Hello! One tip to improve your ability in a safe environment: read the crowd from within it. Going to shows not only offers entertainment and ideas (good or bad) from watching the performer, but a means to exercise your ‘crowd intuition’ from the comfort of the audience perspective.
I recently went to an event that had 15+ performers, one after another on a single stage. Two DJs played for over 45 minutes, having the best time, but never once looking up to see no one dancing. They played straight EDM to a very clearly hip hop crowd–a crowd that went wild when they played one hip hop track, and who immediately went dead when they brought back the electronic for the rest of the set. Had they felt the energy in the room, or just simply looked up, they could’ve adjusted a bit towards what the crowd wanted. It was a complete disconnect. They were ushered off the stage for playing too long and had to stop mid track. Even if you attempt to read the crowd, successful or not, the crowd will usually notice and appreciate you.
Just awareness of what type of event you’re in for can do wonders for set preparation, even though this will likely change once performing, you’ll have an idea of who you’re performing with and the general demographic that turns up for these kind of gigs. You can practice when you attend events by noticing other crowd members’ body language, facial expressions, etc and figure out what you’d do musically the same or different. I hope this helps!
