Hit Connections Report

ALWAYS BE AT YOUR BEST, EVEN WHEN IT’S SLOW

By Dean McNeal

www.hitconnectionsentertainment.com

A slow night at the bar doesn’t mean people aren’t watching.

Have you ever had one of those slow nights when you found it hard to do your best show? Remember who is watching, the very people who hired you. The same people who might be in a position to hire you again in the future.

I watch bands, hosts, and all types of entertainers that do a great show in front of a full house, and yet fail miserably to maintain that enthusiasm when it’s slow. I have never understood the thought process.

Obviously the energy is different. I understand that this affects the motivation, but as with any job, your employers’ expectations are the same.

I’ve laid out some reasons why you should always give 100% for every show, regardless:

1) On a busy night, the club and staff are themselves too busy to really see what you are doing (and probably don’t care because they’re too busy anyway).

2) When do you think other potential customers come to see you? On a slower night, because that is usually when their own club is slow enough for them to step out.

3) On a slow night, you can spend quality time building your audience, and really getting to know your regular customers better.

Surely there are more reasons, but that should be enough to make you think about it the next time you’re only giving half of your ability when it is slow. This is the show you are being remembered for.

I have been told by club and casino owners, “The band drew a good crowd the second night, but they weren’t that impressive.”

This opinion is often formed by what they saw on the slow night, when they had time to watch.

On the flipside, I have also been told, “I love this band. Even though it was slow, they had so much energy.”

Which band do you think is getting more return dates?

My advice is to always keep in mind on those slow nights, that it’s then when people are really paying attention to your show, your look, and even how long your breaks are.

Just because someone didn’t properly promote the show to fill up their club, doesn’t mean the entertainers should take the same attitude when it comes to their show.