In my 20s I spent a lot of time at concerts. I worked in the music industry for three years which made that easy, but beyond that, live music is something I enjoy. That experience of seeing a artist perform their art, inspires me. With some encouragement, and my partner’s proactive ticket buying, I’ve managed to get to a few great shows this year, including this weekend’s Coldplay performance in Sydney. I’m not a fan of Coldplay, nor do I dislike them.
I’m just a little ambivalent about them and, while I’d recognise their very distinct sound in a minute, only know a few of their big hits. Nonetheless I could draw six great lessons in rockstar performance from their weekend show (which was pretty fabulous) at the Alliance Stadium.
1. Engage the Crowd
Most of the 50,000 audience wore a coloured wristband which magically lit up (in different colours) at the whim of the audiovisual people, creating an amazing spectacle across the open stadium. If you had a wristband on (they were given away at entry), you couldn’t but help to throw your hands up in the air each time the wristband lit up! The band made it EASY to participate.
2. Put On a Show
The word that kept coming to mind for me was, spectacular. From the opening pyrotechnics and slick stage set up, 5-screens (not the usual two), bouncing inflatable balls, fun animation, smoke and fanfare there was lots to watch and enjoy. (Plus, by throwing the cameras to the audience often the crowd became a part of the show.) And, the music sounded great. The band members looked like they were having fun and seemed committed to ensuring the audience did too.
3. Be Excellent
Musically the band could not be faulted. The sound was crisp, the band was tight, small details had been taken care of. It didn’t matter that I didn’t know some of the music. They sounded, moved around the very large stage, and performed beautifully. (Reminder: I am not a fan but reporting from a neutral audience-member position).
4. Acknowledge those that support you
As well as thanking the audience numerous times for coming to see them, the band thanked and acknowledged Elton John. Apparently the famous singer/songwriter (also currently touring Australia) had been kind to them in their early years and in thanks and tribute (and with a bit of fun needling) played a part of Rocket Man for the audience.
5. Surprise Your Audience
There are some things that you can expect at a concert. The band will mention the name of the city they are in (often to great cheers), a flag of the country they are in may be held up at some point, or a koala (it was a flag in this instance and there were big cheers). The crowd, I assume, also expected an encore. That’s normal. What we didn’t expect was for the band to show up for the encore 500 metres away from the stage, on a very small stage in the ‘cheap seats’ area. Those ‘at the back’ roared in joy as they got to be a little closer than they’d expected to the band.
6. Give People Their Money’s Worth
Our non-premium tickets were $150. A rough calculation would mean a $7.5million revenue day that day. Was it worth it? I think so. I certainly got my $150 dollars in value. And, if the others attending did too, then (firstly) the band, organisers, venue, volunteers and those oh-so-talented audio visual staff sure earned their pay day.
A good show. Worth seeing in your city if there are still tickets available. And, for me, great lessons for any performance, include business.
