When you go to see a live band, there is a complete dichotomy to the Opening and the Main Acts.
Generally…
The Opening Act will be a little smaller, possibly more intimate, driven only by their energy and their crowd to become bigger than themselves and reach all these people out there. After all, they have yet to “make it” and are still trying to get the word out on who they are (in some cases, you don’t even know them). You can feel the enthusiasm and desire they have for becoming something and getting their work out there. The production quality is never quite there (less money, less people) but the heart is what shines through and makes you appreciate what you are doing.
Compared to the Main Act, still going strong, but with more resources, more people – perhaps not always taking the risks they used to. Doing an intimate show might be overly critiqued because it is no longer what is expected of them. What is expected is that they deliver on what we want, because we paid for what we want to see.
The Opening Act is the bonus (wow, who knew, that’s fantastic), the Main Act is Expectation (I paid $$$ to see these guys play, this better be a great show). If you don’t believe that, listen to the language people use when describing the expectations between the two.
Be the Opening Act, the one that no one sees coming, the one with no expectations with all that you have being just you and your work.
