Perfect your live performance

 The ability to persuade and capture an audience with a live show has never been greater. 

 

In 2007 Prince gave away 350,000 albums for free with a newspaper in the UK. As a result he sold out one month’s worth of consecutive live shows in London. In his case, the album became merely a marketing tool for the live shows. Obviously for a new artist, this extreme is an unlikely scenario, but it does demonstrate how emphasis has switched to the live arena in the modern marketplace.

 

 

Play the part

 

Actual performance is something that most new outfits neglect terribly. It takes a while for the confidence to build enough to dare to put on a show. But a well-rehearsed live performance is always going to give a performer more confidence and something to fall back on (or indeed hide behind), as opposed to stepping on stage and having to make it up as he goes along. This is another one of those music myths where people in the business have long suggested that what happens on stage is and must be a massively spontaneous outpouring of creativity. Few artists are actually capable of this. Think of it as a role in a film or a play: the part needs to be learned, as do the moves and the expressions. In short, the performer needs to know the character she is going to play and then get into it. Think of the spectaculars that Madonna stages. People go to see these shows whether they like her music or not. And it is obvious that every move, every costume change, is planned. Sure there are spontaneous moments, but that is all they are: moments in a grand plan.

 

Play as if there is a crowd watching

 

So, if the band must dance while playing, practice it. If there are things to be said between songs, practise that too. If the DJ can scratch with his nose as a novelty, make sure he practises it in the jam room over and over till he can do it flawlessly. Too often, band practice rooms are spaces where the group of musicians effectively stand in a circle and watch each other while they run through the material. This is fine for learning the songs, but to practise performance, more is needed. Set up the team as they would play on a stage in a live environment. All face one way. Do not take time between songs, and play as if there is a crowd watching. It is a completely different way of rehearsing.

 

 

From the audience’s perspective

 

Make sure that you understand what you look like live. A common suggestion is to practise in front of a mirror, if a large enough one can be found. Speak to ballet halls in your area and ask if they will let you have a quick practice there. A more practical, if expensive, way is to set up a video camera in front of the band that can capture the entire crew and tape rehearsals. Then watch it carefully after practice and discuss what each of you is doing, what works and what doesn’t. Many musicians, upon finally seeing video footage of themselves live, have professed to acute embarrassment at their onstage antics, purely because they had never seen them from the audience’s perspective before! If these methods are out of reach, ask an objective third party whose opinion you value to stand in front and watch carefully, making notes that you can discuss afterwards. This is an interesting one.

 

Next week: Practise for success

 

Originally published in David Chislett's One, Two, One, Two: A Step By Step Guide To The South African Music Industry. Download a free copy of the book at www.davidchislett.co.za.