I have heard it many times after a gig – ‘that was lovely, it was just a pity there weren’t more there’.
I have felt it myself as an audience member – wondering are the musicians on stage annoyed or put out that only a few of us came to see them.
OK let’s clear something up first – any musician worth her salt shouldn’t let the size of the crowd affect their performance. The show must go on. Do your job.
The situation in which that can be most difficult is if the musician is also the promoter of the gig. If she needs 200 people to come to break even, and she hears just before she goes on stage that there are 50 there, she is going to be significantly out of pocket. She must switch mindset from promoter to performer fairly quickly though, as each of those 50 people deserve value for their money.
So next time you’re sitting there wishing there were more people there with you to see the gig, stop. You can’t do anything about it. You have paid your money, so enjoy the gig!
Kieran's Blog 