Performing Solo

RJMJ87

New member
Hey, guys,

Any ideas for putting on a great show as a solo artist? Besides the obvious of playing your guitar or keyboard and singing live, which should be a given. It seems kind of lonely when you're up there by yourself, lol. What other elements would keep you interested as an audience? Is great music good enough? How theatrical or "showy" must it be to maintain interest? I appreciate your input! Thanks.
 
Every gig is different and you have to read the room. Keep the music varied. It's good to have a mix of upbeat and slow, new and old and a few instrumentals. Talk to the audience (be careful to limit this). Introduce the songs only if the crowd looks interested. Accept your role but be yourself. You might be the center of attention one night and then back ground music the next. I play a lot of irish music, so I have learned to give a few toasts. This is also good for birthdays, anniversaries and graduations. If the crowd is right, have some very familiar songs they can sing along. Also, enunciate even when songing.
Hope this helps. It's probably worth as much as it cost.
 
What's the genre?
If you're a singer/songwriter kind of thing, you probably want to play small, intimate rooms and make a lot of meaningful eye contact and other personal connections with your audience
If you're an EDM act, you should invest in a bunch of lights and FX.
Maybe use a looper to fill out your sound? Maybe a sampler?

I personally use a combination of weird, computer-generated beats; shiny costumes; and guest musicians to fill out my solo show.
 
Know when to engage. If you're playing along and the audience is into your music, keep going. Small rapport between songs. If the audience starts to drift, hand claps, shout backs, whatever it takes to bring them back to you. Be sure to tell them who you are several times in the night. Drive that home if you want ANY of them to be your fans after. If possible, set up a table and some merchandise after the gig (bonus time), but be sure that management is okay with the idea beforehand.
Know the gig. If you're playing and the crowd is there to do something besides listen to you (you are background noise) do everything you can to keep from drawing attention. Just play well and hope for the best.
If you're playing a bar, setting up a table can be problematic (not a good idea).
Just some notes I've made over the years...
 
Awww that's okay! I'm still here (somewhat, lol) and am glad somebody finally replied, lol! I still haven't figured it all out, but think I'm getting there (genre is mostly electronic pop/dance/r&b). So thanks, guys, for the ideas! Ya'll are awesome :)
 
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