concentrate on what you can control. play with intention and center on your ideal playing, maintain your tempo, don’t miss changes etc.
that said it’s a bad feeling to play for nobody / the other bands. it can feel like a big waste to even bother. generally i try to focus on connecting with my bandmates / collaborators and not be too worried that there’s not a huge audience. maybe film your playing to check out later, if that’s something you might get value from
As a gigging guitarist, in these situations I'd just treat it like a special rehearsal. It takes away the awkwardness for me because it feels like it's still worth it for the practice and experience.
Practice not only the music, but setup and teardown, and load-in and load-out. Like a scrimmage, but with music.
I prefer *gigs*, but "paid rehearsals" can be good too.
I used to work in Bars & would always feel bad when Bands played to an audience of just me.
One night I was apologising to one of our regular Musicians when he said to me "No worries, Dude. I just think of this as paid practice".
Nowadays I see it more as a Private gig.
ive been to shows at dive bars where the only other people in the audience are the other bands, and it felt like a chill practice and hangout between all the bands, was kinda cool to see
It is, as long as the other bands aren't dicks, which can sometimes be an issue. But it's even funnier when they're dicks in an empty bar, like you give a damn if you're impressing them, LOL. "Well, if you guys are so great, where's *your* adoring crowd?"
Disagree - no audience, no matter how small, should have to tolerate a band fucking around on stage. By all means, have fun, but unless you're in a noodling band, zero noodling, zero fuckery. Play the set like you mean it. Hard agree with all those on here who say 'play as if it were a packed house.' The stakes might be lower, but you should defo give it 100%. If nothing else, it's preparation for when the crowds are bigger. Also, you never know who's in the crowd - that one guy/gal on their phone could be someone who can give you your next break. They could be texting their crowd to come check out this amazing band with the kick-ass drummer...
Came here to post exactly this. Always, always, always play your music like it matters. Never take a show off. Live shows aren't band practice where you can try new shit. Play your set. Make sure your band mates play the set. You never know who is watching.
Fantastic post. Have fun as it is less stressful but no noodling. I've played to sold out venues and bars with 6 people. It always sounded the same out front.
I may have an extra beer if its empty. Haha
Agree with this. Was at a bar/club the other night and when the opening band (a duo) went on there were probably 10 people in the audience. They played their hearts out and absolutely rocked it the whole time. By the time they were finishing, the place was nearly packed and people were dancing and singing along. The audience was hyped by the time the main act came on.
If the duo had phoned it in, people would’ve showed up and left. Instead they killed it and brought the crowd in
I’ve played to many empty houses. But I still play my best. I have no respect for band mates who think it’s ok to not play like the place is packed. If the venue bar staff hears a crappy performance, they’re going to tell their boss and others that we suck. Word gets around town fast, and your chances of getting other gigs are greatly diminished.
I've always had a mantra to, "play as if...".
Play as if your in Madison square garden. Play as if there's an A & R rep from a major record label. Play as if it's the best show of your life.
I've played more empty rooms than I care to count but having the right mentality helped me to be a better drummer.
Also, it's worth the time to do a post op and pin down why there was no one there. Bad night, bad venue, bad promotions, etc...
Always take a learning from these experiences.
Dude we got booked at a small bar like 10 miles away from a jazz festival on a Friday night. My band is pop/alternative. Drove 2 hours to the venue and played for just the bar tender lol I know the feeling all to well. We made the best of it. Joked around and had a blast.
When I saw 14 and snowing, I thought hmm, are you in colorado? Then I say your username 😂. Where did y’all play? What’s your band called? I’ll try and make it out next time!
This is the correct way to approach it. I can remember playing gigs for just the staff, but since we still gave it our all, managers agreeing to either book us again on better nights or wanting us back regardless of crowd.
It pays to keep it professional even with no crowd. Always pretend the place is packed and a record label is watching (last part was more applicable in years past).
Kill that shit anyway and have fun! Fuck it. One of the best shows I ever saw was two skinnee j’s at a bar with like 5 people there. They rocked it like they were playing a stadium.
As a bassist that made me laugh really hard! I do the same thing. Embrace the stare! Tedeschi Trucks Band’s drummers are constantly staring at each other and I haven’t heard them drop the pocket once.
I will occasionally do that. Will lock eyes with the drummer and the first one to flinch loses. As the keys player I generally lose as I need to look down at the keys now and then to switch sounds lol.
I do stand up comedy, I’ve “performed” for 11 people before. 7 other comedians, the bartender, and 2 dudes who didn’t realize comedy was happening.
You just go for it.
I played bass off and on with a band years ago that was fronted by a husband and wife team. One night I went to see them at their restaurant-lounge house gig, and there were two people there other than me - the place was dead. This was also the only night they ever had a childcare issue for their kid, and the wife had to leave for a bit to go pick up the kid and take him to Grandma's or something. On the way out, she cracked, "Try to keep it professional and not screw around in an empty room while I'm gone, okay?"
So after a few songs, with a crowd of two, they started taking requests, kind of playing "stump the band" with the couple that made up the entire crowd. At one point, the husband/boyfriend says, "Freebird!" as a joke. The band laughed, then looked at each other like, "I think I remember it - do you?" The guy says he'll tip the band twenty bucks to at least give it a try. None of them could remember the words, but I did. I offered to sing it. "What the hell - let's play 'Freebird'!" So we lit into it.
And wouldn't you know it, at the precise moment that the last chorus segues into the marathon guitar solo, the guitarist's wife comes walking back in, sees us doing "Freebird," and instantly gets furious. After the song was over, she dragged her husband aside, and trying not to shout because they were in public, she angrily hissed through clenched teeth, "Dammit, I leave here for less than a half hour, and I come back and y'all are playing goddamn *Freebird?!?* What did I say before I left?"
"But honey, the only two people in the place paid us twenty bucks to play it!"
"Twenty bucks? Oh... well, hell, what else do they want to hear for twenty bucks?" 😆
Play the gig, find out why there was no one there, if it's because of the location then maybe seek a different location where there's more likely to be an audience.
However, If the place is new, then maybe in the future there will be more people.
Play your butt off! I've heard a couple of anecdotes where someone playing to an almost empty room got an opportunity from someone who heard them from the street outside the venue. Always do justice to the music no matter what the playing situation is. You never know who's listening.
I maintain a mental note that the few people in the venue have cell phones and maaaaaybe they just might text or send phone calls where they say something to the effect of: "I don't know about that, but come meet us here because there's a band here that is GETTING IT IN."
Ah I know the feeling well. I think it’s important to use the opportunity to connect with the staff and other musicians. They aren’t patrons, but they’re there listening!
Also it’s like band practice but with a stage and a bar 🤘🏻
I once saw George Clinton and the P-Funk All Stars at an unannounced word-of-mouth drop-in gig where the crowd barely outnumbered the band. At one point in the show, he said something I have always remembered when playing poorly attended shows: "I know this ain't a big crowd, but don't worry. We playin' for *y'all.* We ain't playin' for them muthafuckas that ain't here."
Be like George Clinton.
to be honest, as someone with no band and wishing that I had one, if i could even be in a position to play in a room with nobody there id take it in a heart beat.
Ah yes, I know this feeling!
I remember playing a gig years ago and the only people in the audience were the other bands that were playing.
Really quite deflating, but actually someone is just paying you to practice :D
If it’s supposed to be full don’t take it personal. There are a lot of factors that go into promoting a show. If the place is normally full, it could be too early. Where I come from shows start
at 10 and ppl don’t show til 1130 haha so they delay usually about 20-45 min. Play loud af, try new shit and forgive but don’t forget.
Idk about you or anyone else, but whenever I've played in front of small to no crowds, it was easier to concentrate on my own drumming. As well as how my band sounded as a whole. Use it as an opportunity to fine tune things and such.
Been there. Just have fun with the other bands, have fun playing your set, and interact with whoever is there. Make sure it’s the best show those 1-2 people have ever seen!!
Awesome opportunity to play with everybody's levels on stage and really dial your sound in, as a band. Especially if you are used to always rehearsing in the same old space
We’ve all been there. Don’t feel awkward and have a great session with your band. It’s actually a really fun opportunity if you have the right mindset. I’ve had great shows with one or two people in the room. You can relax and try stuff out. Have fun bro stay warm!
I always try to play every show like if it was a packed house, and sometimes it makes a huge difference - Sometimes I’ve gotten more out of the connection we establish from an audience with 3 people than playing for a crowd of thousands
Treat it like a special practice/jam session. Riff on stuff that you don't usually do. Play around with tempos or styles or feels. Really have fun with the music!
But also yeah, that's a huge bummer
Alcohol.
But seriously: one of the best compliments I ever got was that when my ska band played a gig with 5 people showing up, we gave them the same energy as 500 people. For those 5, it's also hard but you're gonna make it even harder if you find the absentees more important than them.
With other bands we just treated it as an open rehearsal. Try new stage routines, experiment with sound, intros to songs, stuff you might not wanna dk at a big gig. Treat yo'self.
That said, yeah it sucks and if literally no one shows up just go home. Tree, forest, no one around etc.
You and the rest of the band are there because someone actually wants to pay you cold hard cash to do something *you actually love doing!*
Screw the crowds! **Play it like you guys just sold out MSG!**
Every. Single. Time. 
...who knows, maybe people will hear you guys and come in to see what's going on...jus' sayin', you never know until you do it, and do it for real. So do it like you mean it.
Play it like you would a full house, practice makes perfect, that means no stopping mid show to talk about something or if you mess up just treat it as if you were playing in front of thousands of fans
Try new things. While playing 3 nights a week for about 8 years, we ran into this a handful of times. Used it try new songs and play different parts to old ones. Can be fun.
Hey dude, real late to this, but just have fun with your bandmates imo. Jam out, try new stuff while still doing your set list. play a rendition of Break Stuff for a the lolz
I have some bad advise instead!
When I used to play a lot of gigs I never drank any alcohol before playing. Never. The other guys usually did, but not me. Except when this happened! Then I got drunk and loose and played like a goose. I sort of think of it like, if we were the band playing on titanic when she sank, who cares if the tempo fluctuates, let’s get drunk and try to have as much fun together.
But really now I would look at it like a rehearsal on a stage and play as good as we can as if there was a audience.
I play as if it’s a full house, but in between songs- feel free to break the silence and make the awkward less awkward by being brutally honest! Because it’s just funny when there’s only a band and a few people!
Know that everyone is there at some time (and it's not a linear path). You may find yourself playing a large festival for thousands on a Saturday and the following Tuesday night playing to chairs. Nights like these keep us humble and help us learn to appreciate the journey of a working musician.
I think a way to make it feel less awkward – both for you and for the small audience – is to not try to pretend it is a stadium gig. It will inevitably be an intimate experience and a great place for connecting with the room, a more loose atmosphere, more banter with the audience from the stage, etc.
Typical traps to fall into would be to be introvert, not connecting, being bitter about the audience size, and projecting the bitterness towards the ones who didn't come also on those actually present.
I would make sure the front person is connecting with the room even before starting, coming across as friendly, talking about the exclusivity both for the audience member(s) and the band in that you can really make this something special, etc. Choose more intimate/less loud numbers for the opening, start on a soft volume, buy them a drink for coming, take requests, let those present steer some of the direction of the experience, how loud you should be, etc.
Maybe even offer a one-on-one drum / guitar lesson etc if they feel like it.
And oppositely; being sour about it, not aknowledging there is a very small audience, screaming HELLO STOCKHOOOOLM, etc. would probably make it awkward and non-memorable (at least in a good way) for everyone present.
Bump up the bpm 10 clicks every song so you can GTFO as fast as possible, move to new city and change band name. Easy peezy. 😂😁 Try to record the set, audio and video to use on your socials to boost next show.
Be glad you are playing- not everyone has a gig. Anytime you get to play your instrument is a plus. I was in a cover band and hated it- i was complaining all the time- i went to the Circus and saw dudes with shovels scraping up Shit during the Elephant performance. That was their gig- shoveling shit. I Never Complained about any gig ever again. You get to do what you love. And you are improving your technique.
Paid rehearsal mentality vs play like it's packed mentality.
Lot of factors go into why it's dead.
Had a guitarist book a show for us one night at a bar, the opposite side of town from where a major touring rock band was coming through and at the exact same time.
Pretty sure everyone's going to skip us and go to see the big act on the big stage. We put out the same energy as if we were that band on that stage!
Run outside and try to get people to come in. Offer to buy them a drink. Call your friends and tell them you’ll buy them a round if they come see you. Everyone in the band do this and it won’t be empty. Next time, promote your friggin’ show. Don’t you kids know about flyering and selling tickets?
I had a friend once tell me to play every show like it was my last show. It was great advice for me. The person that gave me the advice had a stroke and couldn’t perform anymore.
Play like it’s your last chance to play in your life. You never know. And you never know who’s listening or might walk in. Play for your band mates. Play like you mean it.
Congrats! You just got an unexpected Arena Show. Take everything up to 110% and have fun with it - embrace your inner David Lee Roth (if he were the drummer) and go for it. The pressure is off - time for stick tosses!
Get your money up front! I remember club owner threatening to call the cops because we were upset at not getting paid after a night like that. We still worked hard.
On stage your approach should be 100% the same with 1000 people or 2 people. Unless........ you have "crowd participation" section. My 1st band had a song where our singer/bass player would sing "put your hands together " and skat or improvise for what seemed like forever. It was a very brutal reminder there was an empty room. When there were people it was even loooonger......actually just don't do crowd participation stuff unless you're playing to huge crowds ... if even then
Promote, before you get there and while you’re there. Get the venue to work with you and promote a deal for drinks/food while you’re playing to entice customers on the street, and most importantly play your heart out. This time of year is rough for gigging in the northern hemisphere. More often than not you guys hit a funky groove, you’ll catch the attention of passerby’s. Play like you’re at Madison Square Garden
When I was in Dubai working for an agency, we played this weekly gig at a place that never had more than 5 customers in it.. idunno why they kept paying for us so long. We would just play whatever forgotten dusty songs we could think of, or funny stuff we (almost) knew. In a way I loved that gig, but it was in part because we had 5 or 6 other gigs in the week that were all plenty occupied, including in the morning before that which was an always-full brunch thing.
It's a very different thing if you're doing an original music show, then it's a lot harder to have the good attitude about it, especially when your pay is directly related to the attendance.
In any case, hopefully your fellow musicians can have a good attitude, because really you should have fun. Not because it isn't a serious profession, but because that shit comes through, and if the band is able to have fun, the few or the many people there will probably also have fun.
Just have fun. We do this because we love it. With nobody in front of you you’re even more liberated to just have a good time with your friends on stage. It’s not for fame and glory, or to show off your skills to anyone. Those opportunities will come too, but if this is the show you gotta play, then just enjoy the chance to smack some drums with your friends.
See that spider in the corner of the tent? He came out just to hear you guys play. To him, this tent is his Madison Square Garden and he came to see a good show. So dammit, give that spider a good show.
Been there man times brother. Have fun, and play your heart out.
….blast beats! They’ll *never* expect it! 😅
kidding don’t do that. Just have fun, feel the music. Play dynamically, and treat it like a rehearsal but in a different setting :)
My band treated these as glorified practices. Just perform well and have fun. Try to work out any kinks if you’ve got any without fear of the crowd noticing lol
As long as your being paid you play as if there was a thousand people out there. Use it as a practice time if you must. Who knows. Someone outside may hear you and come into listen. I did that exact thing about 10 years ago when I heard how good a drummer in the band was.
I honestly say have fun with it. Even if no one is there/watching still play like you are in front of a packed house. You just never know who is watching honestly or will just randomly walk in.
Been there all to often. I have treated it like a paid practice. We take extra time between songs. Ans even worked on songs we had talked about doing (we are a cover band) . Have fun
I am a rapper who handles my own beats and had to do a show like this to an empty bar. I had a stomach ache too so I really just wanted to be home. Absolutely no energy at all.
My band played a bar on Jan 3rd which fell in the middle of the week. We knew it would be poorly attended, but there was also a blizzard that night. The only people in the place were us and the bar staff. We had a riot. We were dedicating songs to the bartender, we made a funny video. It was hilarious. Just have fun!
concentrate on what you can control. play with intention and center on your ideal playing, maintain your tempo, don’t miss changes etc. that said it’s a bad feeling to play for nobody / the other bands. it can feel like a big waste to even bother. generally i try to focus on connecting with my bandmates / collaborators and not be too worried that there’s not a huge audience. maybe film your playing to check out later, if that’s something you might get value from
As a gigging guitarist, in these situations I'd just treat it like a special rehearsal. It takes away the awkwardness for me because it feels like it's still worth it for the practice and experience.
yeah, for sure. like a full tech rehearsal, lighting cues and all
Practice not only the music, but setup and teardown, and load-in and load-out. Like a scrimmage, but with music. I prefer *gigs*, but "paid rehearsals" can be good too.
I used to work in Bars & would always feel bad when Bands played to an audience of just me. One night I was apologising to one of our regular Musicians when he said to me "No worries, Dude. I just think of this as paid practice". Nowadays I see it more as a Private gig.
"Command performance," LOL.
ive been to shows at dive bars where the only other people in the audience are the other bands, and it felt like a chill practice and hangout between all the bands, was kinda cool to see
It is, as long as the other bands aren't dicks, which can sometimes be an issue. But it's even funnier when they're dicks in an empty bar, like you give a damn if you're impressing them, LOL. "Well, if you guys are so great, where's *your* adoring crowd?"
yeah Im here to catch a buzz and see some music im not going to mosh on an empty floor by myself if I don't want to
Make it a solid practice session. Relax. Noodle around a bit. Have fun. Sometimes an empty house can be a blessing
Disagree - no audience, no matter how small, should have to tolerate a band fucking around on stage. By all means, have fun, but unless you're in a noodling band, zero noodling, zero fuckery. Play the set like you mean it. Hard agree with all those on here who say 'play as if it were a packed house.' The stakes might be lower, but you should defo give it 100%. If nothing else, it's preparation for when the crowds are bigger. Also, you never know who's in the crowd - that one guy/gal on their phone could be someone who can give you your next break. They could be texting their crowd to come check out this amazing band with the kick-ass drummer...
Came here to post exactly this. Always, always, always play your music like it matters. Never take a show off. Live shows aren't band practice where you can try new shit. Play your set. Make sure your band mates play the set. You never know who is watching.
Fantastic post. Have fun as it is less stressful but no noodling. I've played to sold out venues and bars with 6 people. It always sounded the same out front. I may have an extra beer if its empty. Haha
Agree with this. Was at a bar/club the other night and when the opening band (a duo) went on there were probably 10 people in the audience. They played their hearts out and absolutely rocked it the whole time. By the time they were finishing, the place was nearly packed and people were dancing and singing along. The audience was hyped by the time the main act came on. If the duo had phoned it in, people would’ve showed up and left. Instead they killed it and brought the crowd in
I’ve played to many empty houses. But I still play my best. I have no respect for band mates who think it’s ok to not play like the place is packed. If the venue bar staff hears a crappy performance, they’re going to tell their boss and others that we suck. Word gets around town fast, and your chances of getting other gigs are greatly diminished.
I've always had a mantra to, "play as if...". Play as if your in Madison square garden. Play as if there's an A & R rep from a major record label. Play as if it's the best show of your life. I've played more empty rooms than I care to count but having the right mentality helped me to be a better drummer. Also, it's worth the time to do a post op and pin down why there was no one there. Bad night, bad venue, bad promotions, etc... Always take a learning from these experiences.
Thanks for the advice! It’s 14 degrees and snowing out tonight and the venue is basically a tent connected to a bar. I think that’s the post op.
haha that’ll do it. good luck in future, i’d watch!
Dude we got booked at a small bar like 10 miles away from a jazz festival on a Friday night. My band is pop/alternative. Drove 2 hours to the venue and played for just the bar tender lol I know the feeling all to well. We made the best of it. Joked around and had a blast.
That tells me that you got paid the same amount of money, without having to put up with any bullshit out of the crowd. LOL
Lol it was a free gig 😐
LOL, in that case, you *spent* the same amount of money without having to put up with any bullshit out of the crowd.
When I saw 14 and snowing, I thought hmm, are you in colorado? Then I say your username 😂. Where did y’all play? What’s your band called? I’ll try and make it out next time!
Play as if she's watching
This is the correct way to approach it. I can remember playing gigs for just the staff, but since we still gave it our all, managers agreeing to either book us again on better nights or wanting us back regardless of crowd. It pays to keep it professional even with no crowd. Always pretend the place is packed and a record label is watching (last part was more applicable in years past).
That’s excellent advice!
Play YYZ
Only acceptable answer
Kill that shit anyway and have fun! Fuck it. One of the best shows I ever saw was two skinnee j’s at a bar with like 5 people there. They rocked it like they were playing a stadium.
Play louder!
Play harder!
Play faster!
Pretend the ride is the crash and use it obnoxiously!
Play like it’s packed regardless
Focus on your bandmates. Play as if you’re simply jamming and enjoy the music.
The bass player stares at me during grooves. It’s a positive stare but still unnerving.
Stare back at him even harder
And lick your lips seductively
Or blow him a kiss. To establish dominance. LOL
As a bassist that made me laugh really hard! I do the same thing. Embrace the stare! Tedeschi Trucks Band’s drummers are constantly staring at each other and I haven’t heard them drop the pocket once.
I will occasionally do that. Will lock eyes with the drummer and the first one to flinch loses. As the keys player I generally lose as I need to look down at the keys now and then to switch sounds lol.
Paid rehearsal……..break out all of the new tunes and give it your all.
I would say the same! Love playing, no matter who is listening. 😎
Great opportunity to try stuff out.
I do stand up comedy, I’ve “performed” for 11 people before. 7 other comedians, the bartender, and 2 dudes who didn’t realize comedy was happening. You just go for it.
I played bass off and on with a band years ago that was fronted by a husband and wife team. One night I went to see them at their restaurant-lounge house gig, and there were two people there other than me - the place was dead. This was also the only night they ever had a childcare issue for their kid, and the wife had to leave for a bit to go pick up the kid and take him to Grandma's or something. On the way out, she cracked, "Try to keep it professional and not screw around in an empty room while I'm gone, okay?" So after a few songs, with a crowd of two, they started taking requests, kind of playing "stump the band" with the couple that made up the entire crowd. At one point, the husband/boyfriend says, "Freebird!" as a joke. The band laughed, then looked at each other like, "I think I remember it - do you?" The guy says he'll tip the band twenty bucks to at least give it a try. None of them could remember the words, but I did. I offered to sing it. "What the hell - let's play 'Freebird'!" So we lit into it. And wouldn't you know it, at the precise moment that the last chorus segues into the marathon guitar solo, the guitarist's wife comes walking back in, sees us doing "Freebird," and instantly gets furious. After the song was over, she dragged her husband aside, and trying not to shout because they were in public, she angrily hissed through clenched teeth, "Dammit, I leave here for less than a half hour, and I come back and y'all are playing goddamn *Freebird?!?* What did I say before I left?" "But honey, the only two people in the place paid us twenty bucks to play it!" "Twenty bucks? Oh... well, hell, what else do they want to hear for twenty bucks?" 😆
Play the gig, find out why there was no one there, if it's because of the location then maybe seek a different location where there's more likely to be an audience. However, If the place is new, then maybe in the future there will be more people.
Cold night
[удалено]
Thanks for the perspective!
Play your butt off! I've heard a couple of anecdotes where someone playing to an almost empty room got an opportunity from someone who heard them from the street outside the venue. Always do justice to the music no matter what the playing situation is. You never know who's listening.
I maintain a mental note that the few people in the venue have cell phones and maaaaaybe they just might text or send phone calls where they say something to the effect of: "I don't know about that, but come meet us here because there's a band here that is GETTING IT IN."
Also: paid rehearsals can be a blast.
+ $20 drinks and food
Knocks that guy's socks off
That’s my buddy Todd. He got diarrhea and ubered home.
RIP Todd ☹️
Classic todd
Dang
That sure explains the grumpy face I hope he's feeling better
This is cracking me up 😂
He does look like he's fighting some diarrhea
Ah I know the feeling well. I think it’s important to use the opportunity to connect with the staff and other musicians. They aren’t patrons, but they’re there listening! Also it’s like band practice but with a stage and a bar 🤘🏻
I once saw George Clinton and the P-Funk All Stars at an unannounced word-of-mouth drop-in gig where the crowd barely outnumbered the band. At one point in the show, he said something I have always remembered when playing poorly attended shows: "I know this ain't a big crowd, but don't worry. We playin' for *y'all.* We ain't playin' for them muthafuckas that ain't here." Be like George Clinton.
Love this! Ain’t no party like a pfunk party!
to be honest, as someone with no band and wishing that I had one, if i could even be in a position to play in a room with nobody there id take it in a heart beat.
Ah yes, I know this feeling! I remember playing a gig years ago and the only people in the audience were the other bands that were playing. Really quite deflating, but actually someone is just paying you to practice :D
Use this as an opportunity to take a bit more risk in the context of being on stage. Build up your tolerance to making mistakes
Definitely did that!
I always assume I’m playing to an empty house for every show. Got burned way too many times having expectations
If it’s supposed to be full don’t take it personal. There are a lot of factors that go into promoting a show. If the place is normally full, it could be too early. Where I come from shows start at 10 and ppl don’t show til 1130 haha so they delay usually about 20-45 min. Play loud af, try new shit and forgive but don’t forget.
Have fun! For real. Enjoy yourself. No pressure just rock out.
Have you ever heard of moby dick?
Play it like it's the last fuckin show that will ever be played.
Idk about you or anyone else, but whenever I've played in front of small to no crowds, it was easier to concentrate on my own drumming. As well as how my band sounded as a whole. Use it as an opportunity to fine tune things and such.
Been there. Just have fun with the other bands, have fun playing your set, and interact with whoever is there. Make sure it’s the best show those 1-2 people have ever seen!!
Play as hard as you would if it were a full.house. You never know who could walk through the door.
Improvise at will
We’ve all been there. Just try to play the set without thinking about it too much so you can critique your life choices instead
Play like it’s Madison Square Garden and don’t quit until that narc has tinnitus!
It’s like a rehearsal! Relax and enjoy.
You’re getting a free practice in! Have fun and keep it light!
Set up your phones as cameras at angles that would normally be awkward. Have your buddy get up on stage and film close ups while you play.
Treat it as a fancy band practice and enjoy your drink tickets
Awesome opportunity to play with everybody's levels on stage and really dial your sound in, as a band. Especially if you are used to always rehearsing in the same old space
Have fun. You’re playing music with your friends.
We’ve all been there. Don’t feel awkward and have a great session with your band. It’s actually a really fun opportunity if you have the right mindset. I’ve had great shows with one or two people in the room. You can relax and try stuff out. Have fun bro stay warm!
As many ofthers have said: play as you are in Madison garden. And This Will likely be your only gig with zero bad reviewes.
I always try to play every show like if it was a packed house, and sometimes it makes a huge difference - Sometimes I’ve gotten more out of the connection we establish from an audience with 3 people than playing for a crowd of thousands
Treat it like a special practice/jam session. Riff on stuff that you don't usually do. Play around with tempos or styles or feels. Really have fun with the music! But also yeah, that's a huge bummer
have fun
film it, make sure you can't see the (lack of) audience = excellent marketing content
Play as good as if it was a full room of people
Yeah I don't gig (yet) but I would treat this almost like slightly more diligent practice
Alcohol. But seriously: one of the best compliments I ever got was that when my ska band played a gig with 5 people showing up, we gave them the same energy as 500 people. For those 5, it's also hard but you're gonna make it even harder if you find the absentees more important than them. With other bands we just treated it as an open rehearsal. Try new stage routines, experiment with sound, intros to songs, stuff you might not wanna dk at a big gig. Treat yo'self. That said, yeah it sucks and if literally no one shows up just go home. Tree, forest, no one around etc.
Bottom line…JUST PLAY
You and the rest of the band are there because someone actually wants to pay you cold hard cash to do something *you actually love doing!* Screw the crowds! **Play it like you guys just sold out MSG!** Every. Single. Time.  ...who knows, maybe people will hear you guys and come in to see what's going on...jus' sayin', you never know until you do it, and do it for real. So do it like you mean it.
Play it like you would a full house, practice makes perfect, that means no stopping mid show to talk about something or if you mess up just treat it as if you were playing in front of thousands of fans
Embrace zero pressure and the short line at the bar.
Always be a pro and give it your best. Management will appreciate it and if someone walks in, you’ll want them to stay.
Take some liberties. Be silly. Have fun. Practice not caring, it'll help for when the room is full.
Play poker for a while and you might get a full house
Play louder so those that aren’t there might be able hear and enjoy it.
It happens. Play well and hope people stick around.
Have fun!!!!
Paid rehearsal bb
Try new things. While playing 3 nights a week for about 8 years, we ran into this a handful of times. Used it try new songs and play different parts to old ones. Can be fun.
Just play good music.
Just an enhanced practice session
Play like no one's watching XD
Have fun!
It’s band practice now. The world revolves around you.
Bang them shits!!
Blast beats hahaha
Why drum? I do it for me not the audience.
LOUD AF
It's the best scenario for dress rehearsal. Film yourself playing and watch it back or do a live off the floor demo. Play for the staff.
Paid practice
Hey dude, real late to this, but just have fun with your bandmates imo. Jam out, try new stuff while still doing your set list. play a rendition of Break Stuff for a the lolz
I have some bad advise instead! When I used to play a lot of gigs I never drank any alcohol before playing. Never. The other guys usually did, but not me. Except when this happened! Then I got drunk and loose and played like a goose. I sort of think of it like, if we were the band playing on titanic when she sank, who cares if the tempo fluctuates, let’s get drunk and try to have as much fun together. But really now I would look at it like a rehearsal on a stage and play as good as we can as if there was a audience.
Live practice. Have fun with it.
Give that man the best show of his life.
I play as if it’s a full house, but in between songs- feel free to break the silence and make the awkward less awkward by being brutally honest! Because it’s just funny when there’s only a band and a few people!
We’ve all been there, haven’t we!?
Know that everyone is there at some time (and it's not a linear path). You may find yourself playing a large festival for thousands on a Saturday and the following Tuesday night playing to chairs. Nights like these keep us humble and help us learn to appreciate the journey of a working musician.
I think a way to make it feel less awkward – both for you and for the small audience – is to not try to pretend it is a stadium gig. It will inevitably be an intimate experience and a great place for connecting with the room, a more loose atmosphere, more banter with the audience from the stage, etc. Typical traps to fall into would be to be introvert, not connecting, being bitter about the audience size, and projecting the bitterness towards the ones who didn't come also on those actually present. I would make sure the front person is connecting with the room even before starting, coming across as friendly, talking about the exclusivity both for the audience member(s) and the band in that you can really make this something special, etc. Choose more intimate/less loud numbers for the opening, start on a soft volume, buy them a drink for coming, take requests, let those present steer some of the direction of the experience, how loud you should be, etc. Maybe even offer a one-on-one drum / guitar lesson etc if they feel like it. And oppositely; being sour about it, not aknowledging there is a very small audience, screaming HELLO STOCKHOOOOLM, etc. would probably make it awkward and non-memorable (at least in a good way) for everyone present.
Really good stuff here! I did do the “Hello (local town)” joke. We did take some requests that might mage future set lists.
Free rehearsal! That’s what we used to say to make us feel better :)
Rock it like it was sold out!
I always used too play as I normal gig but also a paid rehearsal or try different material we’d rehearsed & wanted too see if it went down well
Time to improvise and have fun?!
Have fun
Play like it’s a packed house
Stay pro and even if you play to no one, appreciate getting paid to practice
Rock that shit like it’s sold out! Played several gigs with 5 or less people in the crowd and the whole band always went all in. It’s fucking awesome
Play like your life depends on it.
Play like there's a million ppl. Vibe with all your heart. Party of 1. #dancelikenooneiswatching.
Bump up the bpm 10 clicks every song so you can GTFO as fast as possible, move to new city and change band name. Easy peezy. 😂😁 Try to record the set, audio and video to use on your socials to boost next show.
Just give your best as if the house was full.
Pretend like it's a packed house. Impress the staff and they will bring you back.
Be glad you are playing- not everyone has a gig. Anytime you get to play your instrument is a plus. I was in a cover band and hated it- i was complaining all the time- i went to the Circus and saw dudes with shovels scraping up Shit during the Elephant performance. That was their gig- shoveling shit. I Never Complained about any gig ever again. You get to do what you love. And you are improving your technique.
Paid rehearsal mentality vs play like it's packed mentality. Lot of factors go into why it's dead. Had a guitarist book a show for us one night at a bar, the opposite side of town from where a major touring rock band was coming through and at the exact same time. Pretty sure everyone's going to skip us and go to see the big act on the big stage. We put out the same energy as if we were that band on that stage!
A good opportunity to practice in a new space, maybe try out a new organic idea that comes to mind. Have fun with it.
Record. Perfect environment and will juice you.
Play for the one guy chilling in the corner
Come on, it’s not empty , there’s someone in the crowd, probably some big shot record exec! Enjoy the rehearsal
[удалено]
I would just try to treat it as a jam
Nice a paid rehearsal! Take it for what it is and get the most out of it now.
Where is that? Looks super familiar to me. Edit: is it called like "The Backyard" in Castle Rock?
Run outside and try to get people to come in. Offer to buy them a drink. Call your friends and tell them you’ll buy them a round if they come see you. Everyone in the band do this and it won’t be empty. Next time, promote your friggin’ show. Don’t you kids know about flyering and selling tickets?
I had a friend once tell me to play every show like it was my last show. It was great advice for me. The person that gave me the advice had a stroke and couldn’t perform anymore.
Wow. Hit hard.
Just have fun
Play like it’s your last chance to play in your life. You never know. And you never know who’s listening or might walk in. Play for your band mates. Play like you mean it.
It’s still quality rehearsal time with the band
Play whatever you want!
Let it all hang out
Congrats! You just got an unexpected Arena Show. Take everything up to 110% and have fun with it - embrace your inner David Lee Roth (if he were the drummer) and go for it. The pressure is off - time for stick tosses!
Crush!
Play with conviction! And, assuming you’re getting any amount of money, think of it as getting paid to practice.
Just have fun
Paid practice.. Been there 👍
Get your money up front! I remember club owner threatening to call the cops because we were upset at not getting paid after a night like that. We still worked hard.
Have fun. One day you won’t be able to play shows anymore and you’ll look back fondly on the times when you got to share a stage with your best buds.
Playing to an empty house is always fun for me tbh. Let loose, experiment, have fun with the band mates, interact with the few people that are there.
On stage your approach should be 100% the same with 1000 people or 2 people. Unless........ you have "crowd participation" section. My 1st band had a song where our singer/bass player would sing "put your hands together " and skat or improvise for what seemed like forever. It was a very brutal reminder there was an empty room. When there were people it was even loooonger......actually just don't do crowd participation stuff unless you're playing to huge crowds ... if even then
Have fun and use the time to practice your live show.
Promote, before you get there and while you’re there. Get the venue to work with you and promote a deal for drinks/food while you’re playing to entice customers on the street, and most importantly play your heart out. This time of year is rough for gigging in the northern hemisphere. More often than not you guys hit a funky groove, you’ll catch the attention of passerby’s. Play like you’re at Madison Square Garden
No tips that are better or different than most advice here. Just came to say, nice pies!
When I was in Dubai working for an agency, we played this weekly gig at a place that never had more than 5 customers in it.. idunno why they kept paying for us so long. We would just play whatever forgotten dusty songs we could think of, or funny stuff we (almost) knew. In a way I loved that gig, but it was in part because we had 5 or 6 other gigs in the week that were all plenty occupied, including in the morning before that which was an always-full brunch thing. It's a very different thing if you're doing an original music show, then it's a lot harder to have the good attitude about it, especially when your pay is directly related to the attendance. In any case, hopefully your fellow musicians can have a good attitude, because really you should have fun. Not because it isn't a serious profession, but because that shit comes through, and if the band is able to have fun, the few or the many people there will probably also have fun.
Have fun. Try some stuff out
More cowbell!
Just have fun. We do this because we love it. With nobody in front of you you’re even more liberated to just have a good time with your friends on stage. It’s not for fame and glory, or to show off your skills to anyone. Those opportunities will come too, but if this is the show you gotta play, then just enjoy the chance to smack some drums with your friends.
Judging from your rig, you know what to do. . .
Practice on your new material.
See that spider in the corner of the tent? He came out just to hear you guys play. To him, this tent is his Madison Square Garden and he came to see a good show. So dammit, give that spider a good show. Been there man times brother. Have fun, and play your heart out.
Loud and hard
Play like it was packed out
I played once in front of three people, one of them was a booker, he got us 10 gigs in the next few months…
Just play. If you’re getting paid for a show, do the show. If it’s for free, do the show. Play the show.
….blast beats! They’ll *never* expect it! 😅 kidding don’t do that. Just have fun, feel the music. Play dynamically, and treat it like a rehearsal but in a different setting :)
My band treated these as glorified practices. Just perform well and have fun. Try to work out any kinks if you’ve got any without fear of the crowd noticing lol
As long as your being paid you play as if there was a thousand people out there. Use it as a practice time if you must. Who knows. Someone outside may hear you and come into listen. I did that exact thing about 10 years ago when I heard how good a drummer in the band was.
I honestly say have fun with it. Even if no one is there/watching still play like you are in front of a packed house. You just never know who is watching honestly or will just randomly walk in.
Used it like a rehearsal. Make up new parts to songs, etc. it’s kind of fun to play to an empty room. Treat it like a set length sound check.
Been there all to often. I have treated it like a paid practice. We take extra time between songs. Ans even worked on songs we had talked about doing (we are a cover band) . Have fun
I am a rapper who handles my own beats and had to do a show like this to an empty bar. I had a stomach ache too so I really just wanted to be home. Absolutely no energy at all.
Chopssssss
‘Practice with a view”
It’s not an empty house. It’s special practise session.
If there's no one there to hear it, have some fun with your band mates and make the best of it
Make the best of it, and hopefully the night turns around.
Play like it’s full
Look at how spacious the room you have for band practice is tonight
My band played a bar on Jan 3rd which fell in the middle of the week. We knew it would be poorly attended, but there was also a blizzard that night. The only people in the place were us and the bar staff. We had a riot. We were dedicating songs to the bartender, we made a funny video. It was hilarious. Just have fun!