When I was young I would go out to shows. The audience would be pretty electric before the band even went on stage. And the vibe and cheering would only escalate as the band walked on stage and started their first song.
And I thought…’this must be how shows work’…the audience simply shows up with a great vibe, excited and ready and happy to see the band. And then the band rocks.
And then I started playing shows.
In the lead up to showtime I would wonder where the energy was. The walk to the stage was awkward and tense. And getting ready to play the first song…it would be absolutely silent. Nothing. No vibe, no energy, no magic.
It turns out, in those first shows I went to as a kid, the artist was doing a lot more than I thought they were…the vibe and energy and magic is the responsibility of the artist.
That good feeling in the room before the artist takes the stage and it lasts through the end of the night…that’s the artist. The artist is responsible for transforming the room.
