Workin’ the Room

I’m amazed at the number of performers – especially singer/songwriters – that just want to sit on a stool on stage and do their show from a seated position.  Some of them go so far as to have their own that they travel with so they always have the same seat when they’re performing.

If it was a piano bench, that would be one thing.

We know the audience members will be seated, but even with them the goal is to perform in such a way that it gets them off their feet.  If you can’t be bothered to get up, what makes you think they will?

While I’m not suggesting that up-and-comers need to invest in a stage show that has an extensive lighting rig and/or dancers, there are aspects of your performance that, subtle as they might seem, could potentially be difference makers.  And difference maker could mean the difference between being forgettable and memorable.  Those subtleties could be what bring people back to see you, which in turn should lead to satisfied venue owners wanting to re-book you.  And along the way you hopefully should be selling product to these satisfied customers.

One example is an act I went to see recently who was a simple jazz trio.  And while, yes, it didn’t hurt that the female singer was most attractive, what I noticed about her more was actually something she was doing when she wasn’t singing on certain songs.  Unlike some singers who might go so far as to just (literally) sit the whole song out, she was an active participant in the song.  She was tastefully moving to the beat in a way that didn’t detract yet showed that she was feeling the song.

One week later I saw a different female singer who really captured the crowd’s attention – by mixing with the crowd.  But here again, like the other one week earlier, she wasn’t attempting to put the spotlight on herself.  This performer used a wireless mic to her advantage, so as to go out into the crowd while singing, which made them feel like they were part of the show!  She tore down the invisible wall that too many performers put up, which implies that, “Look, I’m up here performing and you’re out there listening and watching, and never the two shall meet.”

Taking that one step further is a bit of a different twist on audience engagement.  There is a singer who, while she’s on her break, goes out table to table and visits practically everyone who’s there.  She too does it in a tasteful way, meaning that she recognizes that some people just flat out don’t like to be approached by a performer or that they might be in a sensitive conversation that they don’t want to be interrupted from.  She stays just long enough to get a sense for how much or how little they want to talk.  In the meantime, she’s politely thanking them for being there and, where appropriate, leaving behind a 5x7 promo card that lists her website, her Facebook, and her upcoming live dates.  Sometimes she’ll even give a unique item that I know makes the patrons say, “Wow, thanks!”

Compare all that to what you’re doing.  Are you just sitting on a stool on stage, going through the motions and staring at the crowd thinking, “I hope these people don’t approach me”?  If so, it’s time for the proverbial attitude adjustment.  Work the room!