While playing live, there are two areas of focus – your performance and how you audience responds to it. Trying to emphasize both equally will result in a distracted, unconfident show that’s going to leave both you and the crowd disappointed.

How do you deal with an issue this tricky? As always, Drooble users come to the rescue, sharing some valuable tips and knowledge on the subject that you can apply straight away.

In short, you must master your performance so you don’t really have to think too much about it, then use every opportunity to connect with the audience and win them over.

Interesting, isn’t it? Check out the tips below and get to know more!

1. Focus on the performance and keep the audience connected

If you concentrate on the crowd reaction and it isn’t all that great, you will feel uncomfortable, your performance will suffer, and you’ll lose the crowd entirely. While nothing can convince a crowd that simply doesn’t like you to give you a chance, there’s still a best practice you should adhere to.

Focus on delivering your best performance – which is playing the songs right and looking like you’re enjoying yourself – and use pauses in-between songs to connect with your audience. Ask them how they are doing. If they like your music. Tell jokes. Almost anything that comes to mind works, as long as it makes the crowd feel good and doesn’t offend anyone.

Tip by Jermal St Romain and Graham George

2. Enjoy yourself

Sometimes the hype you get from the crowd affects your performance – in good ways. You relax, you’re taking in the positive energy and you start rocking out like your idols in their heyday. That’s what you should always aim for! But if the crowd takes a while to warm up, looking like you are enjoying yourself playing live will go a long way towards convincing them in your music.

Too many bands out there are way too stiff on stage, preoccupied with not hitting wrong notes or just being anxious. Relax! If everything is right – you know the material, the venue is fine, sound is good, crowd isn’t obnoxious – just play to the best of your abilities and be authentic. The rest comes together just fine!

Tip by Aleksandar Spaic

3. Lead your show

It must be emphasized that you should be prepared and ready for your show so that worrying about performance aspects is out of the way and you can focus on conecting with your audience. Instead of adapting to them, be so convincing that you are taking charge and bringing your audience where you want it to be. That’s what the masters do. Think of your show as if it’s a movie or a book. Use your songs and stage attire to set up the mood and trigger emotions. You can do so much more than play music – you can be an entire production!

Tip by Francois Spannenburg

4. Be mindful of your movement around the stage

Be very careful with how much you move and where you go while on stage. Too much movement will turn you into a distraction for attendees and photographers who want to catch a glimpse or photo of you. Too little movement and you’ll seem static. The solution is to rock out proper on the more energetic songs, and dial it back on the slower, moodier pieces.

Also, if you are employing stage pyrotechnics and elaborate decor, be very careful not to walk into a fire, knock something over, or trip and fall. All these experiences may end badly, with a show cut short the least of your problems!

Tip by Artūrs Mačevskis

5. Master your performance

Finally, for optimal focus, nothing beats mastering your performance. This means becoming so comfortable with your songs, setlist, stage layout, equipment and so on that you know everything by heart, playing becomes intuitive, and you are free to do whatever you want on stage without thinking too much about performance quality.

The only way to get to this level is experience. Play your back off – in the studio, and live. A few years down the road, you will be a pro who rocks out mightily on stage and connects with their audience like it’s the easiest thing in the world!

Tip by Jan Munoz