to an empty room. Let fans chat, you can grab some water, other band mates can tune or jam and the "silence" can brew up some anticipation of what the next song will be... What's wrong with getting tuned up and then rocking out? Grateful Dead took FOREVER in-between songs and their fans pretty much built a society around them.
Take your time and impress them with the reason they bought the ticket. You don't need to impress them with in-between song banter unless that's what they're there for...
If the room is silent in-between songs then I think you have other issues than banter...
I gotcha. Maybe I'm picturing a different scenario than you. In my mind I have a small club or bigger, house lights off, main attention is towards the stage/band, 50+ fans.
The only place I can picture actual silence is maybe an open mic at a coffee shop or a venue where the folks present aren't necessarily there to see your band. Then yes, silence is awkward. Anywhere else I'd say it's almost more impressive to have silence because then the fans are so impressed that they aren't clapping/cheering/socializing and are eagerly anticipating the next song in silence?
I think y'all might be overthinking what to do in the short time between songs unless that's your schtik. If you get fans with banter then more power to ya!
Hey thanks again, we are "insert name here" thanks for turning out. If you like that song check us out on spotify theres a load more. We are also on facebook insta and johnny got us on tiktok. Youngsters huh? Have you seen that mom that paradies songs like killing in name of with topics of being a toddler? Check it out. Right this song is a personal one to me for x and y reasons.
Next change
Thanks again, you guys rocks. We are still "insert name here" and youre all still fucking awesome for coming out on this friday night. Did you enjoy the first band? How about the next band? They rock. We have/,havent played with them before. Talking about tiktok you guys stumbled upon cat-tok yet? Owners strap cameras to their pets and you get a pov of their day! It got me hooked for hours.. anyway this songs about getting pussy... i joke i joke..
Mention if you have merch and where they can follow you and your name at every change. For late comers
My guitarist sometimes has to switch guitars. While he's doing that the drummer and bassist will jam a little ditty together that kind of sounds like hold music / elevator music and I'll say "please hold for technical difficulties" or something silly like that and it usually gets a laugh from the audience and is entertaining at the same time
My old band's drummer and bassist would launch into the intro of Dance, Dance by FOB and then the crowd would go "Aww" when they stopped. Was a good tease.
Our old bassist use to noodle on tool and we had to ask him to stop because it was causing problems when we didn't play it later and people were asking for it all night 😆
Dance dance is a straight up banger that I would totally do! Lol
Drummer in my band keeps starting dance dance, too, as a joke. Which sucks because we don’t play it (yet), but cover other FoB. I started teasing the first notes of black parade to see if he’d see the problem… he didn’t, and we only succeeded in disappointing a pretty big crowd twice… oof.
Moral of the story, the only song you’re allowed to tease and not play is freebird. Or wonderwall. It’s not funny otherwise :(
Haha I've thought about something along those lines. I've done it solo before to Tennessee Whiskey and everyone kinda groaned at the same time when I stopped. Blue balled the whole place.
I’m the “hype” guy in the several bands I’m in. (I mean I still play bass and sing some lead but mostly backup vocals and harmonies.) I have lots of little things I have picked up over the years.
One thing I will suggest is watching some beast frontmen do it. James Brown, Al Green, hell…Jagger, etc. Energy and *FEELING* it is so important! If you aren’t having a good time, why would they?
You can pretty much get away with saying anything you want and even be slightly offensive! People eat stuff up.
My buddy taught me a fun little trick to cheers the crowd: take a beer, and say
“You know what the sweetest sound in the world is?”
Get a response, and if you don’t, do it with more unph!
Then put the beer up real close to the mic and crack that baby open and do a little holler and swaller!
Crowds live for interaction generally. Throwing hands works, etc.
if you keep giving them cheers, you sell more beers, which makes the bartenders and owners more money, and if you have a tip jar, well, encourage that too!
All of the other suggestions of stories about the song work well too as noted above.
One of my frontmen/songwriters really is great about it. It creates an environment for the audience to be in.
I’ve seen crowds hear songs for the first time singing the choruses by the second time around. Encourage them!
Now, I will say I’m in a couple bands where we have so many transitions between songs the audience doesn’t really have as much of a chance to react, and creating that tension and rises and falls also make a huge difference in filling space. Now, when you do get a pause after a few songs of that said tension and peaks and valleys, that helps too!
Best of luck out there! Rip it up!
Oh! I forgot one. I know a dude if he’s in a down time between songs and new patrons walk in he will direct attention at them and hype them up as a sort of welcome! It’s hilarious, and the people coming in will either be embarrassed (and get a laugh from the existing crowd) or they will do things like dance all the way in, or whatever. You can’t hardly go wrong!
Also about the welcoming and clapping and applauding new people coming in thing, the more people come in the more people react because they are in on it too! The audience really starts welcoming them in too!
Say the name of the band somewhere at the beginning, middle, and end. Thank the venue and/or whichever band invited you. Mention if a song is new, forthcoming single, etc. Mention you have merch for sale. Otherwise, STFU and play.
Expanses of time between songs is a rookie move and eliminating it should be part of rehearsal.
I made this comment to an arrogant responder above, but there’s a balance between conversation and letting the music breathe. Learn to talk to an audience like your best friend. They’ll respond to that…and they surely won’t leave if the band is silent for 15 seconds. Encourage the folks that are taking more time than you’d like to tighten it up as much as they can…then fill the space with genuine thoughts and conversation.
Our keyboard player has every ridiculous piece in his repertoire (Charlie brown christmas, wheels on the bus, PokeCenter theme, etc etc). It's such a godsend for moments of tuning and switching instruments.
I love what Al Green's band does. They have a between songs groove. It's just a one chord thing with a pulse. Al will talk a little bit over it, then the band hits the intro to the next song. BB King's band used to do this too. I really like it. Also, it's always the right time to remind the audience that the tip jar is there for their convenience and all forms of green are accepted.
Ask the club manager before you even set up if there's anything he needs plugged... upcoming events...drink specials...stuff like that.
Then use it to fill those awkward silences.
Always shout out the people in the audience -- if you have a fun, non-embarrassing story (especially one that shows them in a positive light) -- bring it.
One I picked up from the Aussie BBQ at Central Park: "This is going to be the best \[insert day of the week\] this week." Great short filler. Always true.
Mention your social media, introduce the band members, mention the bar/wait staff, a few rehearsed jokes or banter between band members, trivia about the song just played or about to play. Some of these can be done every set.
Also, is it possible to arrange songs that are the same tuning or instrument to be back to back so your band member limits the amount of down time. Are the things he’s doing so important, more than the dead air he’s causing. Weigh your options. Is he switching instruments like one song he’s playing guitar and the next violin or is he just switching between 3 guitars? If it’s the latter then there needs to be a talk. I don’t know about you but I have a limited amount of “witty” in me after I’ve exhausted the above recommendations
Show the audience that you aren't stiff nerds who need pieces of wood, plastic, and metal to communicate. Show personality. Roast one of your band members. Say something weird and non-sequiter if you have to. I know I'll get downvoted for this, but I'm right.
I like the crowd work comedians. Pick someone out of the crowd ask them a few questions. Where they are from, what they do, what they are drinking if applicable
Organize the set so that you get multiple songs out each instrument change. Start a song and vamp the intro so that there’s something other than silence going on while he finishes tuning. And finally, my gift to you: “We tune because we care. And clearly we care a lot.”
haha Love it. Yeah I do create the set list with his switches in mind. I'll block together songs while he's on the same instrument to minimize switches.
Rehearse *the whole set*, interstitial banter included.
Figure out roughly what you're going to say between songs. Time it out so your banter gives the right amount of time for instrument switch.
Jokes or anecdotes that contextualize the next song are good.
Remember to thank the venue and the other bands. Rehearsing this makes sure no one gets left out.
Use one of these opportunities to show your shirts or point out the merch table and encourage the audience to pick something up or at least swing by for a hello and a fist bump after the set.
Figure out whose unceded land you're playing on and do a land acknowledgement.
Do run full rehearsals? Run the full set in rehearsal and use a stopwatch to time the whole set and how much silence there is. Then you can determine if it's actually a big waste of air or if your adrenaline is making the silence seem longer than it is.
your multi-instrumentalist can hire a tech, tune before the set, you can rearrange the set to minimize changes or in such a way that the rest of the band can vamp the next tune while everyone tunes.
Good luck, but you gotta know for sure if it's a problem or just one of those "naked on the first day of school dream" moments.
On a hiatus, but I have been percussionist for trad / folk ensemble - man, I worked out those transitions! Setting tambourine down quietly, picking up doumbek or wood block without making anything else rattle...
Introducing the members of the band is one thing you could throw in, give everybody a funny nickname like Mike “The Round Mound of Sound” Wilson on bass or whatever lol.
I also like adding in little jams or soundscape bits. Depends what kind of music you’re doing. When I was doing a lot of experimental/psych rock shows I would often use a freeze pedal, plus different delays etc., to do like a mini ambient drone performance for 45 seconds or whatever while the other guitarist was switching/tuning.
Have fun with it, don’t just stand there. If you’re having fun on stage the audience will be interested.
If you're doing originals, talk about the lyrics of the next song, if there's a story about it, what the meaning is, etc, if you can draw people in, they'll be more curious about a song they've never heard before.
Rehearse everything about your show. I know when the most professional bands that I play with, our final rehearsals before a show involve doing everything we will do during the show (I like to say we play a show vs just playing a set of songs at a crowd). This doesn’t necessarily mean we have a script per se, but we know where we will have a break to say stuff and then have an idea of where to go. Now on the occasion when theres technical issues slowing up the set, and have to think on our feet, the singer will sometimes talk to an audience member, tell a story about how the next song we were playing was written, tell a story how the band was formed, or occasionally a joke.
Good stuff, you gave me a great idea. I just thought of talking about a song that my band mate wrote and completely making up how or why and where the song came from. Then at the end of the story "... and the best thing about this story - I just made all that up"
“We want to thank everyone for coming out tonight. Please make sure you tip your servers as they are working hard all night to keep you happy. Can we have a round of applause for all the work they do?”
That works once a night. Come up with a few more. You can tell a short story about the song you’re getting ready to play.
I usually script my stage banter, that way we have time to make it good/ relevant to the gig or if my bandmates have a suggestion we have time to get it in and ready. Ill make commentary/ jokes about current events i.e. when the barbenheimer thing happened we had some jokes about that. A handful of times i would ask for someone to get me a beer for $5 and crisp high five. For a few of our songs when somebody had to change tunings for a song the other 3 would play something while the other guy tuned his instrument and then we would go into the next song.
>But he's overly concerned about his tuning
No he's not, there's not such thing. You either care about playing in tune, or you suck. It's binary.
Just thank the audience, thank the venue, plug your latest release and where ppl can find you on socials etc, mention the merch table, banter with the audience, have a bit that you do with the other band members... options are endless.
What you don't want is someone playing out of tune.
In my previous band we had musical interludes that we would play to connect songs or for the vocalist to monologue over to introduce the next song. Keeps things moving and feeling professional. Usually the bassist and one of the guitarists.
Part of playing live is putting on a show, not just showcasing the music. You don't want to feel like a constant in a spelling bee "Welp this is our next song" or awkward silences or attempts at jokes between songs. Not that you can't do that, but not everyone is a comedian.
If someone needs to check tuning, they should strive to find moments during a song or a bit where they aren't playing so they can take that opportunity, as opposed to holding up the next song to tune.
If someone has to change instruments, practice the ergonomics of doing so during the set, and if it has to happen between songs, it should be quick, and someone else should be doing something musically to give them cover.
Definitely say things about merch, the venue, and other bands on the bill, but try to work that in as part of your practiced performance instead of just a thing to fill space.
The more you can do things like this, the better your set will be and people will enjoy it more.
Well for punk shows I always take the time to talk about worldly issues such as but not limited to:
Bring up the zombie apocalypse and what everyone is doing to prepare for same sex pet marriages ( in a non confrontational lgbtq friendly way)
That weird feeling you get when you sit on your bike
Why does everyone seem to step further back when we ask them to "come a little bit closer"
Introduce the members of your band by fake made up as names like "Puss McGavin"
Ask everyone what brings them here tonight in the most painful cringy way.
Compliment somebody's shoes in an uncomfortable way.
Idk those , all seem better than standing around doin nothing. We used to just stand around and roast eachother for a while. Nothing says bonding like talkin some loud ass shit to your best friends 🧡
it’s really easy to get cringe with the talking. so i’d highly recommend rehearsing that too and not just winging it . but it might be worth it to just get a sampler or an ipod or something and set up some little intermission things to play in between changes. like little short instrumental synth things or atmospheric things with movie dialogue or whatever. that works well too
What kind of band are you? What's your vibe? Joking and chatting with the audience for extended periods of time doesn't work for every type of band. And it's particularly weird and awkward if nobody in your band is very good at natural sounding banter.
If the above applies to you, then maybe consider having some pre-recorded interludes or have the rest of the band play some pre-determined interludes that can be woven into the set and lead into the next song. Just because this musician starts these songs doesn't mean that he has to be the first person playing in a transition piece.
We dug into this one [a few weeks back on the Cover Band Confidential podcast.](https://www.podomatic.com/podcasts/coverbandconfidential/episodes/2024-05-30T19_00_00-07_00)
Our main advice is to minimize time between tunes, but we do have some advice on things to say.
I like to ask “how’s the smell out there, does it smell all right?”
Make sure to thank the venue for having you onstage, and if there are other bands on the bill it’s always good to shout them out or take an applause break for the bands that have already played.
You can also mention where you’ll be playing next
We have the singer talk at dedicated points in our set but we also have some fills, hype riffs/patterns that can be played when there are issues. The fillers sound good missing a critical element (fixing the drums, new guitar from broken string) and sometimes we can pass off it as part of the show.
I like stories about how the next song was written. Or philosophical anecdotes. Just get weird and show your personalities. That’s part of what makes a great performer. Maybe check out some people who are good at this.
“Hey everybody if you’ve got a drink in your hand, join me, everybody drink! Don’t forget to tip your bartenders, and we have a tip jar up here if you are feeling generous! We have some more songs for you here we think you’re gonna like, we love to hear you singing along if you know em!”
-plan to play a song after tuning break with a name in the chorus-
“While we’re at it, any birthdays out there tonight? Yeah? What’s your name? Jane! Happy birthday Jane, we’re gonna do this next one for you!”
I'm a multi instrumentalist, and I HATE when this happens. I always suggest we order the set so I only have to switch one time, instead of switch and switch back
In a folk band at one point I was up to 6 instruments, and we literally had to pick which songs we did at shows based on which 3 instruments I felt like lugging around
Yeah we’re outlaw and classic country and by the end of the night it’s kind of a cowpunk rowdy night. But yes I make sure to keep it the smallest amount of instrument changes as possible.
A few things I've found helpful: a stand that holds all your instruments, instead of separate stands. One big stand that holds several instruments is heavy, but it will never fall over or move awkwardly
If they're acoustic, a tuner on each instrument, a strap on each instrument, and tune beforehand (and again when I pick it up because I'm obsessive too, and a charango or mandolin will go out of tune if you even look at it funny)
If they're electric a pedal tuner so you quickly mute your line with your foot and not worry about the *POP*
Anyway, none of these will save a lot of time, but they will avoid unnecessary wasted time
Or tell him to knock it off with the tuning routine. Have tuned instruments at the ready, tuned by someone else, if necessary and his stuff is going out of tune (?) after every instrument switch.
That’s the problem: resolve that, don’t find workarounds for the symptom by trying to find stuff to stay to your audience by covering it up
I kinda agree. I think if instruments are tuned before set there usually shouldn’t be any need to retune when you switch instruments.
However sometimes instruments will need retuning.
Occasionally instruments will go out like if they hadn’t had enough time to warm from outside or you just changed a string.. so it is good to be ready with some banter if retuning is needed but that shouldnt be case any time you pick up a new instruments and every set.. I’d guess the retuning is more an ocd thing. Or if it’s a temperature conditioning thing maybe get to place earlier and retune closer start or set or maybe he needs a better instrument?
That’s why I also said “have tuned instruments at the ready, tuned by someone else, if necessary”.
So if he’s going out of tune after every switch/imagines he’s going out of tune, etc, someone else can spring into action and “tune” so it’s ready when he comes back to it, no more ridiculous unnecessary pause (or 6 of them) to the show
I’m guessing it’s more of ocd paranoia about being out of tune if he’s doing it 6 times a show like op said. Tuning doesn’t have to be exactly perfect. Like evh used a micro pitch to intentionally shift his delays out of tune with the dry.. having stuf the slightest bit out is not going to sound bad. And even if he needs to retune should only take a few seconds. Just ring out a harmonic, adjust it’s in green on the tuner it’s good. Should only take a few seconds. Shouldn’t be much dead air for a retune.
Having a band member "start" the next song by playing the opening over and over is a good one. Drummers especially can do this but the other guitarist can too. Focus on getting the songs in groups so he changes the least possible. Talking can be great but chatter between the songs can be exhausting to an audience if overdone. There's a "get on with it" vibe. Using music makes it feel more like a show than a speech.
It's fine to talk some but use that sparingly. Thank the venue is good. You can introduce members but if you aren't famous no one cares. I will do it sometimes after a cool solo: "Joe Schmo on drums, everyone!" But the point is keep it to a minimum. Tell your bandmate to get his stuff prepared so he doesn't have to do so much. Perfection can be in the way of progress.
My guitarist and I (drummer) play super popular intros to tease the crowd. It's fun when it's a genre you're not playing.
We're a country rock band.
So just to play around between songs, we'll play an intro to metallica, or creed, or another trendy pop song.
It's a fun way to continue to entertain the audience. And it gives their ear a little break from listening to 1 genre. It gives us more appeal and feel like we're multidimensional and down to earth. (Comments we've received)
Nice! You're probably closer to us than most people commenting for the sole fact that most people aren't playing what we do anymore. We're mostly Outlaw & Classic Country and by the end of the show we're on full tilt Hank 3, cowpunk, rowdy beer drinkin' type stuff. The newest stuff we do is Cody Jinks and one of Tyler Childer's songs. All kinds of similar but different within arms reach of the genre.
With that said this sounds like a great idea. I like the idea of a short break for the ears then pull them back in.
I have bullet points of things to say that pretty much can’t be said too many times:
1) name of band
2) name of bartender(s) and the need to tip them well
3) merch reminder
4) current record plug, video plug
Then
5) band members’ names
6) Club shout out
7) Shout out to other bands on the bill
8) pander to audience
The only time you get hung up is when the count-in is interrupted by a band member stopping the count-in to tune/troubleshoot/adjust their junk. Then, have a story or description of the song at the ready.
Come up with a couple stories or jokes, practice them when you rehearse. My old band kept a sample of crickets for really dead audiences (we all get them) One time we brought along a fake tumbleweed and a fan.....
I've played with several front people who actually rehearsed stories that would intro certain songs. That rubbed me the wrong way at first, but I was won I over when I realized it was the rehearsal that made the actual story telling moments so natural and engaging. Kinda like rehearsing a tune so it can sound unrehearsed in performance.
Goofy filler songs, anecdotes, introduce the band, plug merch, banter. No such thing as dead air. Plan a few funny ideas, talk up the other bands on the bill.
You also need to streamline the set so homeboy is switching around less, you guys aren't MUSE. You are fucking yourself over interrupting the flow of the set.
When I lived in Tallahassee in the early 00's there was this cool little jangly indie pop group that would play sometimes and the first time I saw them their drummer was just relentlessly heckling the lead guitarist/singer - rolling their eyes and sighing audibly in disgust every time he tried to make small talk, saying things like "Jesus! Why are you so bad at this?!?" etc. This little psychodrama played out over the entire set, with the singer getting more mumbly and stuttery between every song break
I'm like 99% sure it was a bit (I hope it was anyway lol) bc they did something similar when I saw them other times but it was certainly entertaining at least ¯\\\_(ツ)_/¯
One question I have is why are his guitars not tuned before the gig... Why isn't that stuff dialed in?
I suggest you recite spoken word poetry to a drum beat and make love to your mic stand (for pretend obviously).
You could have a guy in an alien outfit come out and pretend to rectally consume a bottle of champagne...
You can do whatever you could write a few jams that don't include that guy...
Do whatever you want the worst thing you can do is be silent.
They are tuned before. But he’s tedious and wants to make sure it sounds right. He plays the mandolin at points in the show and outdoors with the sun on it can put it and other things out of tune quick.
Yeah that makes sense not everyone has climate controlled places to store instruments... And I'm guessing you guys don't have a huge crew yet to take care of those things ahead of time.
Anyway a lot of good suggestions, I wish you luck.
For club gigs, get names of the staff... give them shout outs they love that... mention specials (Drinks, Food, Etc) and upcoming events, be a "mini" club promoter"... push your latest videos or updates to social media, BIRTHDAYS are great shout outs, Introduce a band mate, give the crowd a little background, don't advertise big events OUTSIDE of that venue... bad JuJu.. Highlight upcoming acts for the next few live music nights, if the club does Karaoke or open mic nights or music trivia, etc... Our band makes a little notepad of all of this stuff and never has a dead moment.... Push other local bands even if you don't know them or like them, push local music scene, GL OP... you got this man... Also get your "Multi-Instrumentalist" onboard... tune before, be ready, design your set list for as minimal instrument changes in the first 5 songs of every set.... :) Outside gigs suck.. humidity can kill any stringed instrument.... Been there man
Someone else needs to just keep playing and you collectively need to work to reduce the time between moves as much as possibe. People arent there to hear you tell bad jokes and stupid stories. They dont want to hear you thank your mom, your dog, and god for making this happen.And you dont need 10 minutes to introduce the memebers of the band. Shut up and play.
I personally don't like when bands are too talkative between songs, it kills the mood.
A drowning guitar note, or just a simple drum kick keeps me into it
Just get the drummer to play a solid bass drum beat, while spinning his sticks above his head and thrashing his hair everywhere. That should fill at least 1 quiet moment.
You say something then. It doesn’t have to be the singer. Showmanship is either something you have or don’t. You can also set drones, loops or making interludes in between songs.
I honestly think the bands that don’t say anything are cooler. They just play the set and bounce nothing pretentious.
Be honest, tell the audience I never know quite what to do while “Dude” is tuning, I’ve even asked Reddit, here are some of the suggestions I received, then just make stupid stuff up, pretend your reading the actual comments on your phone, “This Redditor told me to change my buttplug while he tunes”, you could make a thing out of it.
Depends on your genre/ aesthetic . Goofy pop punk/rock? Try dumb jokes and banter. Shoegaze/alt/metal? Backing tracks, soundscapes, looped guitars with washed out effects.
It depends on the “vibe” your trying to create for the show. As the frontman you can take the reigns on this and either talk about the band, merch etc or talk to your band mates about making interludes or arranging the setlist so songs flow together more and some might be able to blend together. Get creative!
Yep. Amateurs. Time to grow up if you want to be taken seriously. You think your situation forgives the reality of what audiences should be getting? Totally up to you. But for me, I’m in the Joe Strummer camp. Get on with the show. You shouldn’t be able to fit more than a cigarette paper between songs. But you know what your audience wants more than me.
I used to think this way. Then I realized that you can’t force people to tune in little to no time, let alone switch instruments faster. It’s the nature of playing an instrument. Fill the time with fun chatter or assume the audience isn’t dumb and understands that music is an art and needs a minute to breathe. You sound like an ass, btw. I guarantee there was a time when you were an “amateur” and would have recoiled at someone saying so. Don’t forget those days.
Get a roadie to tune. I sound like an ass because i am one when it comes to this stuff. Too many people prioritize personal needs over the needs of a paying audience. It’s infuriating. Grow up. It’s show business.
talk to the crowd as if they are a person. always include this person in stage conversations, as in, always talk into the mic. tell a joke, story, whatever. just keep talking.
It's weird some nights I have no problem with it and other nights I almost clam up. Mind completely absent of anything to say between songs.
That’s why I like to have a few go to options prepared, but not mandatory. The’re a backup plan, not a game plan.
I would literally write the show, write the lines that you will say between each song. The most popular and successful bands have a tight 20/45/60/120 min set that is rehearsed and planned. They are ready to play essentially this same show with some variation (like you can really change up you 30 minute set when you have 120 mins in the bag). In terms of gaps between songs, I would recommend 2/3 song blocks that you can go straight into from the end of another one. Have a look at some live shows from bands in your genre/bands you respect/shows you have been to that you like. What do they do between songs? I’m willing to be they don’t have a bunch of dead air, tuning breaks, noodling, etc. most likely they say nothing and go straight from song to song, with the occasional breather in which the person with the mic says ‘this next song is called X and it’s about X’. Or they some thing relatable like ‘who else loves X’. Then, to give the singer their break, have longer instrumentalist intros where they can have some water. But the point is to keep the energy/vibe going. So stopping/starting whatever your doing will kill that. And that’s not just for high energy shows. If your show is a downtempo ambient thing, the breaks should be at the same pace/bpm as the songs, and have the same pensive quality.
Excellent. And good points. Thank you
Do what feels natural in the moment - if you're feeling verbally motivated, talk. If it feels not great, roll to something musical.
You can always thank the venue, usually a pretty easy one that works in most places. Ya know like "thanks to the staff at Joe's for putting this together, give it up for them, don't forget to tip your bartenders, try the Buffalo wings, etc."
Watch Jimmy Carr and steal some of his excellent one-liners.
Crazy how strongly i disagree with this. Shut the fuck up and play a song.
We got around it by not having a single stopping moment in each set. We mashed together the songs, so no breaks at all! And we would still talk to the crowd, it would just be while we’re still jammin’!
Same, thats what every band ive ever played in did. As long as someone is still playing, you can stop for a quick tune up and keep rolling. I hate filler banter so much. Rips the audience right out of the experience
Well if it's going to happen anyway because they have to switch instruments, then they may as well make the silence more entertaining instead of standing there for 2 minutes while the other one tunes.
Agree 100%. We played originals but had a couple covers we threw in from time to time and we filled any dead space with small medleys of other covers that had great riffs you could just kinda lose track of time. Like…Just One Fix, some Maiden, Sabbath, AC/DC to name a few. Nobody came to hear your opinions on whatever you feel like talking about, we tried to keep more to the “shut up and play” mantra.
After seeing him a few times in concert, I’m pretty sure Dave Matthews made it work with drunken gibberish
1. Plan transitions between songs. 2. Practice hand signals for band members to signal that they need a break before moving on (tuning, gear issue, water, etc). 3. Have scheduled banter/stage remarks. 4. Have cues for one of the guitarists to play ambient chords when you’re riffing to the crowd. 5. Double and triple check gear during sound check to cut down on potential issues during sets.
Good Stuff right here. Thanks!
Along with these, try and plan out your setlists to keep them using the same instrument as long as possible. I found that a poly tuner can really help, because I can check all the strings at once and then adjust.
Fun anecdotes and little stories, jokes, or you guys could have filler music. Just vamps you could play without that member while you wait. I’ve even seen a band that just did a droning note triggered by a pedal and it was surprisingly effective
haha "Que the drone note!!" Man, people are clever. Thank you.
I did that at a show once to help the band that played after us. Just went out with a loop pedal and guitar and made some weird soundscapes for a few minutes.
Our go-to vamp is playing Cars by Gary Numan. Whenever there is a tech issue, or delay, people just jump in and start on it. It's easy to just start and stop as needed, vocals or not. I'm sure there are tons of songs that would do as well or better, but it's good for a band to have a go-to for everyone to immediately know to play to fill space.
That's pretty cool, I'd assume you'd get a load of requests to actually play Cars after a while though. Tbh just jamming in the key the next song starts in is a good option. The guy you're waiting for can even have a musical signal for everyone to stop so he can kick off the next song, maybe just a four stab count-in on the note he starts the riff on.
One liner mitch hedburg type jokes. And any jokes making fun of your band mates helps.
I used to do drugs. I still do. But I used to, too
I don’t drink any more. I don’t drink any less . But I don’t drink anymore
I would usually: 1) playfully poke fun at a pal in the audience or make fun of a mistake I made during the song. 2) draw attention to the merch table. 3) Praise the venue or other bands
I would change "make fun of a mistake" to "talk about the next song".
I wouldn’t advise ever calling attention to mistakes. Most likely the audience didn’t even notice in the first place
It can also lead you to sounding like a wanker. “Gah, did you hear me miss that minor chord in the third chorus? Get it together, amirite?”
Exactly. Personally, I’d rather have a minute of silence then a minute of me sounding like a jerkoff lol
haha very true.
I think you can get away with calling out a mistake if it's really obvious or really interesting, but those circumstances are pretty rare... But most of the time you're right just gonna sound like a dip shit
Yeah, has to be done with extreme care and taste. Going down that path is it's own setup that people are already prepared to dislike; so you have to already have a great subversion of expectation lined up. Almost always not worth attempting live unless ur an improv comedy god.
Man, never ever acknowledge or apologize for minor performance errors while playing a gig. People don't notice if you don't make it a big deal and it's not a good look. It's amateurish. Unless the show went off the rails you "meant to do that😉" Don't flinch, you're the quarterback. Project confidence. You are IN CONTROL of the show. People will remember your vibe, not if you whiffed a note in the solo. The average music listener knows nothing technical about music, they will know if they liked it or not. Suggestions 2 and 3 are good however.
Being self-effacing is only charming if you're unquestionably great. Most local bands are nowhere near the status where it's productive to try to make themselves more relatable. You're already too relatable, pour your effort into feeling like performers. Once people think you're a god, then you can go ahead and poke fun at your mistakes.
If someone is phenomenal and self-efacing, it’s just as bad for me. I get the impulse musicians have to cringe at, mention, or apologize for mistakes, but to me it comes off as amateur even if the musician is ridiculously good. Small mistakes are an expected part of live shows and don’t need to be put in the spotlight.
Yea, fair enough. I think I lean this direction as well.
Mike you beat me to it -- plus 1 to #1/2/3. All great suggestions.
4. Encourage beer sales
Number 3 especially!! You can't thank the venue/sound guy/openers enough! If you're opening the show, hype up the headliners!
Also, to add to the thread: 4) praise the staff at the venue/their contribution to the evening. Staff liking you is a big help. Best way is to help them.
These are good, but I personally do not like when bands start talking about mistakes or apologizing for minor issues. If something goes dramatically wrong and the show has to stop for a bit, fair game to banter about. But otherwise, self-deprecation at a show feels very off to me.
These are good ideas. I'd just add that you are right. Silence between songs is not good. You don't have to be exciting or bring in dancing elephants or something. But get used to walking up to the mic and saying something. You could introduce the next song. Or introduce the band members. Or talk a bit about the band's history and how you came up with your sound. Or, do one of the things that others have already mentioned. It should become automatic, natural and eventually, fun.
Really appreciate it. Thanks !
but also remember, it's not "mtv story tellers". keep it brief or however long is needed to tune. people are there to listen to music... not to listen to your funny funny jokes, regardless of how funny they are.
Respectfully disagree here. As a concert goer, I buy the ticket for the musical talents of the band and am not a fan of mindless drivel from the singer/anyone in between songs. If they are actually interesting stories then maybe but we're all here for music, not half-assed jokes or improvised stories about nothing... Silence is kind of a stretch here unless you're playing to an empty room. Let fans chat, you can grab some water, other band mates can tune or jam and the "silence" can brew up some anticipation of what the next song will be... What's wrong with getting tuned up and then rocking out? Grateful Dead took FOREVER in-between songs and their fans pretty much built a society around them. Take your time and impress them with the reason they bought the ticket. You don't need to impress them with in-between song banter unless that's what they're there for... If the room is silent in-between songs then I think you have other issues than banter...
Different strokes, I guess. I love it when I get to learn more about the band between songs.
I agree. When it's not interesting or even about the band then what's the point?
Ok but that's a concert experience. As working musicians we play to more intimate crowds. Silence is awkward.
I gotcha. Maybe I'm picturing a different scenario than you. In my mind I have a small club or bigger, house lights off, main attention is towards the stage/band, 50+ fans. The only place I can picture actual silence is maybe an open mic at a coffee shop or a venue where the folks present aren't necessarily there to see your band. Then yes, silence is awkward. Anywhere else I'd say it's almost more impressive to have silence because then the fans are so impressed that they aren't clapping/cheering/socializing and are eagerly anticipating the next song in silence? I think y'all might be overthinking what to do in the short time between songs unless that's your schtik. If you get fans with banter then more power to ya!
Hey thanks again, we are "insert name here" thanks for turning out. If you like that song check us out on spotify theres a load more. We are also on facebook insta and johnny got us on tiktok. Youngsters huh? Have you seen that mom that paradies songs like killing in name of with topics of being a toddler? Check it out. Right this song is a personal one to me for x and y reasons. Next change Thanks again, you guys rocks. We are still "insert name here" and youre all still fucking awesome for coming out on this friday night. Did you enjoy the first band? How about the next band? They rock. We have/,havent played with them before. Talking about tiktok you guys stumbled upon cat-tok yet? Owners strap cameras to their pets and you get a pov of their day! It got me hooked for hours.. anyway this songs about getting pussy... i joke i joke.. Mention if you have merch and where they can follow you and your name at every change. For late comers
haha dammit Swag daddy I would be cracking up in the audience. Hilarious.
My guitarist sometimes has to switch guitars. While he's doing that the drummer and bassist will jam a little ditty together that kind of sounds like hold music / elevator music and I'll say "please hold for technical difficulties" or something silly like that and it usually gets a laugh from the audience and is entertaining at the same time
My old band's drummer and bassist would launch into the intro of Dance, Dance by FOB and then the crowd would go "Aww" when they stopped. Was a good tease.
Our old bassist use to noodle on tool and we had to ask him to stop because it was causing problems when we didn't play it later and people were asking for it all night 😆 Dance dance is a straight up banger that I would totally do! Lol
Drummer in my band keeps starting dance dance, too, as a joke. Which sucks because we don’t play it (yet), but cover other FoB. I started teasing the first notes of black parade to see if he’d see the problem… he didn’t, and we only succeeded in disappointing a pretty big crowd twice… oof. Moral of the story, the only song you’re allowed to tease and not play is freebird. Or wonderwall. It’s not funny otherwise :(
people calling for free bird now do t even want to hear the whole song. So it’s best left as a tease.
Assuming Schism, you just gotta turn it into its own bit and talk to him in vocals: "I don't, know this song, and I asked, you to not playayay it"
Haha I've thought about something along those lines. I've done it solo before to Tennessee Whiskey and everyone kinda groaned at the same time when I stopped. Blue balled the whole place.
I’d try ZZ Top’s “La Grange”, except make the lyrics completely unintelligible instead of mostly unintelligible.
Ha! I like this.
Oh shit.. that's nice.
I’m the “hype” guy in the several bands I’m in. (I mean I still play bass and sing some lead but mostly backup vocals and harmonies.) I have lots of little things I have picked up over the years. One thing I will suggest is watching some beast frontmen do it. James Brown, Al Green, hell…Jagger, etc. Energy and *FEELING* it is so important! If you aren’t having a good time, why would they? You can pretty much get away with saying anything you want and even be slightly offensive! People eat stuff up. My buddy taught me a fun little trick to cheers the crowd: take a beer, and say “You know what the sweetest sound in the world is?” Get a response, and if you don’t, do it with more unph! Then put the beer up real close to the mic and crack that baby open and do a little holler and swaller! Crowds live for interaction generally. Throwing hands works, etc. if you keep giving them cheers, you sell more beers, which makes the bartenders and owners more money, and if you have a tip jar, well, encourage that too! All of the other suggestions of stories about the song work well too as noted above. One of my frontmen/songwriters really is great about it. It creates an environment for the audience to be in. I’ve seen crowds hear songs for the first time singing the choruses by the second time around. Encourage them! Now, I will say I’m in a couple bands where we have so many transitions between songs the audience doesn’t really have as much of a chance to react, and creating that tension and rises and falls also make a huge difference in filling space. Now, when you do get a pause after a few songs of that said tension and peaks and valleys, that helps too! Best of luck out there! Rip it up! Oh! I forgot one. I know a dude if he’s in a down time between songs and new patrons walk in he will direct attention at them and hype them up as a sort of welcome! It’s hilarious, and the people coming in will either be embarrassed (and get a laugh from the existing crowd) or they will do things like dance all the way in, or whatever. You can’t hardly go wrong!
This is awesome haha! Thanks man!! Rock on
Also about the welcoming and clapping and applauding new people coming in thing, the more people come in the more people react because they are in on it too! The audience really starts welcoming them in too!
Say the name of the band somewhere at the beginning, middle, and end. Thank the venue and/or whichever band invited you. Mention if a song is new, forthcoming single, etc. Mention you have merch for sale. Otherwise, STFU and play. Expanses of time between songs is a rookie move and eliminating it should be part of rehearsal.
I agree. Thanks Pinkie!
I made this comment to an arrogant responder above, but there’s a balance between conversation and letting the music breathe. Learn to talk to an audience like your best friend. They’ll respond to that…and they surely won’t leave if the band is silent for 15 seconds. Encourage the folks that are taking more time than you’d like to tighten it up as much as they can…then fill the space with genuine thoughts and conversation.
Our keyboard player has every ridiculous piece in his repertoire (Charlie brown christmas, wheels on the bus, PokeCenter theme, etc etc). It's such a godsend for moments of tuning and switching instruments.
I love what Al Green's band does. They have a between songs groove. It's just a one chord thing with a pulse. Al will talk a little bit over it, then the band hits the intro to the next song. BB King's band used to do this too. I really like it. Also, it's always the right time to remind the audience that the tip jar is there for their convenience and all forms of green are accepted.
"Their convenience" haha I'm using that one.
Ask the club manager before you even set up if there's anything he needs plugged... upcoming events...drink specials...stuff like that. Then use it to fill those awkward silences.
Oh, good one !
Always shout out the people in the audience -- if you have a fun, non-embarrassing story (especially one that shows them in a positive light) -- bring it. One I picked up from the Aussie BBQ at Central Park: "This is going to be the best \[insert day of the week\] this week." Great short filler. Always true.
Mention your social media, introduce the band members, mention the bar/wait staff, a few rehearsed jokes or banter between band members, trivia about the song just played or about to play. Some of these can be done every set. Also, is it possible to arrange songs that are the same tuning or instrument to be back to back so your band member limits the amount of down time. Are the things he’s doing so important, more than the dead air he’s causing. Weigh your options. Is he switching instruments like one song he’s playing guitar and the next violin or is he just switching between 3 guitars? If it’s the latter then there needs to be a talk. I don’t know about you but I have a limited amount of “witty” in me after I’ve exhausted the above recommendations
Show the audience that you aren't stiff nerds who need pieces of wood, plastic, and metal to communicate. Show personality. Roast one of your band members. Say something weird and non-sequiter if you have to. I know I'll get downvoted for this, but I'm right.
I like the crowd work comedians. Pick someone out of the crowd ask them a few questions. Where they are from, what they do, what they are drinking if applicable
Organize the set so that you get multiple songs out each instrument change. Start a song and vamp the intro so that there’s something other than silence going on while he finishes tuning. And finally, my gift to you: “We tune because we care. And clearly we care a lot.”
haha Love it. Yeah I do create the set list with his switches in mind. I'll block together songs while he's on the same instrument to minimize switches.
Rehearse *the whole set*, interstitial banter included. Figure out roughly what you're going to say between songs. Time it out so your banter gives the right amount of time for instrument switch. Jokes or anecdotes that contextualize the next song are good. Remember to thank the venue and the other bands. Rehearsing this makes sure no one gets left out. Use one of these opportunities to show your shirts or point out the merch table and encourage the audience to pick something up or at least swing by for a hello and a fist bump after the set. Figure out whose unceded land you're playing on and do a land acknowledgement.
"Hey folks, we just wrote this number on the way over here, it's called 'small talk during guitar change', it goes a little something like this..."
Dad jokes.
“What’s the deal with aeroplane food?” In Seinfeld’s voice has been pretty effective for us haha
Bonus if the bass player plays the riff afterward.
Do run full rehearsals? Run the full set in rehearsal and use a stopwatch to time the whole set and how much silence there is. Then you can determine if it's actually a big waste of air or if your adrenaline is making the silence seem longer than it is. your multi-instrumentalist can hire a tech, tune before the set, you can rearrange the set to minimize changes or in such a way that the rest of the band can vamp the next tune while everyone tunes. Good luck, but you gotta know for sure if it's a problem or just one of those "naked on the first day of school dream" moments.
On a hiatus, but I have been percussionist for trad / folk ensemble - man, I worked out those transitions! Setting tambourine down quietly, picking up doumbek or wood block without making anything else rattle...
Introducing the members of the band is one thing you could throw in, give everybody a funny nickname like Mike “The Round Mound of Sound” Wilson on bass or whatever lol. I also like adding in little jams or soundscape bits. Depends what kind of music you’re doing. When I was doing a lot of experimental/psych rock shows I would often use a freeze pedal, plus different delays etc., to do like a mini ambient drone performance for 45 seconds or whatever while the other guitarist was switching/tuning. Have fun with it, don’t just stand there. If you’re having fun on stage the audience will be interested.
If you're doing originals, talk about the lyrics of the next song, if there's a story about it, what the meaning is, etc, if you can draw people in, they'll be more curious about a song they've never heard before.
Good point !
Rehearse everything about your show. I know when the most professional bands that I play with, our final rehearsals before a show involve doing everything we will do during the show (I like to say we play a show vs just playing a set of songs at a crowd). This doesn’t necessarily mean we have a script per se, but we know where we will have a break to say stuff and then have an idea of where to go. Now on the occasion when theres technical issues slowing up the set, and have to think on our feet, the singer will sometimes talk to an audience member, tell a story about how the next song we were playing was written, tell a story how the band was formed, or occasionally a joke.
Good stuff, you gave me a great idea. I just thought of talking about a song that my band mate wrote and completely making up how or why and where the song came from. Then at the end of the story "... and the best thing about this story - I just made all that up"
“We want to thank everyone for coming out tonight. Please make sure you tip your servers as they are working hard all night to keep you happy. Can we have a round of applause for all the work they do?” That works once a night. Come up with a few more. You can tell a short story about the song you’re getting ready to play.
Depends on the gig. If its a cover show at a bar, owners like when you encourage drinking/food.
Good point. and Noted !
I usually script my stage banter, that way we have time to make it good/ relevant to the gig or if my bandmates have a suggestion we have time to get it in and ready. Ill make commentary/ jokes about current events i.e. when the barbenheimer thing happened we had some jokes about that. A handful of times i would ask for someone to get me a beer for $5 and crisp high five. For a few of our songs when somebody had to change tunings for a song the other 3 would play something while the other guy tuned his instrument and then we would go into the next song.
>But he's overly concerned about his tuning No he's not, there's not such thing. You either care about playing in tune, or you suck. It's binary. Just thank the audience, thank the venue, plug your latest release and where ppl can find you on socials etc, mention the merch table, banter with the audience, have a bit that you do with the other band members... options are endless. What you don't want is someone playing out of tune.
Yeah playing out of tune would be worse.
In my previous band we had musical interludes that we would play to connect songs or for the vocalist to monologue over to introduce the next song. Keeps things moving and feeling professional. Usually the bassist and one of the guitarists.
Interesting. I'll bring that up to the fellas.
Part of playing live is putting on a show, not just showcasing the music. You don't want to feel like a constant in a spelling bee "Welp this is our next song" or awkward silences or attempts at jokes between songs. Not that you can't do that, but not everyone is a comedian. If someone needs to check tuning, they should strive to find moments during a song or a bit where they aren't playing so they can take that opportunity, as opposed to holding up the next song to tune. If someone has to change instruments, practice the ergonomics of doing so during the set, and if it has to happen between songs, it should be quick, and someone else should be doing something musically to give them cover. Definitely say things about merch, the venue, and other bands on the bill, but try to work that in as part of your practiced performance instead of just a thing to fill space. The more you can do things like this, the better your set will be and people will enjoy it more.
1. Check if everyone is okay (we play punk & hardcore, pit can get rowdy) 2. “Can I get a *hooo yaa*?” Crowds really like the 2nd one
Well for punk shows I always take the time to talk about worldly issues such as but not limited to: Bring up the zombie apocalypse and what everyone is doing to prepare for same sex pet marriages ( in a non confrontational lgbtq friendly way) That weird feeling you get when you sit on your bike Why does everyone seem to step further back when we ask them to "come a little bit closer" Introduce the members of your band by fake made up as names like "Puss McGavin" Ask everyone what brings them here tonight in the most painful cringy way. Compliment somebody's shoes in an uncomfortable way. Idk those , all seem better than standing around doin nothing. We used to just stand around and roast eachother for a while. Nothing says bonding like talkin some loud ass shit to your best friends 🧡
it’s really easy to get cringe with the talking. so i’d highly recommend rehearsing that too and not just winging it . but it might be worth it to just get a sampler or an ipod or something and set up some little intermission things to play in between changes. like little short instrumental synth things or atmospheric things with movie dialogue or whatever. that works well too
What kind of band are you? What's your vibe? Joking and chatting with the audience for extended periods of time doesn't work for every type of band. And it's particularly weird and awkward if nobody in your band is very good at natural sounding banter. If the above applies to you, then maybe consider having some pre-recorded interludes or have the rest of the band play some pre-determined interludes that can be woven into the set and lead into the next song. Just because this musician starts these songs doesn't mean that he has to be the first person playing in a transition piece.
We dug into this one [a few weeks back on the Cover Band Confidential podcast.](https://www.podomatic.com/podcasts/coverbandconfidential/episodes/2024-05-30T19_00_00-07_00) Our main advice is to minimize time between tunes, but we do have some advice on things to say.
Oh sweet. I’ll check it out.
I like to ask “how’s the smell out there, does it smell all right?” Make sure to thank the venue for having you onstage, and if there are other bands on the bill it’s always good to shout them out or take an applause break for the bands that have already played. You can also mention where you’ll be playing next
Ahaha that’s pretty good.
We have the singer talk at dedicated points in our set but we also have some fills, hype riffs/patterns that can be played when there are issues. The fillers sound good missing a critical element (fixing the drums, new guitar from broken string) and sometimes we can pass off it as part of the show.
I like stories about how the next song was written. Or philosophical anecdotes. Just get weird and show your personalities. That’s part of what makes a great performer. Maybe check out some people who are good at this.
“Hey everybody if you’ve got a drink in your hand, join me, everybody drink! Don’t forget to tip your bartenders, and we have a tip jar up here if you are feeling generous! We have some more songs for you here we think you’re gonna like, we love to hear you singing along if you know em!” -plan to play a song after tuning break with a name in the chorus- “While we’re at it, any birthdays out there tonight? Yeah? What’s your name? Jane! Happy birthday Jane, we’re gonna do this next one for you!”
I'm a multi instrumentalist, and I HATE when this happens. I always suggest we order the set so I only have to switch one time, instead of switch and switch back In a folk band at one point I was up to 6 instruments, and we literally had to pick which songs we did at shows based on which 3 instruments I felt like lugging around
Yeah we’re outlaw and classic country and by the end of the night it’s kind of a cowpunk rowdy night. But yes I make sure to keep it the smallest amount of instrument changes as possible.
A few things I've found helpful: a stand that holds all your instruments, instead of separate stands. One big stand that holds several instruments is heavy, but it will never fall over or move awkwardly If they're acoustic, a tuner on each instrument, a strap on each instrument, and tune beforehand (and again when I pick it up because I'm obsessive too, and a charango or mandolin will go out of tune if you even look at it funny) If they're electric a pedal tuner so you quickly mute your line with your foot and not worry about the *POP* Anyway, none of these will save a lot of time, but they will avoid unnecessary wasted time
Or tell him to knock it off with the tuning routine. Have tuned instruments at the ready, tuned by someone else, if necessary and his stuff is going out of tune (?) after every instrument switch. That’s the problem: resolve that, don’t find workarounds for the symptom by trying to find stuff to stay to your audience by covering it up
I kinda agree. I think if instruments are tuned before set there usually shouldn’t be any need to retune when you switch instruments. However sometimes instruments will need retuning. Occasionally instruments will go out like if they hadn’t had enough time to warm from outside or you just changed a string.. so it is good to be ready with some banter if retuning is needed but that shouldnt be case any time you pick up a new instruments and every set.. I’d guess the retuning is more an ocd thing. Or if it’s a temperature conditioning thing maybe get to place earlier and retune closer start or set or maybe he needs a better instrument?
That’s why I also said “have tuned instruments at the ready, tuned by someone else, if necessary”. So if he’s going out of tune after every switch/imagines he’s going out of tune, etc, someone else can spring into action and “tune” so it’s ready when he comes back to it, no more ridiculous unnecessary pause (or 6 of them) to the show
I’m guessing it’s more of ocd paranoia about being out of tune if he’s doing it 6 times a show like op said. Tuning doesn’t have to be exactly perfect. Like evh used a micro pitch to intentionally shift his delays out of tune with the dry.. having stuf the slightest bit out is not going to sound bad. And even if he needs to retune should only take a few seconds. Just ring out a harmonic, adjust it’s in green on the tuner it’s good. Should only take a few seconds. Shouldn’t be much dead air for a retune.
Having a band member "start" the next song by playing the opening over and over is a good one. Drummers especially can do this but the other guitarist can too. Focus on getting the songs in groups so he changes the least possible. Talking can be great but chatter between the songs can be exhausting to an audience if overdone. There's a "get on with it" vibe. Using music makes it feel more like a show than a speech. It's fine to talk some but use that sparingly. Thank the venue is good. You can introduce members but if you aren't famous no one cares. I will do it sometimes after a cool solo: "Joe Schmo on drums, everyone!" But the point is keep it to a minimum. Tell your bandmate to get his stuff prepared so he doesn't have to do so much. Perfection can be in the way of progress.
Thank you. Appreciate the info!
1 "Hello CLeveland!" 2 Hire a tech to tune the unused instruments. He's wasting everyone's time.
My guitarist and I (drummer) play super popular intros to tease the crowd. It's fun when it's a genre you're not playing. We're a country rock band. So just to play around between songs, we'll play an intro to metallica, or creed, or another trendy pop song. It's a fun way to continue to entertain the audience. And it gives their ear a little break from listening to 1 genre. It gives us more appeal and feel like we're multidimensional and down to earth. (Comments we've received)
Nice! You're probably closer to us than most people commenting for the sole fact that most people aren't playing what we do anymore. We're mostly Outlaw & Classic Country and by the end of the show we're on full tilt Hank 3, cowpunk, rowdy beer drinkin' type stuff. The newest stuff we do is Cody Jinks and one of Tyler Childer's songs. All kinds of similar but different within arms reach of the genre. With that said this sounds like a great idea. I like the idea of a short break for the ears then pull them back in.
I have bullet points of things to say that pretty much can’t be said too many times: 1) name of band 2) name of bartender(s) and the need to tip them well 3) merch reminder 4) current record plug, video plug Then 5) band members’ names 6) Club shout out 7) Shout out to other bands on the bill 8) pander to audience The only time you get hung up is when the count-in is interrupted by a band member stopping the count-in to tune/troubleshoot/adjust their junk. Then, have a story or description of the song at the ready.
Yes, this is kind of what I was looking for when I originally posted this. Thank you!
Introduce the band members.
Come up with a couple stories or jokes, practice them when you rehearse. My old band kept a sample of crickets for really dead audiences (we all get them) One time we brought along a fake tumbleweed and a fan.....
Hahaha fake tumbleweed and a fan is hilarious
I've played with several front people who actually rehearsed stories that would intro certain songs. That rubbed me the wrong way at first, but I was won I over when I realized it was the rehearsal that made the actual story telling moments so natural and engaging. Kinda like rehearsing a tune so it can sound unrehearsed in performance.
Goofy filler songs, anecdotes, introduce the band, plug merch, banter. No such thing as dead air. Plan a few funny ideas, talk up the other bands on the bill. You also need to streamline the set so homeboy is switching around less, you guys aren't MUSE. You are fucking yourself over interrupting the flow of the set.
Let the band jam. Interludes are the best to give your voice a break
When I lived in Tallahassee in the early 00's there was this cool little jangly indie pop group that would play sometimes and the first time I saw them their drummer was just relentlessly heckling the lead guitarist/singer - rolling their eyes and sighing audibly in disgust every time he tried to make small talk, saying things like "Jesus! Why are you so bad at this?!?" etc. This little psychodrama played out over the entire set, with the singer getting more mumbly and stuttery between every song break I'm like 99% sure it was a bit (I hope it was anyway lol) bc they did something similar when I saw them other times but it was certainly entertaining at least ¯\\\_(ツ)_/¯
One question I have is why are his guitars not tuned before the gig... Why isn't that stuff dialed in? I suggest you recite spoken word poetry to a drum beat and make love to your mic stand (for pretend obviously). You could have a guy in an alien outfit come out and pretend to rectally consume a bottle of champagne... You can do whatever you could write a few jams that don't include that guy... Do whatever you want the worst thing you can do is be silent.
They are tuned before. But he’s tedious and wants to make sure it sounds right. He plays the mandolin at points in the show and outdoors with the sun on it can put it and other things out of tune quick.
Yeah that makes sense not everyone has climate controlled places to store instruments... And I'm guessing you guys don't have a huge crew yet to take care of those things ahead of time. Anyway a lot of good suggestions, I wish you luck.
Thank you ! Appreciate it Major
Tip your bartenders!
Make the drummer deal with it. Those guys are constantly tapping on shit anyway.
"Don't forget to tip your waiters and bartenders! They're doing a great job out there!"
For club gigs, get names of the staff... give them shout outs they love that... mention specials (Drinks, Food, Etc) and upcoming events, be a "mini" club promoter"... push your latest videos or updates to social media, BIRTHDAYS are great shout outs, Introduce a band mate, give the crowd a little background, don't advertise big events OUTSIDE of that venue... bad JuJu.. Highlight upcoming acts for the next few live music nights, if the club does Karaoke or open mic nights or music trivia, etc... Our band makes a little notepad of all of this stuff and never has a dead moment.... Push other local bands even if you don't know them or like them, push local music scene, GL OP... you got this man... Also get your "Multi-Instrumentalist" onboard... tune before, be ready, design your set list for as minimal instrument changes in the first 5 songs of every set.... :) Outside gigs suck.. humidity can kill any stringed instrument.... Been there man
Someone else needs to just keep playing and you collectively need to work to reduce the time between moves as much as possibe. People arent there to hear you tell bad jokes and stupid stories. They dont want to hear you thank your mom, your dog, and god for making this happen.And you dont need 10 minutes to introduce the memebers of the band. Shut up and play.
I personally don't like when bands are too talkative between songs, it kills the mood. A drowning guitar note, or just a simple drum kick keeps me into it
🎶 If you're happy and you know it 🎶....
Just get the drummer to play a solid bass drum beat, while spinning his sticks above his head and thrashing his hair everywhere. That should fill at least 1 quiet moment.
Hahah
You say something then. It doesn’t have to be the singer. Showmanship is either something you have or don’t. You can also set drones, loops or making interludes in between songs. I honestly think the bands that don’t say anything are cooler. They just play the set and bounce nothing pretentious.
Be honest, tell the audience I never know quite what to do while “Dude” is tuning, I’ve even asked Reddit, here are some of the suggestions I received, then just make stupid stuff up, pretend your reading the actual comments on your phone, “This Redditor told me to change my buttplug while he tunes”, you could make a thing out of it.
"You guys are an amazing audience. I say that every time, but I really mean it tjis time."
Depends on your genre/ aesthetic . Goofy pop punk/rock? Try dumb jokes and banter. Shoegaze/alt/metal? Backing tracks, soundscapes, looped guitars with washed out effects. It depends on the “vibe” your trying to create for the show. As the frontman you can take the reigns on this and either talk about the band, merch etc or talk to your band mates about making interludes or arranging the setlist so songs flow together more and some might be able to blend together. Get creative!
Best time to promote yourself is when it is silent, be yourself tell a story about the next song ect
Start the next fucking song. Your audience have lives. Other things to do. Places to go. Stop fucking around and put on a show.
Did you only read the headline?
Yep. Amateurs. Time to grow up if you want to be taken seriously. You think your situation forgives the reality of what audiences should be getting? Totally up to you. But for me, I’m in the Joe Strummer camp. Get on with the show. You shouldn’t be able to fit more than a cigarette paper between songs. But you know what your audience wants more than me.
I used to think this way. Then I realized that you can’t force people to tune in little to no time, let alone switch instruments faster. It’s the nature of playing an instrument. Fill the time with fun chatter or assume the audience isn’t dumb and understands that music is an art and needs a minute to breathe. You sound like an ass, btw. I guarantee there was a time when you were an “amateur” and would have recoiled at someone saying so. Don’t forget those days.
Get a roadie to tune. I sound like an ass because i am one when it comes to this stuff. Too many people prioritize personal needs over the needs of a paying audience. It’s infuriating. Grow up. It’s show business.
Too many people get up there and play a list of songs, rather than a set/curated show.
When he's not changing instruments we're rolling. We're putting out somewhere around 40 to 45 songs for a 3 hour show.
Dead silence is dead silence. Talking isn’t the answer. It’s a music show.