This is a blog I’ve been thinking about writing for awhile now. It’s not necessarily a Bluegrass specific post, you could apply it to live music in general.
Rule for being a good Bluegrass fan:
1. Go to all shows within a reasonable driving distance. If a reasonable distance is only in your town, that’s okay. If it’s half way across the country, good on you. But go to shows, buy tickets. If there’s no cover, tip well.
2. Buy the music. And buy it directly from the musician if you can. If you can’t buy it in person, get it from their website, not from Amazon or itunes. Please don’t download it for free unless the artist has free downloads on their website.
3. Buy the merch. If a band you like comes out with a new t-shirt, buy it. Get it all: bumper stickers, sweatshirts, hats, beer cozies, you name it. Support the bands you like, buy their stuff and they’ll keep going longer.
4. Be nice. Come up and talk to them if you can. They want to hear your feedback.
I suppose that’s it for my list. If anybody has anything to add, you know what to do.
Thanks for reading.
Just one more: Listen to them when they’re playing. Don’t know when it became ok to go see a band, and then talk the whole time they’re on stage… Grrr!
That’s another good one. It can be so discouraging to be playing to an audience that can’t be bothered to actually listen to you play.
Show enthusiasm while at the show, don’t just sit and stare at them, dance even! If alcohol is served at said venue and it motivates you to be more enthusiastic great! If you get overly motivated please purge excess motivation in appropriate location, NOT the tip jar!
Yes! When we were at Thomas Point the audience just sort of sat there like a pile of dead fish. It’s so much more fun to perform for an enthusiastic audience.
be evangelical about bands you like, tell friends, share on social media, grow their tribe.