Great Music + Great Moments = A Great Live Show

The more I travel and watch concerts the more I believe what I have always felt about music and the live experience.

A great live show is made up of great music and great moments.

I have said for years that one of the most important things that happens in a show is not just during the songs but also what happens between the songs. The interaction with the audience, the stories about the songs and those little comments about everyday life. All of those happen between the songs and bring the audience just a little closer to the heart of the artist.

Now… if the artist has the budget to spend on cool things that happen during the songs like cool video, awesome set changes or the occasional blast of fire (HeHe) on stage then that takes the moment to a whole other level.

But let’s assume there are just a stage, some lights, and a good sound system. If an artist can wow a crowd with just that and get the audience to engage, then the night is going to be great.

Bruce Springsteen plays a 3 and half to 4 hour shows with no fancy production. No one leaves early and everyone is on his or her feet the whole time. Why? Great songs filled with great moments of energy through out the whole night. He never gives you a chance to be bored and he completely engages the audience from the very first note of the night.

There are countless other artist who could fall in this category.

BUT… there are several who don’t.

If you are a touring artist, I want you to think about this.

Just showing up to play your hit songs does not a good show make. No matter how great your songs are – it’s not enough. I didn’t pay good money to see you clock in and play the hits. I paid good money to come experience something special at your show. And that something special is called A Moment.

Moments are always tied to some sort of connection made with the audience and if you as an artist aren’t spending time figuring out what those moments are then you aren’t doing us any favors by just playing your cool songs.

I’m not mad when I say this. Just writing what I see and experience more times than I want to admit.

I see artists freak out when they think their set is to long because people are getting up to leave.

Dear Artist… did you ever think your set is just boring? I know audience members have babysitters keeping their kids but I feel like most would stay if they felt the show was worth the extra 15 minutes away from home.

When I think of great live shows, I think Cirque du Soleil or Disney. I think U2, Coldplay, Metallica, Muse… and yes… even Bette Midler. (I took a my college girl friend to see Bette Midler… I was really impressed and she was happy). These people are great entertainers because they are… wait for it… ENTERTAINING!

So… if you’re an artist reading this, take this one piece of advice from little ole me who is a fan of live shows and who used to play 200 shows a year on the road.

Whether your set is 10 minutes, 20 minutes or 90 minutes. Do us a favor… look at every minute and every song and ask yourself… How can I make this song a great moment beyond the song’s original form? If it’s a hit song on the radio, that doesn’t mean it’s going to be a hit song live. But if you have to play it because it’s a hit on radio, then go over the top and make it an even bigger hit live. If you have songs that never make it to radio that could be great songs live, then go for it and make the song the kind of moment that makes people wish all of their friends could have just experienced those great moments in the night.

I love the very essence of music and moments that bring up an array of emotion. The live show brings it all into reality allowing the audience member go to another level in their experience as a fan.

So thank you to all of you artists who have completely captivated me and made me love music even more because you took the time to make the experience mean that much more.

I am forever grateful and inspired.