Telling the audience to get up on stage

[Obfuscator]

What do you guys think about the bands that tell/force the audience to get up on stage/mosh/do something.

I think its kinda annoying but you guys think it really helps the band's stage presence?

 

[avenger]

I think its fine to say something like "fucking mosh!" or yell something to tell people now is the time to go crazy if its at a break just before a huge part of the song comes in.

But begging people to do something is lame.

 

[Explorer]

Purely from an audience management point of view, it's easy to have the audience do an action which has a motivation, and hard to do one which has less motivation.

Getting on stage could seem neat for a variety of reasons: being near the band, a troublemaker liking being the center of attention, etc.

Getting off stage doesn't seem as neat. Why would someone leave? Politeness. What about the troublemaker who likes being the center of attention, though? Why would such a person get off stage, especially if there is more payoff by humiliating the band?

And now, imagine that there is more than one troublemaker on the stage. "Hey, neat mic! I'm taking it!" "Hey, cool guitars back on this rack!"

Thanks, but no thanks. Why take the risk?

 

[Bloody_Inferno]

Seriously, Explorer said it best.

 

[soliloquy]

theres a video of Zakk Wylde floating around where he pulled a few people from the crowd onto the stage, and threw his guitar on one of the guys. the awesome part about it was that the guy knew how to play the song, so he started playing. i thought that was the coolest thing ever!

and stories go for other guitarists like john mayer who called a kid from the audience. sure, rumors go around saying it was staged as he did the same thing at 2 or 3 other shows, and he gave him his squire and all...so it seemed a bit of a publicity stunt. but still, its a cool gesture.

 

[jymellis]

i will just leave this here

 

[Bloody_Inferno]

This too:

 

[brutalwizard]

if you watch the bands on the welcome to hell tour

acacia strain and i declare war synchronized what they were going to say, like it was part of the set list haha

 

[highlordmugfug]

 

[soliloquy]

here we go. this is the video where zakk invites tones of people on stage, one of them starts soloing and playing the song. he gets a kiss from zakk too! how cool is this?!

 

[Onimacaroni]

Can work well if the crowd is into it, if theyre not too bothered i think it seems a bit desperate! also more people on stage is a nightmare, we played a gig were the stage was just the floor, n someone ended up falling through our other guitarists 6505 n cab!! if the stage was big enough then go ahead get people up but if theres a good chance our gears getting knocked over, fuck that!!

 

[steve1]

generally i think its a bit lame.

Zakk Wylde however can pull it off. Being a legend allows you to do such things.

 

[Chickenhawk]

here we go. this is the video where zakk invites tones of people on stage, one of them starts soloing and playing the song. he gets a kiss from zakk too! how cool is this?!

That's fucking amazing.

I'm seeing BLS this Saturday, and a good friend of ours does musicals with Red Line Chemistry's drum tech...so we'll be on the second stage of Rockfest for most of the day...

Nothing as badass as that, though.

generally i think its a bit lame.

Zakk Wylde however can pull it off. Being a legend allows you to do such things.

Most Zakk fans are because of BLS, and not Ozzy, and it's because he's so fucking down to earth with his fans. Hell, he handed a random dude his guitar, and gave him control of his pedalboard.

Personally, I've NEVER liked people getting on stage while I was playing, or bouncing for a show. The real quick stage dive is fine, as long as you don't touch anything on stage. But, I've never had bandmates or bands I've managed that thought the same. So, instead of bouncing a show, I quickly turn into a tech and have to fix everything that gets messed up.

But, whatever puts on a good show, I guess. This is also why I haven't played a show in forever...I tend to punch people in the face that touch my shit...which makes the show turn for the south.

 

[Blasphemer]

I'm not a fan of it personally. If you're a big act, its different, but I've seen WAY too many shitty bands up here yell "GET UP TO THE FRONT", and "GET UP ON THE FUCKING STAGE" to make me ever be comfortable with it.

 

[Hallic]

Edit: this doesn't directly adresses the OP subject but...

I once went to some punk concert(can't remember what bands, but probs USA band) in amsterdam and there was like this douche bag who got on stage. Which isn't that big of a deal because it common for people to do so they can stage dive and do some crowd surfing.

Anyhow the "douchebag"(or fan whatevers) got on stage did bit of co singing with the vox, still everythings cool, this pretty normal, is allow and stuff. but then, before stage diving, he snatched a plectrum from the mic-standard. Ok pretty lame. butttt. Next thing you know another 5 douche bags got on stage(one by one) and started plucking the chicking(i mean stealling plectrums as well).

Pretty lame. I can understand they wanted a souvaurnir but this was just very rude.

 

[abadonae]

I think one of the most exhilirating things to happen at a gig was at an unearth/jobforacowboy gig a couple of years back, they basically dared the audience to get up on the stage in a tiny little place called the mean fiddler in london (RIP) and the security looked pissed haha, but it just got everyone moving, no1 got on stage and yea there is the worry of having troublemakers but personally you dont try and invite people up unless you can accept that risk. Playing should be an experience for both the band and the audience, you should always do whats best for both, make the crowd go wild but keep yourself comfy and enjoying it as well

 

[Ryan-ZenGtr-]

Don't let noobs on stage!!! EVER!!!!



All the stuff people have seen where a prodigy steps up from the audience... Whatever... It's all organised in advance as part of the show.

I would never recommend letting people up, even if they're good. What is the point of rehearsing only to let something spontaneous ruin your day at the office?

Bands need to maintain their mystique; whilst on stage musicians ARE NOT ordinary people, that is the illusion that needs to be maintained for you to be payed!

I liked Maynard's throw and choke combo! (Thanks Bloody_Inferno)

During Marine training, they have to carry weights to simulate pulling a wounded marine out of combat for treatment, making Maynard no stranger to bearing the weight of a man on his back.... lol.

 

[Nyx Erebos]

That BLS vid is so awesome, damn lucky guitarist.

 

[Vairish]

It can cause probs:

 

[Mr_Nugglet]

I was at this show today just like a local band fest thing and there was like no movement besides a few kids including myself and the band kept yelling at the crowd to move. I find it quiet annoying when bands do that after every song or every break in a song they have. It's like if they aren't going to move the first couple times you yell at them what makes you think they are going to move the next hundred times you yell.

That was just my little input on the topic