Talk about irony – after knowing the members of The Niyat for over 15 years , this was the first time that we actually shared the same stage at the same time. Sure, we’ve had showcases together where we perform on separate sets, but this was a milestone for us.

This particular performance is a good study for younger musicians. No matter where you are in your career, you’ll occasionally come across crowds that are largely unfamiliar with your music. This show was a perfect example of that. Over the years, i’ve seen a lot of less experienced artists run into this situation, and are shocked because the audience isn’t really reacting to their show. Then they berate the audience and tell them “ya’ll ain’t feeling me” or “I thought {insert name of city here} knew what real music was!” Wrong move.

If you look closely at the video here, you’ll notice that the crowd – who has no idea who we are – are just kind of standing there and studying us. Listening. They came to see Tech N9ne. And when it came time for the crowd participation, they were right there with us. That’s a good sign.

So don’t get discouraged if you’re faced with an unfamiliar crowd and they’re not jumping through the ceiling for you. Do you best show, get them involved on some crowd participation, and if you’re opening for the headliner that they came to see – shout out the headliner.