With and Without an Audience
Part of being an entertainer is the two-way connection between the artist and the audience. When an audience responds (or doesn’t respond), a good artist will adjust to accommodate that audience. If an audience like what they see/hear, the artist will pick up on that and give them more.
Since the shutdowns last year, many of these entertainers who have chosen to keep working have been forced to work in a vacuum with no audience feedback. They have no clue if what they are doing is “landing” in that moment. Their entire rhythm is off.
Some artists may take this to mean that everything they say or do is good. They have no way to gage what they’re doing until after it’s done. They’ve lost their ability to adjust in the moment for an audience.
I suspect some of these individuals will struggle once audiences come back. They will be under the assumption that they have been 100% right for the last year, and will either be unable to adjust again, or even blame the audience for not being at the same level.
This is probably why some artists have chosen to just stop until conditions improve. These artists know their strengths, and rather than squander their brand, they’re trying desperately to wait it out.
I am genuinely curious, however, about what entertainment will look like once these artists who have kept working in said vacuum are once again back in front of an audience….an audience that may not respond the way the artist thinks they should….