Dennis,
I have nothing but respect for anyone willing to do an open mic. I thought you did yourself proud! Way to go. I'm very happy for you.
Craig
A funny thing happened at my first open mic performance...
Very very impressed. Well played. Well sung (including the audience). Your nervousness didn't show in the video. Great sound on the guitar. Will you do another open mic? What did you learn from this experience? Thanks for posting!
Ahhhh Den, you did it again.
You just can't help but be a showman.
I LOVED it! And the audience obviously did too. I'd have been hootin' and singing real loud in the chorus if I'd been there. I wish I had been. It was so much fun to watch. I'm guessing that it was even more fun to be in the cheering crowd.
Guts and then some. Well you looked very COOOOOOOOLL for someone with nerves, reeeeeeeeeeeally cool.
Jamie looked like she was having such a good time at one point that she forgot she was holding the camera.
no surprise.
Well deserved glory.
You were awesome Mr Showman.
Shel
You just can't help but be a showman.
I LOVED it! And the audience obviously did too. I'd have been hootin' and singing real loud in the chorus if I'd been there. I wish I had been. It was so much fun to watch. I'm guessing that it was even more fun to be in the cheering crowd.
Guts and then some. Well you looked very COOOOOOOOLL for someone with nerves, reeeeeeeeeeeally cool.
Jamie looked like she was having such a good time at one point that she forgot she was holding the camera.
no surprise. Well deserved glory.
You were awesome Mr Showman.
Shel
Thanks so much, everyone. All in all, I had a great time doing the open mic, and the audience was very supportive and appreciative. A funny note about the guy who introduced me: when I mentioned that it was my first open mic, and he said, "Well, I guess we can all leave now," I started to say, "Hey, pal, if they haven't left during one of your introductions, they're not about to leave during my song." But I thought I hadn't quite earned the right to make jokes at some else's expense. By the way, if the idea of standing up on stage performing a song sounds even remotely appealing to you, give it a shot. Believe me when I say this: if someone like me can do it, so can you. And now, on to your very sweet comments:
Buddy: Thanks so much. I'd been to this venue before and seen some performers have a tough time wrestling with their songs. The world didn't end for them. So I figured it was a good venue. I know you've done a fair amount of performing yourself, and I bet you knocked 'em dead.
Tony: I actually thought what the MC said helped to get the audience on my side. My biggest issue with him was that he wasn't the least bit clever the entire night, and I'm pretty sure he never elicited even one chuckle, despite trying very hard. He made the same joke about six times when he'd ask various performers if they were about to do a cover of an Abba song. You could hear crickets each time the joke fell flat, but he plowed on, undaunted by the deathly silence in the audience. You're right that I was a little nervous. I knew I would be, which is why I practiced standing up, so that I could get my body into the performance a little more, which I thought would relax me. Direct all comments about the camera work to Jamie. She didn't understand how to loosen the swivel head on the tripod.
Willem: Thanks, pal. Yes, I plan to upload Autumn Leaves soon, and I also expect to go back and do another open mic. I was thinking of doing "Sad songs & Waltzes" (Chris's favorite song) and "She's not there" by the Zombies. Are there many open mics in the Netherlands?
MJ: I'm both blessed and cursed with a face that conceals emotion. As you'll see when I upload Autumn Leaves, I was far more nervous on that song than I was on Country Honk. Thanks for your support.
TwoCatSam: I appreciate that you watched the video. Just so you know, the MC had zero effect on me. Standing in front of an audience...well, that's another story. But I chose the venue well; they wanted me to succeed.
Jim: Thanks. That's nice of you to say.
ScottB: Interesting observation about me having "settled in to the song." I chose that particular song because I felt that the audience would like it and it would get their toes tapping. Also, it's fun to play and sing. When I heard the audience start singing on the first chorus, I knew everything was going to be alright.
Suzi: Thanks. I appreciate it.
Ness: I love putting a smile on your face. You've certainly put enough of them on mine. Your point about me smiling for the audience is well-taken; that's the flip-side of my facial expression not giving away my nervousness. It also doesn't easily register joy when I'm struggling to control my emotions. But I'll work on it.
Craig: There's nothing quite like a performance in front of a live audience to get your nerve endings tingling. On the SPF scale (Sphincter Pucker Factor), I rate the experience a 7 out of 10.
Daryl: I very much appreciate it. Interesting question about what I might have learned. I learned from going to that venue previously that nothing is more important than choosing the right material. Surprisingly, it's less important to an audience if you're not hugely talented or even if you make mistakes. They just want to hear good songs. I also learned that what little talent I have is enough for an open-mic crowd. I'll never be a professional, but I've got enough going on to do this type of thing again. But I think the most important thing I learned is that there's only one way to get used to performing in front of an audience...
Shel: Nothing would have made me happier than to see you sitting in that audience whooping it up with a bunch of American ex-hippies. I would have loved to have shared the experience with you. I always love your comments, Shel, and I really look forward to them.
AussieScott: Thanks, mate. I think performing in front of a live audience must be a little like smoking crack. It's very hard to get it out of your system, and you just want more of it. So, yeah, I think I'll go back and do it again. I'm hoping the SPF drops a bit.
Chas: Funny you should mention Madison Square Garden. Last night after the show, I mentioned to Jamie that, considering my nerves performing in front of a tiny crowd, it's amazing that professional musicians like U2, Springsteen, and many others can get used to being in front of massive crowds. That goes back to Daryl's question about what I learned. Thanks for your comments.
Buddy: Thanks so much. I'd been to this venue before and seen some performers have a tough time wrestling with their songs. The world didn't end for them. So I figured it was a good venue. I know you've done a fair amount of performing yourself, and I bet you knocked 'em dead.
Tony: I actually thought what the MC said helped to get the audience on my side. My biggest issue with him was that he wasn't the least bit clever the entire night, and I'm pretty sure he never elicited even one chuckle, despite trying very hard. He made the same joke about six times when he'd ask various performers if they were about to do a cover of an Abba song. You could hear crickets each time the joke fell flat, but he plowed on, undaunted by the deathly silence in the audience. You're right that I was a little nervous. I knew I would be, which is why I practiced standing up, so that I could get my body into the performance a little more, which I thought would relax me. Direct all comments about the camera work to Jamie. She didn't understand how to loosen the swivel head on the tripod.
Willem: Thanks, pal. Yes, I plan to upload Autumn Leaves soon, and I also expect to go back and do another open mic. I was thinking of doing "Sad songs & Waltzes" (Chris's favorite song) and "She's not there" by the Zombies. Are there many open mics in the Netherlands?
MJ: I'm both blessed and cursed with a face that conceals emotion. As you'll see when I upload Autumn Leaves, I was far more nervous on that song than I was on Country Honk. Thanks for your support.
TwoCatSam: I appreciate that you watched the video. Just so you know, the MC had zero effect on me. Standing in front of an audience...well, that's another story. But I chose the venue well; they wanted me to succeed.
Jim: Thanks. That's nice of you to say.
ScottB: Interesting observation about me having "settled in to the song." I chose that particular song because I felt that the audience would like it and it would get their toes tapping. Also, it's fun to play and sing. When I heard the audience start singing on the first chorus, I knew everything was going to be alright.
Suzi: Thanks. I appreciate it.
Ness: I love putting a smile on your face. You've certainly put enough of them on mine. Your point about me smiling for the audience is well-taken; that's the flip-side of my facial expression not giving away my nervousness. It also doesn't easily register joy when I'm struggling to control my emotions. But I'll work on it.
Craig: There's nothing quite like a performance in front of a live audience to get your nerve endings tingling. On the SPF scale (Sphincter Pucker Factor), I rate the experience a 7 out of 10.
Daryl: I very much appreciate it. Interesting question about what I might have learned. I learned from going to that venue previously that nothing is more important than choosing the right material. Surprisingly, it's less important to an audience if you're not hugely talented or even if you make mistakes. They just want to hear good songs. I also learned that what little talent I have is enough for an open-mic crowd. I'll never be a professional, but I've got enough going on to do this type of thing again. But I think the most important thing I learned is that there's only one way to get used to performing in front of an audience...
Shel: Nothing would have made me happier than to see you sitting in that audience whooping it up with a bunch of American ex-hippies. I would have loved to have shared the experience with you. I always love your comments, Shel, and I really look forward to them.
AussieScott: Thanks, mate. I think performing in front of a live audience must be a little like smoking crack. It's very hard to get it out of your system, and you just want more of it. So, yeah, I think I'll go back and do it again. I'm hoping the SPF drops a bit.
Chas: Funny you should mention Madison Square Garden. Last night after the show, I mentioned to Jamie that, considering my nerves performing in front of a tiny crowd, it's amazing that professional musicians like U2, Springsteen, and many others can get used to being in front of massive crowds. That goes back to Daryl's question about what I learned. Thanks for your comments.
Dennis you simply rocked the house!!! Holy crap!!! I'm speechless really. Huge smile over here. Your playing was fantastic and it was great to hear that 12 fret beast coming out of the PA system. It sounded very very good. As for the vocals I thought they were your strongest to date. Awesome job singing. You MUST teach me this song. I think I have a man crush going now. What a fantastic performance. You should be very proud of yourself for this one. Next time you can make a crack at the guy doing the introductions. I don't think the guy gets the whole idea of open mic night. Ok now I'm going to watch this again. Congratulations pal!!!
MarkM
MarkM