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When the 1st set is great, but you struggle with second set

Musicians often lose momentum after an energetic first set followed by a break, as either the audience’s or their own energy declines. To counter this, bands should adapt to the altered ambiance, motivate themselves post-break with an energizing tune, and possibly structure their performance to crescendo across sets, rather than peaking too early.

I’ve noticed recently that a lot of first sets are high energy and the crowd is digging it and things are cooking.  Then we take a break and chill out.  Usually some of the people leave who have been listening.  When we get back the energy of the room has changed, or maybe our energy has changed.  It then takes a while to get back into the groove.

Some ideas about why this happens and what might be some ways to create a groove in the second set:

  1. The musicians sometimes want to start where they left off.  But one possibility is to realize that things have changed and the band needs to create a new groove instead of attempting to recreate the last set.
  2. After playing, the players need to relax.  Then they relax too much and lose the energy level they had in the first set.  If you are leading the band, take into the account the need to refocus after the break.  Pick a song with a good groove.  Get the players geared up for the set second set.
  3. Rock bands at big concerts don’t take second sets.  Part of the reason is if you take a break you lose the energy level.  That’s why there are more than one band.  Maybe instead of really going for the first set you can build up the first set to the second set.
  4. Sometimes the second set is just a more mellow situation.