Emcees ... The Show Must Go On

It's always fun to emcee a live concert event. This is one of those times an air personality gets to see the faces of listeners. These gatherings are organized frenzies that differ from the calming surroundings of an on-air studio.

Country Was A Friend Of Mine...

I remember being drenched in flop sweat when introducing an act at the Holiday Star in Merryville, IN, just outside of Chicago. I was working at Chicago Country station WUSN (US99) and had emceed a lot of shows at the indoor resort. The name of the act escapes me, but not the situation.

Having emceed there so many times, I knew the stage hands and would always come early for a free meal and a chance to have fun with them. Only this night they had fun with me. The guy in the booth on the side of the stage signaled me to head out on stage to greet the audience. The venue seated about 2,500 and it was packed.

What The Hell ...

There was little reaction following my introduction and it seemed odd. Normally crowds would go crazy when the booth announcer would say the station's name, but not that night. I welcomed everybody, made a couple of stage announcements, and mentioned our latest big on-air contest. I was trying to see past the bright lights to determine what was going on. Meanwhile, off stage in the booth, I could see out of the corner of my eye some of the stage hands laughing.

No One Told Me ...

I was only out there for about a minute and the lack of response had me stumbling over the introduction of the act, but the audience did let out a big ovation. It even crossed my mind they were applauding because they were glad I was leaving the stage. The backstage crew was busting a gut laughing and finally told me the deal. The majority of the audience had come in on buses from outside the Chicago area and had never heard of WUSN or me. That did explain the feeble response to, "What's your favorite Country station?"

The Main Purpose

Your job is to get the audience applauding and bring the act on stage. No matter the venue or size of the crowd, find a place to fix your eyes on and talk to that spot. The most important things to remember are to smile, don't shout into the mic, tell the audience what station you're from and your name, read the stage announcements, get the crowd clapping loudly, say the name of the act's record company, and pronounce the performer's name correctly. The clapping and bringing out the act are a timing thing, it all goes together.

Getting Them To Clap ....

It's easy to get an audience excited; they came for a good time. Over the course of time you will develop ways to bring out an act. You should also start paying attention to emcees of other shows for some guidance. I have to warn you, though: A lot of times you will be bringing on an unknown or little known opening act and the crowd will only be politely enthusiastic.

Why Only Opening Acts

Many established performers have personal emcees on the payroll or have someone in their crew to do the job. Too many local emcees are unpredictable with introductions. Besides that, having the same person for every show means consistency and insures the performer will know exactly when it's time to come out on stage. It's like the baseball pitcher who always wants the same catcher every time he starts a game. There is a level of comfort.

Keep In Mind

You're not there to put on a show; your sole purpose is to bring the act on stage. One of my all-time favorite concert stories was told by comedian Albert Brooks. He was the opening act for the late Richie Havens and there was no emcee. Brooks came onstage, unannounced, to the marijuana-infused crowd and things got verbally abusive. According to Brooks, he shortened his set and got off stage.

Emcee Tips ...

• Make sure you correctly pronounce the name of the act or acts you're introducing
• If there are stage announcements to be made, take them with you to read from onstage. If the venue just verbalizes some things to announce, jot them down to read from.
• Whether the crowd reacts or doesn't, keep whatever you do short and get the act onstage.
• Try and get the audience to clap and cheer for the act coming up; during the cheering, bring on the act.
• Don't squint from the bright lights while onstage and try and find one place to look at in the crowd to give the appearance of looking the audience in the eye.
• Don't shout into the mic, the speakers will carry your voice.
• Ask a stage hand which mic to go to when you get out onstage.
• Smile and have a good time.
• Watch others emcee events and take mental notes.
• Most important, remember the more you do it, the easier it will get.