[Photo: Dale Watson and me, by Dale Watson. 01/26/2023 Denver, CO]
This guy...
Following along the lines of the Ernest Tubb M.O. of making sure to make time-- sometimes lasting many hours-- with every single fan who lined up to buy merch, ask for an autograph, sing their praises for the show, or even just to shake hands with the man, Ameripolitan/Honky Tonk hero Dale Watson knows how to work the post-show fan line.
[Disclaimer: He did not specifically tell me this tip, as I did not interview him for this. But it was something I personally ardently observed and noted.]
As many popular musicians know, it is an exhilarating yet daunting feeling to see a huge line of fans wanting to have personal time with you after your 1-to-3+hour show.
You're happy to see them: The longtime supporters (whether or not they have an actual personal relationship with you), venue regulars, and unfamiliar faces you'd want to recruit into your super supporter circle. How do you engage and feel like you've made them happy enough to keep on supporting you?
Here's the (observed) tip from Dale:
- Greet each one with a happy handshake
- Sell/sign whatever they've got in their hand (for merch sales, recruit someone to take care of payments before they get up to you for an easier, breezier interaction)
- Chat with them for an approximate 1-3 minutes, really paying attention but energetically and gently guiding the conversation to:
* [The Selfie Exit] "Let's take a selfie!" / "Wanna take a selfie?"-- and the fan will say yes, and he'll ask for your phone and become the camera man.
- And he'll take 2-3 shots to make sure at least one of them is good enough to post to social media.
- Shake hands or hug, thank them, and move on to the next in line.
Yeah, that's it! The main point is give 'em a little face time, focus in the moment (using your internal egg timer), and end the conversation with a quick topic switch: "Selfie!"... And everybody's happy! The fan/friend will likely post it on their social media, which gives you extra promotion, and you get to have an authentic (albeit brief) interaction with your peoples, without looking short or dismissive... and all the while a very efficient use of your time! (The sooner you get through, the sooner you can finish breaking down, getting back to your crash spaces, or having your own after party/rest escape.)
[The photo of us was completely his idea, the third of the miniseries that looks best for posting.]