Empty Chairs and Empty Tables
Last night I performed at ‘The Honest Cabbage’ in Kingston upon Thames. A friendly, unprecocious open mic on a Thursday eve. Unfortunately, the audience was very small. This has happened to me before, where you are playing to a sort of ‘empty room’, and you can hear a pin drop when you stop. Personally I find this harder than playing to a bigger, roudier audience. Nerves did get the better of me, but I pushed it aside as best I could.
I think the toughest part is ‘going for it’ proper gig-style when you know you’re being closely watched. It takes a lot of courage to stay calm and relaxed when playing in this situation. I think it’s good practice for a perfomer.
Fortunately, I was well received, for which I’m very grateful, and that was nice! I’d say that at every open mic night you get a different audience, and so the challenge is different every time, and doing a lot of these nights gives you experience and knowledge that cannot be gained any other way.