From Our Audience: How to Turn a Good Show Into a Great Show

The Lads from Seizer Photo by Gabe Small

Here at Sok Hop, we love seeing new artists take their first leap into the concert world! It's enlightening to see different perspectives and personalities cross our stage each week. But there are a few things that set some shows apart from others and this week we asked our Instagram followers to tell us what they think the most important aspect of a great show is. Here's what they said.

Seizer - Ethan's Playing the Bass Photo by Gabe Small

5. Sound Quality

At Sok Hop we've gone through trial and error after trial and error to figure out the sound specs in such an intimate venue. While we do think we've got it figured out now, that's only half the battle.

A good show has musicians that know how to play their songs... A great show has musicians that know how to play their songs well.

A band could be great at writing but if their live performing skills aren't up to par, the crowd probably won't notice those amazing lyrics. Making sure the sounds and, just as important, the balance of those sounds all please ears is a great way to ensure a great show.

Jeff from Part II and the Electric Boogaloos Photo by Gabe Small

4. Performing Original Music

Part of the Sok Hop appeal is finding your new favorite bands, and while some well-thought-out covers can do wonders for audience engagement, we're really here to find some new originals to listen to.

With that being said, it's also important that the audience knows what they're listening to. A tasty backstory can make the difference between an original being overlooked or not.

Seizer - Garrett's Broken Drum Photo by Gabe Small

3. Creativity

If you're a Sok Hop regular, you see a lot of concerts. After a while, some of those concerts can start to blend together, even if they were a blast.

Bands can often get stuck in doing the same things that bands are known to do, but when they break free of that box, that's when the magic happens.

Whether it's adding a monologue or an art piece or something totally unheard of, doing something different is bound to catch attention and make a lasting memory.

Part II and the Electric Boogaloos - Ben's Screaming Photo by Gabe Small

2. Stage Presence

Stage presence can make or break a concert.

The energy that a band puts out into the audience is vitally important to how the audience will receive the music they are hearing. We'd even argue that stage presence is just as important as the quality of the music at a concert.

Having good stage presence consists of a variety of factors and it looks different for everyone. Lady Gaga has a much different stage presence than Bob Dylan, and that's a good thing. Stage presence really boils down to conveying the energy of the music to an audience instead of just performing to us.

Stage presence feeds into our next point as well. And this point was overwhelmingly the most common response from our community.

Seizer - We Love You, PJ Photo by Gabe Small

1. Crowd Involvement

The beautiful thing about music is that it's a shared experience. Bands that overlook this are missing out on unlocking the full potential of their concerts.

Most of the responses we received from our audience said that the energy in the crowd was the top factor that makes a good concert into a great concert for them. As Sok Hop attendees, we want to dance! We want to feel the music, we want to feel alive! Engaging the crowd makes a tremendous difference.

Our Beloved Crowd Photo by Gabe Small

Now that you know what makes a great concert... Bands, be sure to implement some of these strategies because this audience knows what's up.

Did we miss anything? Let us know in the comments if there's anything else that takes a good concert to a great one!