how to rock

By Elise Malmberg

illustration by Elise Malmberg

Sorry — was that your band? No wonder I didn't recognize you; I left before you even started playing.

We've all seen bands that suck onstage. But sometimes it's not their music that needs help — it's their overall performance. Songs that start and stop, with long, boring pauses between; incessant, time-consuming instrument changes; lack of variation in tempo and key; shuffling, self-conscious band members and mumbling frontmen who never make eye contact with the audience. Any one of these issues can derail a set. Who wants to go see a boring, awkward band?

Stagecraft: Not a Dirty Word
Some players seem to think that trying to please the audience makes them sellouts. Your listeners should be grateful for the opportunity to hear your great music and share your profound lyric insights. You shouldn't even have to try; they should intuitively understand your brilliance.

Sounds silly when you say it out loud, doesn't it?

As a performing musician, you're in the entertainment business. Like it or not, when people go to see you play, they expect you to entertain them. Worse yet, you may not even be the primary component in most of the crowd's entertainment scenario for the evening. They may be at the venue to catch up with friends, get drunk, prowl for sex partners, or see another band. In some people's eyes, your band might actually be an obstacle to the evening's ultimate goal.

Understand Your Audience
Performers and audience have an unwritten contract. As a musician, your job is to transport people, to enable them to experience something different. The audience has a job too: their attention and applause can be like rocket fuel for those onstage, inspiring them to new heights of expressiveness and energy.

For a really magical show to happen, both sides need to do their bit. But the band must take the lead.

Entertaining your audience doesn't necessarily mean putting on a smarmy lounge act. It can take as many forms as there are musical styles. If you're a hard rock band, perhaps it's just roaring at your audience so they can roar back. If you're a sensitive singer-songwriter, it might be confiding the inspiration behind a certain song. If you're a dance band, it could be keeping the crowd's energy going with a fast-paced set.

The heart of the matter is connecting with people. Be charming, and indicate somehow that you're glad to have the opportunity to play for them. Don't ignore or insult your audience, and don't waste their time. Think about the pacing and flow of your set, and let your audience know that their reaction means something to you.

Prepare to Rock
Make sure everything's ready to go in advance of your performance. Plan your set list beforehand, and give everyone in the band (plus the sound staff) a copy. If certain songs require specific actions from the sound person — adding more reverb on the ballad, for example, or turning on a mic for a different vocalist — note these details next to the appropriate songs on their copy of the set list.

Ideally you'll be able to do a full soundcheck before the doors open. If not, at least try to get a brief line check to ensure that all the instruments, microphones, amps, and monitors are working and in some semblance of balance with one another.

For maximum impact, have the whole band enter together and start your set immediately. Make sure the sound person turns off the house sound just before you make your entrance — standing up there waiting for a CD to finish playing makes even the coolest band look stupid.

Shaping the Set
To build a better set, start with the set list. Your set should have a distinct shape to it. Too many midtempo songs in a row and your audience may get restless; likewise, alternating between fast and slow songs can be distracting and confusing.

One tried-and-true trick is to use the "ramp principle," building gradually to crescendos within the set, with tempo as the primary element of change. Increase the pace gradually from song to song, with sudden drops at strategic points. Going from a midtempo song to a slightly slower one feels like a big energy suck — but a steady build in tempo, followed by a sudden drop, can be quite dramatic.

Aim for a gradual tempo build to a mid-show climax, drop down to a much slower song, then build to a bigger climax at the end. With this approach, you can either start the show with a bang and then drop, or start slowly and build from there.

Avoid breaking your momentum by stopping for more than a moment between songs, especially as you're ramping up the tempo. And don't play too many songs back-to-back in the same key. It doesn't matter if no one in the audience (or the band) knows what a "key" is — they'll feel the lack of motion on a subliminal level. Mix it up. Keep things interesting, but try to avoid unnecessary instrument changes, which can undermine pacing.

The Big Switcheroo
Changing instruments — whether it's simply switching to a different guitar or swapping places between, say, the drummer and the vocalist — can add drama to a performance (and make it possible to play a broader range of songs). It can also cause mood-killing delays in the set, prompting your audience to wander off in search of another drink or resume gossiping about their coworkers.

If you need to change instruments, do it as quickly and efficiently as possible. Get help if you need it — have a friend or crew member assist from the side of the stage. Your audience is there to see you play, not fiddle with cables and straps.

A great secret trick for guitarists: Add an A/B box to your pedalboard so you can keep two guitars — not just one — plugged in and standing by during the set. When you're ready to change, have someone hand you the other guitar and take the one you're holding. Click the A/B switch to change channels, and you're ready for the next song.

Keep Up the Pace
Jumping from the end of one song straight into the next (a segue, in geek-speak) can be incredibly exciting, especially as you build from slower to faster tempos.

From the audience's point of view, one of the most annoying things you can do is finish a song, turn your back, and fuss with your instrument or noodle aimlessly until a new song coagulates out of the mire. If you're swapping instruments between songs, assign one band member to be the focus for the audience. Perhaps a band member who isn't changing instruments can say a few words to the audience. (Hint: It doesn't have to be the vocalist!)

Talk Talk
Speaking of speaking: It's ironic that even among singers, who are presumably revealing their "real" voices and airing their most intimate emotions in public, simply talking to the audience can be one of the most challenging aspects of performance.

You need to talk to the audience at least a little bit. Audiences expect and appreciate it, and take it personally if an artist doesn't speak a word. Unless you're so high-concept that talking interferes with the illusion you're creating with props, projections, choreography, or what-have-you, at the minimum you should say hello or good evening, thank you, and good night or goodbye. Indicate somehow that you appreciate people coming to see you play.

Take a realistic look at your communication skills and craft your audience communications accordingly. If you're comfortable talking in public and can tell funny or interesting stories, it's fine to stop and talk a bit between some songs. (Just don't spend too much time talking.) On the other hand, if you're shy or ill at ease, your attempts at casual patter can make your audience feel as uncomfortable as you are. If this is you, keep the between-song banter to a minimum, and jump straight from song to song whenever possible.

One thing most performers dread is flogging merchandise from the stage. "Uh, we have a new CD, and some T-shirts, and, er, a mailing list…." There's no graceful way to overcome the awkwardness of trying to sell your own product. Try to mention it at a point in the set that doesn't interfere too much with the flow — preferably when the room is filled with the maximum number of bodies. If humor is your style, you might make a joke or say something charmingly self-deprecating; otherwise, just mention the essential details and move on to the next song.

If you're playing at the same venue in the near future, be sure to mention it at least once during your set. However, it's usually bad form to promote upcoming shows at other clubs, unless both venues share the same owners. Instead, you might mention that your next few shows are listed on the flyers that you had the foresight to place at the front of the stage and in the merch area.

The End Game
You've played a brilliant set, and now it's your last song. Don't announce, "This is our last song." People will figure that out soon enough. (Besides, nothing's worse than saying, "This is our last song" and having people cheer because you're almost done!)

The last song in your set is as important as the first one. You want to end with a strong statement about the essence of your music, something that sums it all up. Most bands choose to finish with a faster, uptempo song to maximize the crowd's response. An energetic ending also increases the odds of being called back for an encore.

If you are fortunate enough to get an encore, make it count. Select a couple of songs in advance, either cover tunes or originals. Uptempo is usually a good call. As with the final song in the set, your goal is to make the audience feel good and want more.

Don't leap back onstage at the first sign of applause, but don't wait too long either. If you're an opening act and you get calls for an encore, check with the stage manager or the sound person to make sure it's okay to take the additional time before the next band goes on.

From Bleah to Yeah!
The crowd is getting restless. But suddenly the house music shuts off and the band steps onstage. The drummer slides smoothly behind the kit and grabs the sticks while the bass player and guitarist strap on their instruments. The keyboardist waits, fingers poised over the keys, as the singer seizes the microphone and launches straight into the first song.

Wow, is that your band? I had no idea you guys were that good!

Share your secrets for putting on a great show!

Posted August 2006

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