It’s your charisma that wins people over (or loses them) for the long haul.
Because today people WILL experience your charisma. And there’s a good chance they’ll experience your charisma just as much if not more than your actual music.
Compelling artists win.
They have to.
Because there’s not enough of them…so when the market discovers them, word spreads.
People want to be around them. People want them to be on stage. People want to know what happens next. People want to stream their music forever.
If you don’t like someone to begin with, if you then spend more time with them you’ll discover some things that you do like about them which makes them “better than I thought”.
On the other hand if you really like someone to begin with and then spend more time with them chances are you’ll discover things you don’t like, which makes them “worse than I thought”.
It turns out where we start is important but where we leave off, even more so.
Said another way…
The party started off kinda lame but then got really fun= good party
When we got to the party it was awesome but then it really fizzled= failed party
Both parties had good parts and bad parts, but the order in which they occur is important for how we ultimately think about and label the party in hindsight.
Said another way…
The movie started really slow, but once you got into it, it’s a classic= good movie
The beginning of the movie was hilarious but then it kinda sucks after that= lame movie
Said another way…
The show started weird but the grand finale was amazing= good show
They came out with a ton of energy but then it just got boring= boring show
Again, it turns out where we start is vitally important but where we leave off, even more so. Because where we leave off is the most recent interaction with the thing…therefore often times the most memorable and defining.
Pressure washing feels pretty good. It’s even kind of fun. Cleaning the grime off the cement, clearly seeing progress as you go.
So what about bringing your pressure washer on I-65…you could pressure wash and pressure wash and pressure wash…there would be no end to the pressure washing. You could do this work forever.
And sure, people would appreciate a cleaner interstate…
…but I venture to say the interstate doesn’t need to be pressure washed.
It turns out that work which feels good, where there’s tangible progress and people appreciate it…doesn’t necessarily mean it’s something the world needs…and it certainly doesn’t mean it’s your best offering.
So instead the interstate, pressure wash your driveway (literally and/or metaphorically :) and then get back to the real work.
A few weeks ago Lebron James hit a game winning shotin the NBA playoffs.
It was a weird, off balance, sideways shot.
He didn’t have to shoot that shot, but he thought that was the best shot to take given the situation…and it certainly worked out.
It turns out he’d practiced that weird, off balance, sideways shot before. He told reporters he’d practiced it before, and teammates said the same thing.
Practicing that shot was never a requirement. But he rehearsed it anyway.
Practicing a shot that he didn’t have to practice equipped him with another tool to use when it came time to need a tool like that.
It’s the same way for you. You need more live show tools. Little extra tools, maybe not to be used every night, but to be used when the situation calls for them.
These tools can be acquired by trying things when you don’t need to so that when you see the opportunity later, you will have done it before.
And if you’ve tried it before it’s more likely to be a success next time.
Running the aisles, dancing, standing on the drum kit, doubling the last chorus on the fly, changing the melody, giving a speech during the bridge, thanking the venue staff, talking about the city you’re in…the list goes on.
Try these things when you don’t have to, so when you do have to you’ve done it before.
The first, most important thing for name recognition is for people to see your name to begin with.
I’m amazed that I still go to shows (big and small) where the opening bands don’t have their name on a banner or a kick drum…everyone around me asking “Do you know who this is?”
What a shame. You got the gig. You overcame the odds. You rehearsed the show. And you’re up there being great…
…but no one knows the name of the act.
No one knows perhaps the most important thing about you in regards to carrying and passing the torch on your behalf.
A great way to get the name recognition ball rolling is for people to see your name.
