TAKING THE STAGE
[ GET CREATIVE BEFORE THE SHOW | Tom Jackson ]
Most people think planning their live show will make it less creative or even make it boring . They ’ re “ artists ,” after all , and real artists are spontaneous , instinctive , organic , led by the Spirit … you name it . Really , it ’ s what I call “ winging it .”
Unfortunately for most musicians , planning and preparation means to :
• learn the songs in practice ( get them tight & be able to sing them well )
• make a quick set list 30 minutes before you walk out
• then go out and try to act spontaneous from stage
It ’ s because they think creativity can only happen when they are either writing the songs or performing them onstage .
However , there is another way to plan your show that will make you much more successful , cause your audiences to become fans & tell others about you , and give you more fulfillment as a performer . It will happen when you get excited about the creative process of putting a show together before you walk out on the stage … before you even go into rehearsals !
I ’ m talking about getting a vision for the show : a vision for what you ’ re doing , a vision for the songs and how you can create moments . Because people don ’ t go to a live show just to hear songs , and the goal of your show isn ’ t just to sing and play correctly . The goal of the evening isn ’ t even for people to hear the words because your message is important .
The goal of your shows should be to create emotional “ moments ” for your audience , to engage and captivate them throughout the concert , and to change their lives in some small way .
Getting a vision for your show — the process of doing it , anyway — isn ’ t necessarily easy . But in reality , it is one of the most creative parts of a great show . It ’ s where you , as an artist , have the opportunity to turn the music of a show into an emotional experience for the audience .
The ideas you might get for your songs may come to you as you are writing a song , watching a show , driving in your car , or spending dedicated time coming up with ideas . But however they come to you , they are the ideas that will bring uniqueness to your show .
So many times I see artists perform who obviously have no vision for their show . They ’ re winging it . They ’ re just trying to figure out what ’ s supposed to be happening with the audience . The truth is , it ’ s you who has written the songs , understands the songs , and knows what you ’ re trying to communicate – You are in charge .
So you ’ d better have a vision for what you ’ re doing onstage .
[ ... people don ’ t go to a live show just to hear songs ... the goal of your shows should be to create emotional “ moments ” for your audience ... ]
If you have no vision , then in two or three years you ’ ll likely not be performing anymore . You ’ ll be thinking it just wasn ’ t for you . Maybe it ’ ll take five years because you ’ re pretty persistent . But you won ’ t be able to figure out why it “ just wasn ’ t working for you ” or why it worked one night but not the next . The reason is , you didn ’ t have a plan !
So let ’ s think about a plan for you . First , you need to ask yourself , “ Who is my audience ?” Are you dating your audience or are you married to your audience ?
If you are playing to all or mostly all new people who don ’ t know you , you are “ dating ” your audience . The way you approach and plan your show is different than if you ’ re “ married ” to your audience . If I ’ m dating a girl , my approach to how I communicate with her is totally different than after I ’ m married to her and going out with my wife . I don ’ t have to go through all the preliminaries with my wife .
Most of you reading this are probably not married to your audience . You haven ’ t sold a million records so when you come out onstage everyone starts singing along because they know your music so well . You might have a few friends at your show , or maybe some people already know you . But the majority of your audience is new .
So you ’ ll want to start your set list with an “ Introduction Moment ” — usually 2 songs , back to back , not too high energy , not too low energy . They ’ ll need to be something you ’ re singing “ to ” the audience because you want to start out the relationship with them in a friendly , positive way . And you ’ ll need to listen carefully to their response to you ( you do that by accepting and encouraging their applause in the right way ).
If you want to go into detail and dig deeper about how to get a vision , plan your show , create your set list , learn the concepts , etc ., then you ’ ll want to study all our videos and articles with a Backstage Pass … read more at http :// onstagesuccess . com / merch-table / backstage-pass /
Until then , get a vision . Have a plan . Stop winging it ! Get creative before you walk out onstage .
36 Sep � Oct 2016 ChristianMusician . com