Wednesday night, I went to Scooty's in Soulard to do a show with and for my friend Katie. She's been doing a show down there for a while and I finally had a Wednesday night off so I headed down. The crowd was less that cooperative with some of the other acts, and even the door-girl was heckling for a while, though I totally blame it on her apparent lack of the ability to handle her liquor. Eventually she left, so there was no real loss there.
My set was good, I "stormed" the stage, and rather than trying to make conversation and relate to the audience (because I knew they'd just talk back and therefore derail me) I just plowed through my material. I think that technique worked in my favor, because it showed I had confidence in my material and in my being-on-stage. So the audience listened and laughed. Afterward, a couple people came up to me and complimented me, which felt good. When you can "rock" a small audience enough-so that they come over, that feels nice. I've killed in front of 200 people before and after the show, they just walk by like I'm a ghost or a homeless vet. Smaller audiences are harder, but the potential victories there can be so much sweeter.