Living room live: Host a very intimate concert

Chicago Tribune (MCT) - If you and your family love music and want to go further than spinning CDs for that next party, perhaps you've considered the house concert route. While veterans of the burgeoning house concert scene recommend booking a performer months in advance, they stress that with pluck and hustle, your brood can turn a living room into a live stage in as little as 72 hours _ if you stay focused.

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"The sky's the limit, and it's really up to your creativity," says Fran Snyder, a singer-songwriter and founder of the Web site concertsinyourhome.com. "You can decide to do it and three days later have a concert with 50 people. But you'll have to work really, really hard; you have to love to throw parties and be social."

Above all: Don't confuse the night's entertainment with background music. At a house concert, the musician is the star. You, the spouse and kids aren't just party hosts, but self-styled concert promoters. Here's Snyder's formula to help turn Team Family into house concert impresarios.

Tracking talent. If you only have a few days, Snyder suggests going to a local coffeehouse and seeing a performer live. You'll likely have much better luck with a local artist than a touring one. Setting the fee should be simple: They'll get the door.

Invitations. The magic number for most house concerts, Snyder says, is 25 to 35 people. Invite twice as many to increase the odds of that attendance. Mention in the invitation that there's a $10 to $15 charge, because this is a concert! "Collect money as people come in, or pass the hat, whatever you prefer," Snyder says.

Set the stage. Unamplified acoustic instruments work best for a house concert: guitar, piano or harp. Electric keyboards with a small amp can work too. "Clear a space 6 to 8 feet wide, and it helps if there's a wall behind them," Snyder says. "The other key is lighting. Focus attention on the performer. You can dim or turn down the lights in the room or use a desk lamp with a swivel head and point it at the performer."

Seats and eats. Push couches to the sides, move tables out of the room and line up assorted chairs, with bar stools in the back to give the last row a height advantage. As for a potluck: Why not?

You = emcee squared. You'll be not only party host and greeter, but also the announcer and master of ceremonies. "Give people a little social time before the show," Snyder suggests. "Then make an announcement, and let them know there's some structure to the evening. If people get up to go to the bathroom throughout the set, it's disturbing."

So are you ready? Snyder highly recommends a house concert, if you're game. "With new people who have never been to one before, it's fascinating to watch," he says. "They have the most amazed expressions; they can't believe they're sitting in a bean bag chair and watching this intimate experience."

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