Not All Shows Are the Same Shows

​After 11 years of doing I've stopped preparing for my shows outside of guaranteed sold out theater shows. So besides maybe 2-3 teacher/corporate gigs a year, I've stopped worrying about "what am I going to do?" Now, this wasn't always the case, as the first five or six years I had a plan, and if it didn't go well, well, "you can't win them all" was my mantra. But after my heart failure in 2021, I started to rethink the overplanning and started thinking about how can I win them all?

When you think about how many factors are involved before you take the stage, the arrogance of thinking your "jokes" will work in any environment is a one track pass to failure and for many...temporary depression and second guessing. While having some type of plan can make you feel secure, listening to the room and being aware of the vibes before you can help create a better experience for the comic and the crowd. While being narrow minded on what to say will only bring a lot of frustration and no real sense of how these jokes work in front a real crowd. Let's dive into the obstacles and how to deal with them before you drive an hour just to bomb for ten minutes. 

You Have No Idea How Many People Will Show Up
Often, our jokes work because there's a vibe 30-200 people can bring that let's us feel confidant to stick with an act. The audience wants you to win and as long as you're remotely funny, they'll go with it. But bringing the same energy to a normal size crowd when there's only 10 or less people makes you look like an escaped insane asylum patient. So I know you had this great opening joke about Pixar movies having lesbian characters or a Sydney Sweeney jeans joke, but in front of 10 embarrassed to be there patrons, those hot takes will look more scripted and unnatural. 

I was once told, never mention the size of the crowd. That's BS. Looking at the crowd and joking about how we're the only people dumb enough to come to tonight's show can break the ice. If a venue gets mad at you for acknowledging the poor turnout, that's on them. If the people laugh...you did your job. You might be able to transition into material after, or you might want to slow down and go more conversational. But if a producer stops booking you for pointing out the crowd, did you really want to go back? No. 

So when you have a set list and then you have to face 20 dead eyeballs, just take a deep breath, slow down, and talk to them. Be so in the moment and enjoying the awkwardness, they'll never forget you. Ask them questions. Turn it into an improv game. Be different. You can try jokes at dead open mics - give the only people in town supporting comedy something live and real. 

You Don't Know How The Comic Before You Will Do
Ever have the set list ready and the comic before you bombs AND turns on the room? Then you haven't lived yet. It's impossible to just walk on stage after the host or previous comic goes rogue and you're standing in the sh*t they left on the stage. In a ten minute showcase, you are going to have to sacrifice the first minute and address the awful time just had by all. You don't have to roast the bombing comic, but at least tag a joke. If they were complaining about their last girlfriend and it goes south, just make a joke like, "So you're saying your ex is single? Cool, set me up." Or if the comic is super gross, just go, "They do children's parties." Audiences love the acknowledgment factor. 

Too often comics think their set is in a vacuum. It's not. There are a million factors going into the show. The time it starts. The smells in the air. The price of the drinks. The size of the stage. The art on the wall. I've performed in art galleries with the lights up and naked drawings on the wall behind me. Every joke hits differently in that environment. You can't just not acknowledge it on some level. And when the comic before you bombs, call it out with friendly fire. 
If a comic does great, just say, "give it up for ______" and ride the wave. 

Audience Demographics Can Change the Vibe
I don't believe young crowds are more fun than older crowds. I've done too many rooms to believe that. But I do think younger crowds understand certain jokes differently than older crowds, and if you aren't prepared to adjust when the general knowledge varies from crowd to crowd, you'll find your jokes fall flat. 

I once had written a bunch of Avengers jokes after Endgame in 2019. I'm not going to lie, they'd kill faster than Thanos snaped his finger in front of a Comic Con crowd, except the 30 people were all over 60 and had NO IDEA what I was talking about. So instead of doing the jokes, I tried to explain comic book movies to them, and that went over worse than had I just done the jokes. 
When the first joke fell flat, I should have bailed and saved them for another group. Instead, I tried to power through, and I would say, easily, that was a mistake. I should have pivoted and I might have won them over and set up the show better. 

Every show has its own vibe. A night at the Comedy Store on a Tuesday is different than a Friday at the Improv. The YooHoo Room isn't the Lab. Not all bar shows are the same either. Different cities equals different town drunks to entertain. Sometimes its all married people and sometimes it's all dating couples. Sometimes the group likes your topics because they relate and sometimes they like your topics because they enjoy your enthusiasm and word play. 
In the words of Ted Lasso, not all people are the same people. 

Final Thoughts 
Shows are their own beasts. The travel time. The lineup. The venue. It all plays a part. Now, if you're only doing comedy clubs Thursday through Saturday or have an established fan base, then it's different. But when you jump from casino show to bar show to showcase to club feature spot, you will experience multiple waves of shows and need to adapt or die (on stage). Too many comics bring the exact same energy into every room and then feel disappointment and frustration because Tuesday night wasn't as fun as Saturday night. 

By understanding you prepare for the show in font of you and not the show you wished you had, you have a much better sense of where to go with the crowd. 

​I know a lot of 25-50 year old comics who seem confused when shows don't go well, as if the setting and external factors don't play a part. If anything, by adjusting to the room when needed, you'll completely help your comedy mental health. You'll relax knowing you can feel comfortable changing up the vibe as needed. Comedy is hard enough, you don't need to make it any harder.