We make a conscious effort to bump up our crowd interaction when we're dealing with a small crowd. When a joint it packed - the crowd has a life of it's own - and we're focused on keeping the dance floor going non-stop. That means we've got little time for between song banter, breaks are a tad shorter, etc.
When we're facing a smaller crowd - we try to be a lot more personable. Between song banter feels more appropriate. We take a little more time to joke amongst ourselves and with individuals in the crowd - and in the process let our personalities come through a little more (as compared to when we're playing to a packed house and are focused on being a musical machine pumping out non-stop dance material). Everybody in the band makes a point of stopping by tables and talking to folks. I think our focus on being "personable" when we're facing a smaller crowd goes a long way in keeping people interested and engaged. Folks who are interested and engaged tend to stay for an extra drink or two .....
Shaster wrote:
....there gets to be a fine line between being a liquor rep and a musician. I know years ago I used to cross that line and probably promoted drinking too much. But as per above, you can keep people engaged without pouring tequila down their throats!
There's truth to your observation. I don't like when bands that incessently make drinking references all night long - it simply strikes me as the easy approach. I'm certainly not opposed to drinking - but prefer it to be incorporated into the conversation a bit more subtly.
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