The Official House Concert Guide
Here we go!!! I am incredibly thankful for a chance to stop in your living room for a night! House concerts are hands down one of my favorite ways to share these original stories and songs. The intimate and cozy setting of a home allows people to relax, settle in, and listen with open hearts. AND I get to meet and build friendships with amazing folks like you along the way…what a gift. Thank you for being a part of the journey. This guide will help us prepare for a great evening together. Read on!
#1 THE HOUSE
Your typical, average sized living room is the perfect place to stage a house concert. But I have also played in barns, backyards, apartments, coffeehouses…..the “house” can be whatever unique space you have available that still allows everyone to be gathered close and seated together to enjoy the concert.
Rearranging the placement of couches and chairs and pulling in dining chairs and stools can go a long way in creating enough seating in a living room. Also, floor space with pillows makes even more room for seats. For a comfortable evening, every guest should have a place to sit.
#2 THE GUESTS
Invite your friends…the more the merrier! The best-case scenario and most successful goal for a house concert is to have at least 20-30 adults in attendance, this allows the night to feel like an exciting event and in this donation-based concert model, 20 or more adults contributing donations and purchasing merch is what starts to make the night financially viable.
Plan to invite double the number of guests you would like to attend. The reality is that about half of those invited tend to actually come. Make the invitation personal and ask for an RSVP. If you don’t hear back, ask again. For many people, this concept of a house concert is new and strange. Tell them how amazing it is. Once they experience it, they’ll be hooked. So if you are aiming for 20 people, invite 40 and so on and so on.
And be creative in your invitation! Use whatever means (facebook/email/carrier pigeon) to share with your friends why they should come to this awesome event you are hosting. Some things to include:
DATE AND START TIME
FOOD This is wide open and completely up to you. Maybe you’d like to ask your guests to all bring a dessert/appetizer/side or you would like to let them know what you will be providing.
KIDS POLICY There are many approaches to the policy of children at a house concert. My suggestion is children over the age of 8 or who can sit still for an hour are more than welcome. Some hosts who have children themselves or a lot of friends with little ones, have a sitter watch all the children together in a separate space, or at another house. I have also had house concerts where kids were a great part of the night. Many an infant has slept through a concert in their mother’s lap and I’ve had both great and not so great nights with children attending. I would ask for your best judgment knowing your guests and potential distractions. :o)
THIS WILL BE A DONATION BASED CONCERT - Please include the following line as you invite your guests:
This will be a donation based concert. Please come prepared to make a donation to the artist at the conclusion of the show.
It’s important to let your guests know about the donation, and to do so without specifying an amount. This allows each guest to give in response to the experience they have just had, but also allows those who may be unable to give financially to come and be a part of the night. The sharing of music and stories will always be the most important thing to me.
I will also be asking you if you would like for me to create a flier for the night which you can print copies or email to friends or use in a private facebook event.
#3 THE CONCERT
The flow of the night can vary depending on what your preference is (maybe you’d like to have a potluck dinner beforehand or grill out), but a typical evening would flow like this:
• I arrive about an hour and a half before the guests to set up and do a sound check. I bring everything that I need (speakers, mic, guitar, merch table, etc).
• Guests arrive at the time you and I have decided that the event will begin. We mingle for about 30-45 minutes to allow people to arrive and settle in.
• Then we gather in the performance space, get everyone seated, and the host (you!) gives a brief introduction. I love when a host shares their version of how we originally met, but if you need some wordage here let me know and I can help you out. :o) I then play for about an hour.
• As soon as I’ve played the last song, the host (you again) stands next to me with a basket or bowl (whatever you can find at your house) to make the donation announcement. It should go something like this:
“Thank you all for coming tonight. I hope you enjoyed this as much as I did. I want to remind you this is a donation-based concert. Your donations tonight will all directly benefit our artist and will show her our appreciation for this amazing experience she brought us tonight. I’m going to leave this vessel right here and encourage you to give generously. Thanks again!”
• Afterwards, we hang out some more until the guests start heading home.
An example schedule of an evening with a 7:00 pm start time:
5:30/5:45 I arrive and set up
7:00 Guests begin arriving; mingle time
7:45 Concert begins
8:45/9:00 Concert ends
WE ARE REALLY DOING THIS!!! I cannot tell you how excited I am to see what adventures we run into along the way. I truly believe that our stories not only connect us to one another, but also to God. And God is going to move in some powerful ways. I can’t wait.
See you soon!
Amy