I, the audience...

[swee'pea99]

Slightly surreal experience tonight - went to my local because I'd heard there was live jazz on. Sure enough, four blokes playing good if 'mellow' jazz - drums, double bass, two guitars - Moonlight in Vermont-type stuff..all very enjoyable. Only thing was, there was only me and a couple on the table behind me...and when I came back from the bar after the interval, they'd gone! So for the entire second set, there were these four guys playing really perfectly good and really very enjoyable jazz, and...me. I've been in some small audiences before, but I've never been outnumbered by the band...

https://www.dropbox.com/s/7i102quw344ujtr/VID_20160603_221704254.mp4?dl=0

 

[Fnaar]

Mind you, reading the music (obviously a plus, if you're a musician, and you can) won't win them many fans.
Jazz should be from the heart and soul
Get hip with the beat, daddy-o! (you should have said to them)

 

[Julia9054]

Sadly, I've been in the band on more than one occasion outnumbering the audience!

 

[newfhouse]

I've been in some small audiences before, but I've never been outnumbered by the band...

Never seen Parliament Funkadelic then?

 

[swee'pea99]

won't win them many fans

'fans'?
I think they would have settled for, like, people.

Still, I shall take you at your word, and next time, assuming there is one, I shall most assuredly recommend them to get hip with the beat. I am sure they will be most appreciative.

 

[Seevio]

Such is the life of the amateur musician. It's important that you enjoy just playing. Sure, it's nice to have a packed venue dancing away but if that's why you do it, you wont last long.

 

[slowmotion]

It's very difficult knowing how to respond in a small audience. Half of me says I should just carry on as normal eating my meal and quietly talking to my friends, and the other half says that it would be impolite not to give the band/performer my full attention. I just feel rather embarrassed and awkward unless the music really grabs me. It's much easier if there are lots of people about.

 

[winjim]

Sadly, I've been in the band on more than one occasion outnumbering the audience!

I've been a DJ on my own outnumbering the audience!

 

[slowmotion]

I've been a DJ on my own outnumbering the audience!

That must be very hard. Did you shrug it off with a thick skin or take it personally? Either way, I admire your bravery.

 

[steve50]

https://www.dropbox.com/s/7i102quw344ujtr/VID_20160603_221704254.mp4?dl=0

To my mind ^^^^that is not jazz, more like supermarket background music, I'm not surprised they didn't have an audience.

 

[newfhouse]

I was in a Hawkwind tribute band a few years ago and we regularly had a following of two or three people at every gig.

Did you take the part of Stacia?

 

[winjim]

That must be very hard. Did you shrug it off with a thick skin or take it personally? Either way, I admire your bravery.

Well had I been a named DJ that people were actively trying to avoid then I might have taken it personally, but it was either when I was first on and nobody had arrived at the club yet (every DJ gets a turn at that), or on a little Wednesday night thing we used to do that realistically nobody was going to attend and they just needed as an excuse to keep the pub open. I just used to get more and more pissed and play increasingly ridiculous records as the night went on.

 

[Andrew_P]

 

[ianrauk]

It wasn't the band...

 

[GM]

Out of interest what was the pub?