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I Bet You Remember The First Concert You Emceed ...
September 20, 2022
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Walking out on stage for the first time at a concert venue to bring on an act can be a scary thing. According to several air personalities I spoke with, their instructions were vague at best, “ Go out on stage and get the crowd psyched up.” It sounds simple enough. But your mind can go blank when those bright lights shine into your eyes and the only thing you can see are the faces of the people in the first few rows. The last thing you want to do is to stumble over your words and forget what you're supposed to say. But it happens.
I'll Never Forget ...
I still laugh every time I think about one of my earlier emcee duties. It was at the Holiday Star (demolished in 2018) in Merryville, IN, just outside of Chicago. I was working at a Country station WUSN (US99) in Chicago and had emceed a lot of concerts at the resort's theater. I don't remember the name of the act, but I do remember what happened. The venue seated about 2,500 people and it was packed. The booth announcer signaled for me to head out on stage to greet the audience.Flop Sweat ...
Normally crowds would go crazy when I would walk out and say US99, but not that night. I said my name, welcomed the audience, made a couple of stage announcements, and mentioned our latest on-air contest. I was trying to get the crowd fired up. I asked, "What's your favorite radio station?" I heard crickets, no response, nothing. I was trying to see past the bright lights to try and figure out what was going on. Meanwhile off stage out of the corner of my eye, I could see some one of the stagehands laughing.No One Told Me ....
I was only out there for a couple of minutes, but it seemed like an eternity. The lack of response had me stumbling all through the introduction of the act. I managed to get through it and the audience did cheer when I finally asked them to put their hands together for the artist. I was pretty shaken up when I exited the stage. The stagehands were laughing their butts off. They finally told me the deal. Most of the audience had come in on buses from outside the Chicago area and had never heard of me or US99.It's Pretty Simple ...
Your job is to get the audience applauding and introduce the act to kick off their performance. The clapping and bringing on the act are a timing thing; it all comes together with experience. The basics are to smile, don't shout into the mic, tell the audience what station you're from, say your name, read the stage announcements, say the name of record company the act is currently on, and pronounce the performer's name correctly. Don't get out there and try to be the show, bring on the show.Like Riding A Bike ...
You'll develop your own style the more you emcee . If you don't already, start paying attention to emcees of other shows for some guidance. If you didn’t already know, a lot of times you'll be bringing on an unknown or barely known opening act and the crowd will only be politely enthusiastic.Why The Opening Act? ...
Many established performers have emcees on their payroll do the job. Having the same person as the emcee every show is a comfort zone thing for the act. It's like a Major League Baseball pitcher wanting to pitch to the same catcher for every game he starts.A Few More Things …
If your Program Director wants you to bring an act on stage, don't be afraid to ask what you’re supposed to say. Earlier I mentioned a few things you should do. But in case you need a little more instruction , I've put together a longer list of things you might want to remember.Emcee Tips ...
- To reiterate, make sure you pronounce the name of the act or acts correctly.
- If there are stage announcements, take them with you to read from onstage. If the venue just verbalizes some things to announce, always have something to write on so you can jot it down, don't rely on your memory.
- Whether the audience reacts or not, keep whatever you say short and get the act on stage to perform.
- Try and get attendees into a clapping frenzy when it's time to bring on the act. For example, say something simple like: "As soon as you start clapping, ___will come out, so put your hands together for____.
- Don't squint at the bright stage lights, try and find one person to look in the crowd. That way you give the appearance of looking the audience in the eye.
- The speakers will carry your voice, so don't shout into the mic.
- Ask a stagehand which mic to go to before you get out on stage.
- Watch other air personalities emcee shows and take notes.
- Smile and have a good time.
Lastly …
Most important, never forget your first time and make sure you help others in the future with their first emcee experience. -
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