So, How's Your Audience?

Guest · Posted 4 Feb 2002 10:27 am

I've detected a distinct tone of antagonism that seems to accompany any topic where players talk about their audiences. Whether it's line dancing, asking for stupid requests, not listening, or whatever, it sounds like audiences are necessary evils that working musicians must learn to put up with (if not outright ignore).

So, How's Your Audience?

Johan Jansen · From: Europe

most of the time, I'm wallpaper!
But if there's one out of 100 in the audience, that listens and shows a little respect for a performance, I'm a happy camper!

Jon Light · From: Saugerties, NY

Played for some kids Sat. nite on Long Island with multiple piercings in their faces, tattoos from here to there, all sorts of stuff to make you say 'kids these days!' and all. And bless 'em, they dug the music. Not a single sloppy drunk, bad attitude, droolin' over another guy's gal, hey let me sing with the band loser in the bunch.

Tony Orth · From: Evansville, Indiana, USA

Stephen,

My band "Hickory" plays mostly clubs (VFW's, Legion's, Etc) and private parties. Our audience is usually about 20-30 of our loyal followers and another 30-40 of the club's membership. This is for a normal night (as opposed to a holiday)

Our fans and other audience members are always polite, cordial, and otherwise generally behave themselves. Our front man is absolutely wonderful at "connecting" with the audience, so we rarely have a problem of any kind.

One exception was that, last weekend, a couple of ladies who had too much to drink, decided that they wanted to sing so they hopped up on stage and grabbed the lead players micrphone. We immediately stopped playing and they were escorted off the stage.
At the end of the night we received a tongue lashing from one of their husbands saying they would never be back. We said, "Good!".
The club owner was very understanding.

We like to view the audience as part of the experience and look for ways to include them in the evenings festivities. That way, they go home thinking they were actually part of our show and feel connected to us. It works.

Thanks for your thread. I'm interested in others comments and experiences.

Steel Rockin' in Indiana
Tony

Guest · Posted 4 Feb 2002 11:01 am

Thanks for your replies. It's interesting to hear both the good and the bad. If you have good audiences, let's hear it. If you don't, let us hear about that too.

I can add from my own experience here. I was in the audience about two weeks ago when Bob Hoffnar was backing up Amy Allison. I could tell that the audience really enjoyed the Bob's steel playing and I found that really refreshing. I don't live in an area that gets a lot of steel guitar music, and I found people enjoyed it.

[This message was edited by Stephen O'Brien on 04 February 2002 at 11:11 AM.]

Hap Young · From: Yuma, AZ, USA

Out here in Yuma Az we have a lot of snowbirds and they are usualy the older crowd. we play the local clubs, Elks , Leigion etc., and the trailor parks. Our crowds are usualy very nice. About 10:00 it gets past thier bedtime and a lot of them start to thin out..We usualy start at 7:30 so we usualy can go home at 11

o or so. Only at new years do they stay late. It makes it nice for us.

Guest · Posted 4 Feb 2002 11:13 am

Jeez, Hap. Ten O'Clock is past MY bedtime. I guess I should retire!

Glenn Austin · From: Montreal, Canada

In my band, if someone in the audience wants to sing and they are genuine, we'll let them do a song or two. Now, If that person is a drunk, pain in the neck, we just might decide to let them make a fool of themselves. For instance, If their song of choice is in the key of G, we just might kick it off in D or C. Most of these types of singers think quite highly of their talent and will not walk off stage mid song, even if they're goin' down in flames. That's always fun to do, and the audience really seems to get a kick out of it too. That look of panic on someone's face when they've realized they're in over their head.

Guest · Posted 4 Feb 2002 11:42 am

Glenn, I'd PAY to see that. I'll bet there are some people in the audience you enjoy it, too.

Craig A Davidson · From: Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin USA

My view on it is this: The people that hired you hired the band and not a talent show. We have a policy no sit-ins, unless approved by the band and management. I know one one thing and don't anybody be offended, but starting a singer in the wrong key just to get even is very childish. It's not even funny. It puts you down on the sit-ins level of pushing their way on stage. It upsets me, also, when people want to get up, but the feeling will go away when on the same night people will come up and tell you how good YOUR band sounds.

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1985 Emmons push-pull, Session 500, Nashville400, 65 re-issue Fender Twin, Fender Tele

Glenn Suchan · From: Austin, Texas

"So how's your audience?"

Usually, they're ready to have fun. As far as the "talent show" thing is concerned. We'll encourage the audience to sing along with our songs when ever they'd like. It's a good barometer of how much air play we get on the local radio stations. On a couple of our songs we'll invite as many ladies as we can possibly fit on stage, to come up and sing with us.

I've said this before, if you can get your audience to feel as though they are a part of the fun you create on stage you'll get 'em to come back again. Chances are they'll bring more friends with 'em next time. Although, a lot of a band's success depends on hard work and diligent promotion, involving the audience is a big part of the equation, too. Involving the audience can mean many things. I realize sing-alongs may not apply to every band. The point is to make your audience feel as though they are THE reason you're playing. It works.

About 3 or 4 years ago we were playing locally to small audiences (under 100 folks). Last Friday we had 1100 pre-sold tickets at our show.... We were about 480 miles home.

Keep on pickin'!
Glenn

B Bailey Brown · From: San Antonio, TX (USA)

My audiences over the years, by and large have been excellent. In recent years since I have been playing with better bands, in better halls or clubs, I have never had a problem. I don’t get a standing ovation, or even a complement every night, but they are frequent (Well, the complements, not the standing ovations). Those are always nice! It is one thing when the band says “Wow, you really played good tonight”, but when some stranger from the audience walks up and says, “Man, you play a great steel guitar”, I think it is even nicer. Audiences pay their money to come through the door and be entertained, and when one of them chooses to come up and pay you an “unsolicited” complement, it really makes you feel good.

Sure, there is the occasional drunk that makes a fool of themselves, but they don’t really bother me. They are not belligerent or mean to the steel player, they are…well, just a drunk making a fool of themselves!

I think most of the rest of the audience recognizes that.

In reality, I have had more trouble over the years with belligerent (and sometimes drunk!) club owners. The audience’s have been great, and I am happy to haul all that heavy stuff around and play for them.

B. Bailey Brown

Glenn Austin · From: Montreal, Canada

I have to agree that starting a singer in the wrong key may be childish, it is also quite hilarious, and takes care of the problem quite nicely. Of course it all depends on the gig, but its all done in good fun, not to be mean. Our job is to entertain.

Allan Thompson · From: Scotland.

We had a written request the other week for " LION EYES " by the Eagles, i think they probably went to MR Seymour`s spelling classes!!!!
On a serious note, without the audience there wouldn`t be any work.

randy · From: shelbyville, illinois, usa

I used to play local opry's and almost always thought the audiance was more attentive than the dance crowds. For the past couple years I've started playing some small (family friendly), dances and I've learned to really like these folks.

They are there to have fun and they're actually participating with the band. I'm having a ball and making gas money to boot.

Frank Parish · From: Nashville,Tn. USA

Audiences are about the same everywhere to me. It's really simple. If they like you, they applaud, if they don't, they don't. It's really that simple. Too many musicians think the crowd is supposed to entertain the band but it's the other way around. They came out to be entertained with the occasional exception of the guy that just wants to watch the game on TV. The band is supposed to set the mood no matter what the crowd is doing. It's called entertainment. This is why it's neccesary to keep up on material and not get boring when you've got a house gig. It's an easy rut to fall into. You've seen those guys that call the same songs at the beginning of the night in the same sequence. They quit thinking about anything new and just go with what they didn't have to think about. They've become lazy and come to socialize not play and entertain. The crowd we play to always applauds when we do a tune really good but just sits there on tunes not done that well. Sounds about right to me.

Ray Montee · From: Portland, Oregon (deceased)

Years ago, playing in a large DANCE HALL catering to a low average of 700 people each Saturday night (no booze allowed, hot dogs and soda pop was the menu)...we routinely play three songs to a set: 3-two steps; 3-fox trots; 3 waltz's; toss in a real fast In The Mood, etc. The crowd was watched very closely. When the crowd started leaving the floor......the remainder of that set was eliminated and we moved on to whatever the next set was to be.
Half way thro' the third set, they did 15 minutes of square dances and even those that didn't dance, enjoyed watching the activities.
We had 7 pieces and lot's of instrumental arrangements. Taking requests was an IMPORTANT part of each night and every effort was made to play as many of them as possible.
In later years, the band I played with which by the way lasted some 20 years... had only about 25-30 TOTAL SONGS....no instrumentals and NO WALTZES. They repeat each set the preceding sets tunes but just in a different order. (Can you believe this?
They were unable to play even the simplist requests....which included Tennessee Waltz! They charged more money for the gig and had less interaction with the audience. They routinely played to an empty dance floor and quite often, to an empty armory or whatever, since they were screamingly LOUD.....and had so little variety in their music.
Those larger clubs I've visited in recent years, shows groups that play what THEY WANT to PLAY, public be damned....and largely IGNORE what the paying crowd might want. In days of yore....that was the quickist for a musician to lose his job.
Now most of the bands in this area play the same top 20 songs, over and over all evening and seem to lack any unity among band members or contact with the audience.

Al Marcus · From: Cedar Springs,MI USA (deceased)

Ray- You are probably right. That about sums it up.
But when I was active, we did play requests and played every kind of song, and tried to entertain, etc.
We always packed the dance floor and was always working. We had the same band in Northern Michigan for about 18 years....al

Bob Hoffnar · From: Austin, Tx

On this little rock tour I'm on the kids are very enthusiastic and way into the steel. Its big fun !

Outside of the country cover band scene I am normaly treated like a star.

Bob

Guest · Posted 5 Feb 2002 5:09 am

But, Bob... You ARE a star!

Jay Ganz · From: Out Behind The Barn

My best audience so far > > >

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"Quick Lick '66" (mp3 audio)

Donny Hinson · From: Glen Burnie, Md. U.S.A.

Normally, it is quite good! We seldom play bars anymore, preferring to play private clubs. We don't play out much anymore (4-6 times a year) so when we do...it's a sell-out. Crowds are older at the clubs we play (35-65) and we have none of the hassles that come with kids (anyone under 30). Actually, we're booked one weekend a month for the next 4 months, life is good!

Reggie Duncan · From: Mississippi

I play at a Christian Supper Club in Louisiana. Our house band performs and fronts the show every Friday and Saturday night. That is 98 shows a year. We play mostly country gospel with heavy traditional steel. We have a great, tasteful, lead guitarist and harmonica player. Nobody walks on anybody! Our bass player is on time every time! Our drummer is a Pentecostal boy who can play with the best! Our vocals are country with great harmony from the backup singers. This band is why the Supper Club is in existance. We have been together for the better part of 10 years. A modern day miracle in itself.
Our audience is generally older. However, in addition to the band we have special guests.
They could be a local group or singer as well as nationally known performers. These guests bring different people into the restaurant. The Hinsons bring in a younger crowd and Squire Parsons brings in an older bunch.
They are all there to enjoy our kind of music. We don't need a bouncer because we don't serve alcohol. Nor do we allow smoking in the building. Our sign says "Gospel Music" so 80-90% of the general public will never come in. So, the people that come, come to be blessed by country gospel music.
What an audience! Last week we featured fellow steel guitarist, Rabbit Easter, and we had 10-12 local steel players there! I had my Dad sit in with me to play for our band. So, those 3 steels looked great lined up on stage! At the end of the evening we had a jam session with everyone. You should have seen the audience responding!
If you are interested in looking at our website it is: www.countryvillage.com

Emmett Roch · From: Texas Hill Country

Fortunately, I work for a singer who believes in entertaining the audience, and in most of the places we've played (from all over Texas to NYC to LA to Cleveland to Seattle and points in between with Nashville in the middle) they stop just short of climbing onto the stage with us in their enthusiasm. And Jesse shares the spotlight by introducing each of us to the crowd every night, and often calls my name when it's time for me to play; but maybe he's just making sure the "old guy" of the band is still awake...

So I'd have to answer that our audiences are 99% great.

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'83 Fender Twin II
with 15" Peavey BW

Guest · Posted 6 Feb 2002 5:20 am

I am SO happy to read all these posts about audiences who enjoy steel guitar and the music you play. For awhile there, I was beginning to despair that every steel player sits in front of either a) loud drunks, b) sleeping drunks, or c) indifferent drunks. Now I know better.

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