nero120 said:
so the band has to concentrate on make their visual performance intense and energetic. Most people in the crowd are not musicians and will not know if you make a mistake or sing out of tune (unless you are really bad). Things like good moves, eye contact, expression, etc are all necessary to make a good performance. Express your music through your visual performance.
That is spot on and what I've preached on here many times.
The band I'm with at the moment aren't the greatest musicians but they put a lot into a performance and if I don't come off knackered then I feel I've cheated people and you know that the audience come because we look as though we enjoy it. Pick virtually any other pub covers band and they look like they're playing for the money (smile you buggers).
During my cabaret years we had a saying "50% is the clothes you wear and how you look, 45% is the songs you choose and 5% is how you play them".
Last year in Tunisia I joined in all the sports and very quickly about 16 of us became sports buddys doing everything from water polo, football, canoe racing, table tennis etc. On the second week there was a karaoke and everybody had to take part and I didn't want to do it. Yeah, I know I've sang all over the world for 36 years but I'm in control in those situations. Anyway, it came to my turn and I chose Maggie May by Rod Stewart. As soon as I stepped onto the stage and opened my gob every person in the audience could see and hear that I wasn't a karaoke singer.
1 - I looked at the audience and not the monitor
2 - I moved my head, hands, legs and feet to the music
3 - I enjoyed myself and looked totally confident in what I was doing
I could then see people going over to my missus and kids asking questions and my missus was nodding basically saying 'yeah, he's done this for a living' etc.
I ended up staying on the stage for about 30 minutes and didn't get paid.
So basically CBS, you walk on a stage and look as though you live there and belong there. You look the audience in the eye and most importantly you look as though you're enjoying it.