Do not, I repeat, do not go first.
This is the big trick of the open mic, and the difference between open mics and other kinds of shows. When one goes to a show, you are prepared for a listening experience. When you go to an open mic, there is a big chance that the pub/bar/club will be filled with people who are just there to drink and make merry. This means that the performer, particularly the person opening, has to capture the audience's attention.
On Sunday I hit up the Phoenix again. This time was very different from the last. Instead of being in the middle of the pack, I kicked things off, and I quickly realized that I have to have some catchy way of getting the audience's attention, short of stripping naked and playing my guitar with an appendage not my finger. By the end of my 15 minute set, I think I had at least got some of the audience to pay attention, but it was a far cry from last week when I had the audience's attention from the get go because others had primed them for listening to a performance.
So anyways, this is a plea to all of those out there with showmanship in their blood. Any ideas on getting the attention of audience members?
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