What Should You Say to an Audience at a Gig?
Think of your favorite lead singer - what makes them great? Sure, they probably have amazing pipes, but their stage presence sets them apart from the rest. Even between songs, they can control the crowd. On my never-ending quest to improve, I've decided to study how some of the best performers speak to an audience at a gig - here's what I found.
During a performance, the most engaging topics to talk about on the mic include band stories, origins of a song, creating banter around the city, its people, or the venue, and of course thanking the audience. Being genuine and confident are just as important as what you say.
Reading the room and knowing which levers to pull to create the right mood is a craft though, not a formula. With some experience and a few practical tips, knowing what to say will become second nature. Let's look at what you might say during each stage of your show.
Talking to an Audience Throughout an Entire Gig
It's Friday night, you're performing for the first time at a killer bar in town that's synonymous with live music - it's just you and your piano. How do you open and close the gig? What do you say between songs? There are a lot of variables at play, but thinking about what to say to your audience based on a timeline is the simplest way to create a plan.
How Should You Introduce Yourself or Your Band?
The best musician and band introductions are always short. Meaning one or two sentences. Say your name or your band's name, and maybe what you are going to play, where you're from, or that you're thrilled to be there.
"My name is Josh, and I'm going to play some piano for you tonight" or "We are the Amazing Nates and we like the blues. Hit it."
It can be that simple, especially if your show kicks off with an introduction.
A good rule here is to make introductions especially short at the start of a show, but if you hold introductions until later in the show, you have more flexibility to say more. But altogether, introductions should still be short, regardless of when you do them during a show.
Studying NPR Tiny Desk Introductions
If you've read any of my other posts, you know I love NPR's Tiny Desk.
Sure the performances are fantastic, but I also enjoy seeing how some of the best performers handle an extremely difficult venue.
For the unfamiliar, Tiny Desk is a show hosted by NPR that drops an artist or band at a tiny desk in the NPR office and asks them to perform a short and stripped-down set.
It's a hilariously small cubicle in a quiet environment, so quiet that if NPR branding wasn't all over the walls and bookshelves in the background, you could mistake it for a local library.
The performer is then surrounded by an in-person crowd that are music fanatics and part of the music industry.
Oh, and millions of people listening and watching live.
It's not the most comfortable setting for an artist - and the truth is not everyone does well on Tiny Desk. And understandably so.
Tiny Desk is the perfect environment to study how great performers speak to an audience.
You'll find quite a few NPR Tiny Desk performances throughout this article.
The purpose is to give you some thought-starters on how to engage your audience, show the fluidity of doing so, and how each artist that does it well sticks to their brand and maintains confidence in delivery.
A Few Ways Artists Introduce Themselves On Tiny Desk
Here are a few of my favorite introductions (and performances) from NPR Tiny Desk - pay close attention to what they say and when they introduce themselves.
1. Hobo Johnson and The Lovemakers: NPR Tiny Desk
"Hobo Johnson and The Lovemakers! We got some songs, here they are, here they are, here they are... Ready? Ready? Ready? Here we go, here we go..."
I never said that the intros were going to win Pulitzer prizes when written down… but Hobo Johnson and The Lovemakers intro is special because it captures the band's vibe right off the bat.
The intro is beautifully short and authentic - the name of the band, a funny way of saying they are a band, and then you get the true-to-brand hyperactivity of the lead singer that crescendos into the opening verse.
2. Leon Bridges: NPR Tiny Desk
"So, first one's called 'Coming Home.' Here we go."
Leon's a true artist with a bit of a tortured soul. He has one of the largest vocabularies in metaphors and allusions in songwriting, but you wouldn't know that by his intro.
But it's true to brand for him, so in a way it's fine. His intro simply says the name of the song and gets right into it. It would be disingenuine for him to get hyperactive like Hobo Johnson and Lovemakers's intro on Tiny Desk.
I do think there is some magic to following his underwhelming intro with the beauty of his song and lyrics.
3. Gary Clark Jr: NPR Tiny Desk
"..."
When you can keep the blues alive like Gary Clark Jr, maybe nothing has to be said.
He decides to first speak as he intros the second song, and you can see that he's great in front of a crowd. He gets everyone laughing with him, but he never says his name but does introduce the next song.
I've put this one in here because you don't always need to open with an introduction.
Each artist here has a different way to introduce themselves to an audience, and it's not always to kick the performance off.
When Should You Introduce Yourself to an Audience?
Artists will typically wait until after the first or second song to introduce themselves or their bands. If a fuller band, sometimes incorporating introductions into songs towards the end of a show can be engaging. For intimate settings, leading with an intro can break the ice.
1. Introductions After the First or Second Song
This is usually the best method for just about any venue. It lets your audience get into the right headspace, and also lets you break the ice with your music. Once you've played a song or two, it's a lot easier to follow up with a…
"Hi I'm Ben..."
2. In-Song and Late Show Introductions
This is forever etched in my mind as an old-timey way of introducing a band, but I love it all the same. It's a far more interesting way to introduce the band instead of just saying "We are XYZ..." or "Give it up for Kim on bass!"
Just let Kim and her bass show the crowd what she can do.
Don't lead with this roundup intro though, if you decide to go this route, make sure you have the audience first, and drop it mid to late in the show.
3. Opening With an Introduction
This isn't usually the recommended path - but the setting will play a big role in when and when not to deploy a lead-in introduction. While I only linked to a few NPR Tiny Desk concerts, I would guess that the majority of artists start with their name/band's name and their first song.
A confined setting plays better for an opening intro, but in most cases, I would still opt for a song or two before getting into introductions.
Setting and Style Should be Your Compass
Setting and your style are big components of the introductions too. As long as your introduction fulfills your ability to be confident while also being genuine, then that's going to be the right time for your introductions.
You'll still want to keep intros short and sweet, regardless of the path you choose.
What Should You Say Between Songs?
Staying present is key to speaking between songs; banter with your audience or bandmates, but in a way that your audience feels part of the conversation. If you're not a natural conversationalist on stage, introduce the next song or tell a quick story about its origin.
Remember though - you don't have to fill every space between songs - it's okay to let the last song breathe.
Banter with Audience
This is easier said than done, and you're going to have to be completely honest with yourself. If you're the type of person who can tell a joke and people will listen until the punchline, you should be able to do this.
But if that's not you, no worries, you can still banter.
I've written all about banter in a separate article if you want the juicy details - but the key to success is just treating banter like a convo. Can you participate in a conversation? Great - you can do this.
Maybe I shouldn't have led this section off by asking if you can tell a joke, because that's a misperception about banter.
You don't have to be funny to banter, or at least a comedian to banter with an audience.
Some of the most entertaining performers are not funny but are real with themselves to the point where their awkwardness in trying to create banter is a joke in itself. Or at least appreciated to the point where what they have to say is interesting.
I wrote about how Mac Miller was great at this, but there are tons of artists that lean into this as well, like Idles frontman.
Idles ooze authenticity. I'm certain Joe Talbot (Idles lead singer) would deliver the same energy to the Pope as he would to a mosh pit. Confident and true to themselves, they are a fantastic example of a band that can banter all day.
I'm fascinated with how Joe banters. He doesn't care when it happens - before or during a song. He's sort of funny, but also self-aware enough to know that he's not a comedian, which is funny.
I've earmarked a great example in this performance below, but after you watch it, start the video from the beginning - it's just a fun and powerful performance.
You want to avoid anything that will make you seem insincere, which is easy to do when you're trying too hard to be engaging or funny on stage. If you can find the happy medium and keep things light, go for it - just don't force it.
Banter With the Band
Maybe it's too much to try and banter with the audience, but if you're running solo, then surely you can keep things alive with your band. I mean, you play music with these people - you must be able to talk to them, right?
You know what makes them tick and what drives them up the wall - so use that to your advantage.
One thing to avoid here is inside jokes though. While it might make your bassist cackle, or easy for you to do, it's called an inside joke for a reason.
You want your audience to feel part of the experience. And there are few things more alienating than being on the outside of a joke.
There I go again, bringing up humor first.
Being funny isn't the only way to converse on stage. There are so many things you can do outside of humor - like an easy one is to ask a loaded question.
For instance, if you have a top song that always kills it, and it's getting close to the end of the set, you could ask a layup question like:
"You guys (other bandmates) think we should play ‘Baby Shark’ or ‘When Doves Cry’?"
Your audience is going to jump in. Trust me, they will be vocal here.
And now you've successfully used band banter to open up audience banter. It can be that easy.
How Do You Introduce A Song to an Audience?
When introducing a song, you can certainly share the name of the song, but if you're able to quickly share an interesting or meaningful story about the song, you'll create something more memorable.
Telling Your Audience a Story
Introducing a song most often means you're breaking up some dead space while you or your band tune up. But introducing a song, or even telling a story about a song, aren't confined to quiet moments between songs.
This is a bit of an aside, but there's a great story about Ernest Hemingway writing the shortest story ever.
Legend has it, he got into an alcohol-fueled bet about writing a complete story in six words. Hemingway, never shy to the bottle or a wager, responded with this.
"For sale: baby shoes, never worn."
Needless to say, Hemingway won the bet and proved that stories don't have to be lengthy to be interesting or impactful.
If you incorporate anything from this article into how you speak on the mic, make it brevity.
There is nothing worse than a long-winded and super detailed story to introduce a song.
If by the third sentence, I can't understand where the lead singer is going, I know their story is doomed and difficult to relate to.
There are a few exceptions here - e.g. the name of the song is said first and is a fan favorite or the band is a bit of god status with the audience and could say anything, etc.
But in general, if you go the story route, try to keep it to a few sentences max.
How Do You Tell A Short Story About A Song ?
If you want to work on telling a great story quickly, you might want to plot out what you would say for songs with great stories. You could even look at a tool like the classic Three-Act Structure of storytelling to organize your thoughts.
The three acts are rather simple to follow.
1. Setup: Set the scene - people involved or location. How you talk about each should be in a relatable context. Don't just list cities and zip codes. This is also the spot where you need to tease out some sort of incident - or that something just isn't quite right.
2. Confrontation: Build on the incident - you want to layer on top of whatever the drama is that you've teased in the setup.
3. Resolution: Just like the name suggests, this is where the outcome is settled. StudioBinder has a genius way of thinking about this, "...the end should bring some kind of catharsis..." I love that approach because catharsis doesn't mean happy or sad, and the whole song could be the resolution to the story.
Meaning you wouldn't need to state the resolution in your story; the story you use to introduce the song could just include the setup and confrontation, and the actual song is the payoff that includes the resolution.
How Future Islands Introduces Songs Through Stories
A great example of this comes from one of my favorite leads in one of my favorite bands - Sam Herring of Future Islands. They are operatic and other-worldly, a bit menacing, and showcase some of the strangest dance moves you'll ever see on stage.
But just a beautiful concoction of songwriting and stage presence. Here's what I mean - pay close attention to how Sam Herring introduces the song.
If you aren't able to watch or listen - here is the transcript...
"This next song is called Long Flight... This song is about a guy that went on tour for four months and when he got back he realized he had lost everything he loved. It's a true story."
Aside from being the first non-NPR Tiny Desk performance in this article, what else did you notice?
Dissecting Future Island's Live Song Introduction
The introduction and story are told during the song. The synth and drums start at the same time he says "This song is called Long Flight." The bass then kicks in - and Sam moves into his short story about the song.
He follows the three-act structure of a story.
Setting the scene: He starts by naming the song - "Long Flight" - and follows up with it being a story about a guy returning home after four months. We've got context now - someone traveling for a while, and coming home. Note that he doesn't say it's about him - even though his audience may not go on tour, they could relate to traveling and coming home after a long period.
Building interest: After this long trip, they are headed home, and what does this person find? Their whole life is upside down - "when he got back he realized he had lost everything he loved." You know this is going to be about love, and you can probably guess what happened, but you want to hear him tell it now. I love that the last thing he says is "It's a true story." while never acknowledging this is about him.
Catharsis is the payoff: This isn't a Disney ending - but you don't know that until the song ends, because he doesn't reveal the end of the story during his introduction, the whole song is the resolution. You could argue that the first few lines of the song are an extension of Act 1 and Act 2 "I got back from a long flight, you said you'd meet me there. I've been tripping off constellations and stars. I found you at home, what was our home with another man. Oh, man."
In general, though, this song's introduction is a masterclass in storytelling introductions and using the song as cathartic resolution.
While we're on Future Islands (I swear I'm not on their payroll, although I would love to be) - here are a few other gems on how Sam introduces songs, each example has a version of Long Flight in it too, but each with a different way of introducing the song:
This is a three-song set of theirs where you can see Sam introduces the songs but gets more personal about the stories, while still making them relatable.
This is from a SXSW set with a wild crowd. It's pretty far into the show - you can tell he's got the crowd. So no real introductions are needed - he just rolls with banter in this example. A great example of how he could say anything he wanted really. "All we've got is love. All we've got is love. Ain't that a beautiful thing? Ain't that a beautiful thing?"
What Should You Say at the End of a Gig or Show?
It's customary to end your performance by thanking an audience, venue, and praising the location. This is also a great point to talk about any upcoming projects like tour dates, albums, or appearances. If a smaller venue, and you're playing for tips, it's appropriate to kindly mention this.
How to Thank an Audience at the End of a Gig
You can never go wrong by thanking an audience, and outside of thanking your audience for showing up at the start of the show, absolutely end the night with a sincere thank you.
Sincerity doesn't have to be family-friendly either, you just want it to be on-brand for you or your band.
If you're a sarcastic bunch, don't be afraid to let that come out in your thanks - it'll make people laugh and enjoy the moment.
Here are some sarcastic ways to thank an audience:
"Thank you, everyone, who's still awake."
"Thank you, everybody, who decided not to go to the bathroom during our set."
"Thanks for putting up with our crap."
"Thank you, sober people, in the audience."
"Thank you to the staff who will have to clean this place up after we're done."
And of course, the classic mixed with the sarcastic...
"Thanks for coming, we hope you enjoyed the show. If you didn't, well, thanks for coming anyway and please keep quiet."
If your brand isn't edgy or sarcastic, some safer options include:
"Thank you, Los Angeles. It's been a pleasure playing for you tonight
"Thank you, everyone, for coming out tonight. We really appreciate it."
"Thank you so much for being here. We love you guys."
"Thank you, Austin! Thank you, Texas! We'll be back"
Adding Promotion Into Your Closing Thoughts
Some people cringe at asking for things from their audience - unless you're selling out stadiums or you aren't being compensated by the bride and groom, it's most likely okay to add some promotional elements to your closing statements.
Share What's in the Pipeline
You're a live performer. If your audience had a great time, which I'm sure they did, then let them know where they can have a great time with you again. Don't shy away from telling them where and when you're playing next.
Maybe you're just on a stop on tour, about to start a tour, or maybe this is a recurring gig in the same spot, it doesn't matter. What matters is that you bring it up.
"I had a great time with you all tonight. If you did too, come back next Saturday - I'm here every Saturday and would love to see you again."
It's that easy.
If you're about to release music, the biggest mistake you could make is not letting your crowd know.
Social media and other marketing channels are ridiculously noisy and crowded, but at the end of your show, you have unfettered access to the attention of 50+ people who just had a great time.
Tell them about your upcoming drop and where they can listen.
This is valuable real estate to a relevant audience so take advantage of it.
Let Your Audience Know Where to Find You
Spotify, your website, Tik Tok, Instagram, SongMe, etc. - if you're growing your music business, you need to let your fans know where they can interact with you and your music.
Don't list every channel that you're on though, keep the list at a max of three. You want people to remember the next day.
If you're buried online or have a strange handle, just opt for one option to make it stickier.
For example…
"Find me on Instagram at @musicman - I'll share some reels from tonight and where I'm playing next."
Keep it simple.
In that vein, SongMe can be your "one fell swoop" option. It's built for live musicians to handle a few components of their gigs: taking live show requests, managing your virtual tip jar during performances, and also lets your audience follow you to see upcoming shows and dates.
How to Handle Tips and Merch
It kills me when a band is playing for tips, but they are too shy to let the crowd know. Some just place their tip jar in a hidden place, others never mention it to the crowd. So they walk away at the end of the night not properly getting compensated.
If this is you, stop it right now. I need you to do two things.
The first is to get over being shy about asking for tips. You don't have to straight up say "Give me money so I can pay my rent." (unless that's your brand of conversation.)
If you think you can go the route of directly asking for tips, I've listed a couple of ideas in this link for you on how to straight-up ask for tips without alienating your fans.
If asking for tips gives you overwhelming anxiety, or it's just too off-brand for you, you can still indirectly ask for tips. I've dropped a few approaches in a list that you can find in this link.
The truth is that your audience knows how it works for performing musicians. They know the deal - you're playing the gig for tips. The majority of people will be more than fine with you mentioning this.
And if they had a good time, they're going to show you that with their wallets.
The same principles of how you would directly or indirectly ask for tips would apply to promoting anything you sell. Be it merch or albums. And you can still simply state that without being overbearing. For example:
"If you enjoyed the show, make sure to pick up our new album on your way out."
That not so scary right? It's polite, non-binding, and expected to some level.
The second thing I need you to do is diversify how you accept tips. If you are only accepting cash tips, you're playing cards with half a deck.
So, if you only accept cash tips and you're playing in front of one hundred people, only 16 of them could even leave you a tip, but only 10 of them have cash on them for tips.
There are even more compelling stats to show you why you need to make sure that you are accepting virtual tips, but I hope this is enough to get you to have both cash and virtual tip jars as part of your performance.
Make a Plan For What You'll Say During a Show
It's easy to get tongue-tied or just blabber on and on, and it's happened to all of us at one point or another, especially when you're just starting.
If you find yourself in this situation often, it might be time to create a list of topics or questions that you can ask your audience between songs.
It may sound a bit weird and canned, and that's because it is, by design.
In my experience, what you'll find happens more times than not is you'll prep some backup ammo and realize that you don't need it at the moment. You've mentally worked through the marks in the show and the segue to the point where you feel prepared - everything will just flow.
And if you do end up needing it, you're covered.
Over time, the whole exercise becomes part of your behavior, but you no longer have to map it out since you have enough experience thinking through the flow in a real context.
Just the idea of having a plan will make everything feel lighter and take some pressure off of you to come up with witty things to say "on the spot."
A plan will always make you feel more confident and if you have a prompt, just like giving a speech, don't go word for word, just capture the idea down to quickly reference - this will make it feel way more natural.
The Bottom Line
The best way to introduce yourself or your band to an audience will vary depending on the gig, venue, and your style.
In general, you'll want to wait until after the first or second song to make any introductions, but feel free to experiment with different methods to see what works best for you and your band.
The main thing to keep in mind is that you want to maintain a balance between sounding professional and maintaining the integrity of your brand.
You also want to make sure that you are set up to accept tips, whether it's through cash or virtual tip jars.
And finally, don't be afraid to have a plan for what you'll say during the show. It'll take a ton of pressure off of you if banter, introductions, or wrapping up a show aren't currently your strength.
