Crowd Energy?

[LLroomtempJ]

How do you guys feel about crowd energy when you are playing?

 

For the few gigs that i've done. I couldn't have cared less. We went in there...played songs...no rehearsal...it was just fun to be paid for having a 'public jam session'.

 

I mostly play in church, which has an entirely different atmosphere from a random gig...but in another thread...one guy was saying that he thrives off of crowd energy. I'm just wondering if you guys echo that feeling.

 

jason

[PJR]

Ab So Lute Ly !

 

The energy from the crowd definately inspires greatness !

 

PJR

[_Sweet Willie_]

Sagely stated by our beloved PJR:

The energy from the crowd definitely inspires greatness!

I concur w/ the wise and gentlemanly bassist from Orange Co., NY. (It's easy to say this when I've never met him. However, I always hope that a little flattery will get me closer to touching his Wal.)

 

Peace.

--sweets

[Grant - Toupé]

I am a strong believer in giving the crowd what they've paid for - which is entertainment.

 

We've done two gigs in the same venue in the same month (one was a favour - we normally wouldn't do that)

 

The first one was a Saturday night - the corwd were already pumped form some amazing support acts (who also raise the bar for us - not that it's a competition - but we like to keep the night building to a peak) - so we played our set how they wanted it - with lots of laughter and energy so they can dance (or mosh if they can't dance) and walk away like they've had a really funny game of squash.

 

No problem.

 

The second show was a Sunday night - a band had pulled out from the night and we helped the promoter ou by stepping in the headline slot.

 

This time the crowd weren't up for dancing around - or even drinking that much - so we worked with that and left the humour to be more intelligent and more intimate. Again it worked a treat. We used they're quiet nature to air only new material for the first time - that way they wouldn't feel so bad about not dancing and we told little stories about each song etc...

 

I even mentioned to the corwd what a power trip it is to stand in front of a room full of people who are just silent...hanging on every word - so it was more of a comedy rehearsal. Loads of fun.

 

So I beleive crowd energy is more of a reflection of the bands energy - I refuse to let a crowd give me permission to have a great gig - those that want to hear it will do what they like in the room and we'll pick up on that.

 

Those that don't want to hear - I don't notice.

[wraub]

The crowd can make or break a gig, in more ways than one. I have had gigs where I was sick, or the drummer almost didn't make the show, or whatever, and I (or someone) almost felt like not playing. A good crowd will turn that around real quick, remind you why you are there.

Alternatively, there have been shows where everybody in the band was on, and the crowd was not. Again, you are there for them, so you should be able to rouse some support out of them. This usually works, but sometimes there's no helping some people.

Either way, have fun. More often than not, this works for the band and the audience.

 

Peace,

 

wraub

[Quinn]

Crowd energy makes a huge difference to me.

 

Having an appreciative crowd gives the band confidence and inspires musicians to take risks. Sometimes those risks pay off and sometimes they don't, but without a supportive crowd, the tendency is to play everything safe. This usually results in fairly mechanical, lifeless music, from my experience.

[Mr M Pulsive]

For sure.

 

You feed the crowd energy. If they enjoy it, they'll throw it right back at you. Keep the cycle going and it'll build considerably.

 

That's the main reason I play.

[PJR]

Originally posted by Sweet Willie:

Sagely stated by our beloved PJR:

The energy from the crowd definitely inspires greatness!

I concur w/ the wise and gentlemanly bassist from Orange Co., NY. (It's easy to say this when I've never met him. However, I always hope that a little flattery will get me closer to touching his Wal.)

 

Peace.

--sweets

Why Sweets !!

I've been called lot's........but never gentle.

You can still touch my Wal.

 

PJR

[_Sweet Willie_]

Originally posted by PJR:

You can still touch my Wal.

 

Yup, I'm feelin' the luv today.

 

Thanks, mang.

 

Peace.

--SW

[Cthulhu Fhtagn]

'Tis a fine line that separates a great crowd from an angry mob! The pitchforks and torches are usually a dead giveaway.

 

At some clubs I'm familiar with in Lauderdale, being chained behind a Harley is indicative of crowd displeasure.

[dhurstlmt]

I love the feeling of setting down a groove and have everyone in the building in the pocket with you. Some times all you need is one note and everyone is right with you. That is a really special feeling. It is at times like that I realize why I love playing music so much.

[Nicklab]

I think it's tremendous when you start getting a vibe back from a crowd. My old band played CBGB's one time, and the crowd went nuts for us, and we in turn churned out the best set that we as a band had ever played. I don't discount that energy in the least.

[moot]

It seems to be unanimus fellas. The crowd energy seems to be something we all love.

This goes back to my "Casino Gig" post. The reason I play is energy.

 

There have been dead nights where we have looked at each other and said "Geez, glad that's over." And other gigs with awesome crowds where we have played 5 sets or more.

 

We make it a point to only play gigs where people are familiar with us and dig what we do or have asked for us personally.

We all agree if the people are still on the dancefloor keep playing. If the floor is packed and the energy is high we skip breaks.

We do requests - not always well but we do em!

Crowd energy is the sustaining force. Without it, you may as well play a casino.

[Prague]

Just don't let the "energy" cause you to rush tempos, jack around, and play sloppy. I've seen this happen and the band then simply sucks, but the crowd is good.

[LLroomtempJ]

Originally posted by mattulator:

It seems to be unanimus fellas. The crowd energy seems to be something we all love.

ummm

 

Originally posted by Gospel5string:

For the few gigs that i've done. I couldn't have cared less. We went in there...played songs...no rehearsal...it was just fun to be paid for having a 'public jam session'.

 

not quite.

 

I think i prefer the silent appreciation. There have been occasions when i've gotten into a groove so deep that people have literally screamed out

 

"Go 'head bass player"

 

or

 

"Go 'head Jason" (if they knew who i was)

 

or

 

"Go 'head you incredibly handsome hunk of a man"

 

I tend to get the 3rd one most often.

 

i would say that in each case it has thrown me off. It could be my newness to the instrument, my self criticism which keeps me quite humble and leads me to ask questions like "who, me?" or just not necessarily being used to people paying attention to me as the bass player.

 

jason atkins, challenging one paradigm at a time

 

take that flatulator

[Tenstrum]

So I beleive crowd energy is more of a reflection of the bands energy - I refuse to let a crowd give me permission to have a great gig - those that want to hear it will do what they like in the room and we'll pick up on that

I defintely try to get the crowd pumped up. The more you give them, the more they give back. But at the same time, I won't let a tough crowd ruin the fun I'm having and they also help refine my entertainment skills.

 

The crowd can make or break a gig, in more ways than one. I have had gigs where I was sick, or the drummer almost didn't make the show, or whatever, and I (or someone) almost felt like not playing. A good crowd will turn that around real quick, remind you why you are there.

ugghhh...At one gig, I had been sick with the flu for a couple of days and was hurting BAD!!! I didn't know if I could pull the gig off. Fortunately, we had a very good crowd that night and they helped me recover. By the end of the night, I was feeling almost normal.