When Audiences Don't Like You

Hi there,

A singer friend of mine once joked (in that way things are said when they are absolute truth and no joke at all) that performers become performers because they crave the approval of others. That's a bit too scary to contemplate for me right now so perhaps that particular can of worms can be prised open another time. But I will agree that applause is pretty damn nice.

But have you experienced an audience that doesn't like you? Maybe they don't like the colour or your hair, tone of your voice, choice of repertoire or simply don't dig the cut of your jib? It's hard to please all of the people all of the time and how do we know what they actually think about us anyway? 

I recently did a piano bar gig where I couldn't help but notice an older gentleman in the audience giving me a definite look of distaste. He was facing me square on with his arms folded and a sneer on his face and every now and then he would say something into the ear of his companion - obviously about me. Of course this made me try even harder. I feel like I'm pretty good at matching a repertoire with an audience and so I looked at him and tried to chose songs I thought he'd like. I smiled extra big and tried to be extra charming. But I got nothing. No smile, no clapping, no positive response from this guy at all. Then at the end of the night as he was walking out the door, he pressed a $US100 note in my hand and said 'great job'. Whether that situation says more about my own insecurity or about how audiences often don't react as they feel, I don't know!

I worked with a very experienced professional comedian recently who was so completely put off by the punters' reserved response that he fluffed his lines and really struggled to stay on his game at all. As much as we love our applause and feed off an audience's reaction, surely our experience should allow us to override negative vibes and continue tap dancing as fast as we can?

I think we owe it to our audiences to deliver our best performance possible, regardless of their reactions, but it ain't easy! I'm sure we've all experienced cultural differences at shows. In my two years performing in Japan I got used to crowds who sat very passively, politely clapping in between songs but otherwise very unresponsive, only to have to wave away fanatical expressions of undying love and excessive praise from the same people, after the show had finished. 

I heard someone say recently that Aussie audiences are the rudest and least 'giving'. What do you think? If you tell me your story I promise to clap very hard and respond enthusiastically!

xAmanda
www.amandaeaston.com

What a Singer can Learn from a Stripper

Hi there,

Many moons ago, a few friends and I decided it would be a fabulous idea to check out the seedy delights of Kings Cross in Sydney. Our road trip through sleazy showrooms and seamy strip joints brought us to an esteemed establishment where we were ushered to seats with another dozen or so punters. Soon after, a young woman ambled on stage in a tiny white bikini. She alternated smirking at the audience and looking for obvious guidance to a gentleman standing at the back of the room. She reminded me of a kid in their first kindy concert, but with fewer clothes. It was vaguely, darkly, humorous at first, watching a stripper in training. It became more interesting if you watched the trainer at the back of the room - the pupil on stage was trying to mimic the teacher's clunky gyrations and gestures, awkwardly pulling her bikini bits to the side to flash this and that and then looking out at us like a deer stuck in headlights.

Let's forget for a minute that we were not experiencing a slice of the often sad and unsavoury underbelly of our city and judge this strictly as a performance. Earlier that evening I had seen unmistakably more seasoned strip artistes flaunting their talents. The surrounds were equally salubrious but I didn't get the same depressing, distressing feeling I did at this last show. Those other women had looked as though they enjoyed their work and took pride in it, no matter how that kind of work may be judged by others. As a result, the audience got caught up in the moment and responded with enthusiasm. The white bikini girl was so uncomfortable and frightened, it was painful to watch for everyone.

Now I'm trying to equate anything I do with a strip show, but I have certainly performed at gigs where I have been less than prepared, proud or comfortable. But I've realised that no matter how much I wish the stage would open up and swallow me on occasions, it's my duty to look like I belong there, look like I'm enjoying it and do the best job I'm capable of. A performer that has committed to their art and is comfortable in their own skin, feels authentic to an audience and they react accordingly.

So there, I learnt all about commitment from a stripper!

Cheers,
Amanda
www.amandaeaston.com

Give 'em What They Want

Hi there,

I have a theory that is yet to be disproved in all my years of fronting party bands...Now, your raison d'etre is getting your audience to dance... if you can work out roughly when the majority of your audience was 20 years old ie their halcyon days, you're off to a flying start. Pluck out a big dancey hit from aroundabout that year and you're almost guaranteed to have a packed dance floor. The flow of alcohol also helps and females are generally easier to shift but the good thing is that the men generally follow the women onto the floor so get to the girls first. 

If you have a group that's hard to pick or they are of really mixed ages like at a wedding, then go for Retro hits. Even Gen Zs know the big songs from the '70s and '80s thanks to their constant re-emergence in movies and sitcoms. It doesn't seem to matter how many current hits I learn for these occasions, 'I Will Survive' and 'Girls Just Want To Have Fun' are still top of the dance floor hit parade. 

Of course you might have a bunch of hipsters that won't go for Top 40 from any era - then you have to be a bit smarter (and have a wide repertoire). Pick a hip song that regular bodies probably don't know, that still has a good beat, and pump that out while gazing at your shoes. The hep cat gets to be the dude dancing and mouthing along to a song no one else is familiar with while everyone else will join in so as not to appear uncool.

Of course it's simply understanding what your audience wants. Are they there to dance, to just listen, to impress? Are they straight-laced corporate types or wild and woolly hippies? Don't be like an agent I heard of recently (see 'Agents, who needs em?) who was sending disco dancing drag queens to entertain at events for the very elderly and very conservative! 

And if in doubt, just sing 'Brown Eyed Girl' - that'll cover more than half of your population,
Cheers,
Amanda

www.amandaeaston.com

How to get the Clap

Hi there,

'Grease' at Taronga Zoo Twilight Series 2013

I was lucky enough to do a gig recently to an audience of over a thousand enthusiastic people. It was on a huge stage with all the lighting and sound set-up you'd expect from a well-produced live music event and a great time was had by all - both sides of the stage. Throughout the entire event the crowd went wild - applause and cheering could be heard for miles.

I did another gig recently to an audience of about 50 people. There was no stage and no lighting. People had to say 'excuse me' to walk in front of us - to get to the bathrooms. Throughout the entire event the crowd went mild - you could hear tumbleweed rolling down the main street.

So what's happened to clapping peeps? The latter style of gig can be bread and butter to many professional musos and I've noticed more and more recently that clapping is a dying art at such shows. Now you may be thinking, people aren't clapping because they aren't enjoying the music. That's the first conclusion I jump to - and I can tell you it's no good for the fragile artistic ego. But then almost without fail, something strange happens after the final song. People from the audience come up to offer their compliments on the performance and press us for more! Ah, so you loved what we did but remained silent in that traditional space left between songs to show your appreciation? 

My theory is that if the venue doesn't show respect for its performers - by offering a proper performance space - then an audience responds accordingly. An audience seems to need cues to do their job properly - and those cues include lighting and a pedestal on which to view their performers. Ideally far away from the toilet door.

The more venues shove performers in the corner on a piece of carpet, the less impact their performances will have. And the more we'll hear venue managers say that live music just 'doesn't work'. And then we'll all be listening to the sound of one hand clapping. 

See you next time,

Amanda

8 Things Pop Singers can Learn from Cabaret

Hi there,

You may have heard about my love of the old-school entertainment values in cabaret. In the world of pop and rock, where I mostly reside, cabaret can be a dirty word. It shouldn't be! Here's what I think pop can learn from cabaret...some of these are my notes to self!

1. Arrive an hour before the gig starts

How many rock gigs have I done where a singer has turned up just in time to grab the mic and sing the first song? Not cool!

2. Dress appropriately

I'm going to sound like a cranky Gen Xer here, but when did dressing with just a bandaid across our bits become OK? 

Appropriate dress for a B&D gig!

Singing in a nightclub? Well, get 'em out a little, perhaps. Singing at a wedding? Some respect please - mystery can be sexy too! 

3. Sing for the audience, not just yourself. 

aka 'If they want 'Brown-eyed Girl' give it to them! 

When we're hired for a covers gig, we're hired to entertain a specific audience. Of course we want to enjoy it too but if we play obscure indie b-sides just to show how hip we are, then we're not doing the job properly. Unless the audience are all sick man! scenesters of course.

4. Work the stage

I know music went through a fashionable shoe-gazing moment, but not for me - then, I've never been cool! Of course, great rocks acts ride the mic stands and pose on the foldback wedges - in any genre it's a good thing to work that floor baby!

5. Connect with the audience

The difference between a video and a live show is the lack of a fourth wall. At the risk of sounding new-agey, I think performers should connect with an audience - talking, eye contact, and even - God forbid - smiling!

6. Mic technique-dynamics

Years of performing in front of loud bands on stage made me into the type of singer that delivered at the highest volume all the time - just so that I could be heard. It was all about 'kissing the mic'. Cabaret set-ups allow the singer to use dynamics. I've had to re-learn mic technique, pulling the mic away on that big note, whispering sweet nothings into it at the tender moments. 

 
7. Work to a time

Everyone knows that an 8 o'clock rock show starts at about 9pm right? In cabaret you usually work to a specific time frame and the start and finish times tend to be accurate within the space of minutes.

8. Know your charts/arrangements

I love that in cabaret it's expected that you're familiar with how your tunes go, you know, important stuff like what keys they're in or how many times you repeat the chorus at the end. To be on the same page as your band is what it's all about! 

Btw, if you want to see me (completely out of my depth) try my hard at cabaret, please come along to the 10th Annual Cabaret Showcase at The El Rocco Room (Bar Me) 154 Brougham St, cnr William St, Kings Cross, in Sydney, on Wednesday December 19. I'm up first, at 7pm, where I'll be given 8 minutes to show how Cab Savvy I am in front of judges including David Campbell and bookers from Australia's major cabaret festivals. Eek! Tickets are $25 from Moshtix.

Wish me luck!
xAmanda