1. Audience Interaction
But this is the big one. Above all else, the artist must value the people who took the time to come to their show. A good artist understands that the fans are there to have a good time and that this happens best when they feel they are being included in the performance. Most of the best shows I have seen have ended with the artist giving the audience a huge, genuine thank you for being at their show. But while acknowledging the audience is a good thing to do, it doesnt cover all bases. The artist should stop every couple of songs and communicate with the audience. They should tell jokes or amusing anecdotes. They could even stop and talk about something serious if it fits the tone of the music they are playing. I remember when I saw OFF! (who were opening for the Red Hot Chili Peppers). I hated their music. It was loud, aggressive and gave me a massive headache. But I wouldnt have left because the stories they told between songs were so damn interesting. There are other ways for artists to include the audience as well. When I saw The Script just a few weeks ago, they wowed me by asking to borrow the phone of a fan so that they could sing a song to her ex-boyfriend. How unexpected and exciting! Some bands even go as far as to bring audience members on stage to sing and dance with them. Green Day do this a lot and it is something many of their fans (me included) aspire to be picked for. This one is the hardest to predictbut, again, the best way is to watch some YouTube videos. If the band and the audience look engaged with one another and the frontman (or woman) is stopping to speak to the fans every now and then, youre probably on to a winner.