A House Concert…What is THAT!??
A house concert is a gathering of friends in your living room, garden, garage (etc) but with the wonderful addition of live music! These evenings provide a very unique setting for you and your people to come together while also providing an artist an opportunity to share a musical journey with you in a very intimate and personal setting.
Now you may be thinking to yourself, “Self…I want Leslie to come play an intimate concert at my home BUT…I have questions”. To that I say, “No problem!”. Here are some Frequently Asked Questions:
DOES IT COST MONEY TO HOST A HOUSE CONCERT?
There is no upfront cost for you to host a concert! Some people choose to throw a party and decide to provide their guests with food, drinks, snacks, etc but you absolutely don’t have to – the choice is yours. The bottom line is that a host provides a space for a show and invites guests to a donation-based private concert. There is no set donation amount, however, giving is an appreciated way of showing your support for an artist.
I DON’T HAVE A BIG HOUSE, CAN I STILL HOST A CONCERT?
You betcha! You don’t need a gigantic living room or one of those houses on the Fresh Prince of Bel-air (although, if you do have one, I might stay…just sayin’). A host simply needs to have access to a physical space where people can gather for an event. The most important thing about the space you choose, is that it should allow all the guests to be seated in the same room, as a group, directly in front of my performance area.
CAN I BOOK YOU AT MY LOCAL THEATER, COFFEE HOUSE, OR CHURCH INSTEAD?
Absolutely! Traditional home spaces work great (living room, backyard, garage, etc) however, alternative spaces work really well too (apartment community room, art studio, church meeting room, winery, small theatre, gallery, coffee house, etc). In some cases, hosts have decided to personally pay a fee to rent a space for their event, which was entirely their choice; for your event… the choice is yours!
HOW MANY PEOPLE ARE YOU EXPECTING TO ATTEND?
There is no limit on how many people can attend! That being said, a house concert should have a minimum of 20 adults in attendance in order to make it feel like a proper event. Fewer than this will simply feel like a few friends hanging out and will lack that exciting buzz of a special gathering. If you don’t think you can get at least 20 people to attend, why not team up with a friend or relative and co-host an event together!?
HOW ON EARTH DO I PLAN THIS THING?
The beauty of a house concert is that it is your unique event so have fun with it and, whatever happens, don’t stress! Once we agree on a date, we can talk about a start time. You can setup a Facebook invite and/or send emails to your network of friends to let them know about it. Some hosts are scrapbookers and love to also send out homemade invitations! My preferred method of communication used to be courier pigeon, that was, until the dried bread fiasco of 2016… but I won’t get started on that because we have your event to rock!
WHAT EXACTLY IS THE ORDER OF EVENTS FOR THE EVENING?
I will arrive roughly two hours before showtime, which gives me time to setup my performance area and do a soundcheck before guests arrive. Guests should arrive one hour before showtime, which gives them time to chat it up with friends and get comfortable before I start to play. I have found that less than an hour can make guests feel rushed but that more than an hour can make the event feel more like a house party, rather than a house concert. After the host has introduced me, I will play somewhere around 1 hour to 1.5 hours.
ANY TIPS ON INVITING GUESTS???
As mentioned, a minimum of 20 adult guests is the goal but it is a good idea to invite at least double that amount as many people won’t be able to make it – requiring an RSVP rather than a, “come by if you can make it” approach will save you a lot of headache! Also, due to the intimate nature of these shows, they are best suited to be adult-only; if needed, some hosts may choose to hire a babysitter who, for the entire duration of the live performance, will take all of the children to a (physically and sonically) separate space from the concert.
WHAT ARE YOUR PERSONAL EXPECTATIONS, LESLIE?
I enjoy the storytelling aspect of live music and the ability to share a journey with people I may have never met before. I think that some of the most moving concerts occur when a space becomes a listening room in which the audience and I can truly connect. I do enjoy good background music that helps to set the mood at an event (and I am available for hire for that sort of thing too) but, for house concerts, I prefer to be engaged with the audience in our intimate space that allows us to connect and share the joy of music.
THIS SOUNDS LIKE FUN! WHAT’S NEXT?
If you are interested in hosting a private house concert, that’s great! Please feel free to CONTACT me by sending an email to lesliedancey.music@gmail.com or, if you already have my number, then pick up the phone and call me! Either way, let’s get this baby rolling! While you’re here, I also invite you to check out the rest of my WEBSITE.
I look forward to hearing from you and am grateful for the opportunity to play a private concert in your place, with your people.
– Peace and Love, Leslie
Contact
Email: lesliedancey.music@gmail.com
