WTF Is A House Concert?

A primer on house concerts, and my mission to make them an everyday occurrence all over the world.

Aug 14, 2024

Marc Maron began his WTF podcast in September of 2009 after the end of his gig at the progressive radio outlet Air America. What began as a sort of desperate attempt at action after a career setback became a cottage industry. Maron was at the forefront of the podcasting boom, becoming one of its most vocal and prominent arbiters.

In the fifteen years since its launch, WTF has become one of the most listened to podcasts ever. Maron has interviewed actors, rock stars, writers, chefs, and even Barack Obama. Whether he intended to or not, he also helped to familiarize the average American with the very notion of podcasting. WTF will be seen in history as one of the first great podcasts, and the show that launched a million more podcasts.

What I admire so much about what Maron has accomplished is that he did it out of needing to do something, anything productive at all, in a moment of crisis. He created a platform, a show, and a movement from a moment of despair. For fifteen years he has sustained and grown that movement and that platform so much that he re-energized a once faltering stand up career and he has used his fame to garner more opportunities as an actor, often with excellent results.

Maron could never have planned that WTF would have had the overwhelming cultural impact that it did, but by working every week, he managed to take his innate curiosities and his knack for conversation and forge something meaningful, and even historic.

Fifteen years ago, podcasts were just becoming a household name. Today, nearly everyone has one, including yours truly. They are an entity with which almost everyone is familiar. That is, in large part, due to the success of WTF and the work of Marc Maron.

Now, I wanna be the Marc Maron of house concerts.

Much like podcasts were a decade and a half ago, house concerts are in existence but are largely happening beneath the surface in certain corners of our culture. I want to bring the concept of house concerts out into the open and make them an everyday occurrence. I want house shows to become as ubiquitous as podcasts.

WTF is a House Concert?

A house concert is a show that takes place in a private home or non-traditional venue. These shows are usually very small, with audiences of just 25-50 people, but they are intensely connective experiences. Most guests arrive 30-60 minutes before the music begins and there is time for drinks, conversation, and snacks.

At these shows, there is usually just one artist, but some concerts might feature an opening performer as well. Music typically runs for 60-90 minutes and after the set(s), there is more time for hanging out and enjoying a nightcap. The crowd usually splits within an hour of music being done, but I have played a few shows where folks partied well into the evening. It’s dealers choice, really.

While a bigger home certainly makes hosting a breeze, it is not a requirement. I have played or been to a number of shows with limited square footage where we managed to get 25 people or more into the room without any discomfort. In my time, I have played on decks, patios, in living rooms, basements, garages, dens, she sheds, art galleries, historic buildings, and even the site of a World’s Fair. Each experience is completely unique, creating a wonderful environment for both audience and artist.

Why is this better than a regular show?

Better is always a tricky word, but let me explain why I prefer the house concert experience, both as a performer and as a patron.

As a performer, the most significant difference between a house concert and almost all other venues is the level of attention that is paid by the audience. Club and theater shows are often full of chatter even while the headliner is playing. This is true even for well-known national acts playing big shows. Bar shows and smaller indie venues are literally filled with conversation, laughter, and socializing. This can make a performer feel like background music, and not the reason for the event.

At a house show, the focus is almost solely on the music. This not only improves my experience for the evening, but it affords me the opportunity to share the stories behind the songs. On my most recent tour, these stories were the thing upon which folks remarked the most. As much as they enjoyed the songs, the tales behind them gave the tunes context and meaning. Storytelling like that is virtually impossible for a performer in a bar setting unless they are playing to a very specific crowd.

For the audience, the opportunity to focus on the music is essential as well, of course. Listeners can see and hear songs in a more vulnerable form in a house concert setting. I recently saw the singer/songwriter Laura Gibson at a house concert near Detroit. She not only wowed the small crowd with intimate performances of songs from her terrific records, she also shared a handful of new songs and the stories of what inspired them. Within the safety of a house concert, artists can offer gifts like this to their audiences.

Before and after a bar show, groups hang together as they came with bits of social intermingling here and there. At a house concert, there is an ever evolving melange of attendees, conversations, and new encounters. People share personal experiences, ideologies, travel tales, gardening tips, hummus recipes, and political opinions. There are vibrant discussions, collisions of terrific people from disparate communities, and so much laughter and joy.

A house concert is the very best kind of party.

Who pays for this?

Many would-be hosts are trepidatious to pull the trigger because they assume that having an artist come and play at their house would be expensive. It’s not. While I have handled the money for house concerts in different ways, it largely falls into one of two camps.

Patrons pay a suggested donation to attend the show. Usually about $20.
The host offers a flat fee to the performer in order to make the show free for their guests.

The vast majority of my shows fall into the first category. I find this is the most equitable way to arrange the financial end of things and leaves the host only worrying about the duties of hosting and not the check they’ll need to cut at the end of the evening.

While $20 for a virtually unknown act might seem like a hefty chunk of change, remember that it’s $15 or more to go to a movie, and $6 or more for a coffee. These attendees are getting far more than just 60 minutes of music for their money, they are getting an experience. Hopefully, it’s an experience that will be transformational.

I truly believe that the folks who come to these house shows are as transformed by them as I am. These shows are a tangible way for us to be reminded of the amazing community we have at our collective fingertips. Being asked to invest $20 into a life affirming night of music and community seems like an awfully good deal to me. Still, no patrons are forced to pay the ferry man. If you don’t dig the show, keep your money in your pocket.

Alright, so how do I do this?

If you just want to see a house concert, there is probably one in your neighborhood sometime soon. Check out social media, look up some local songwriters to see where they are playing near you, or even offer to a host a show of your own. You can also check out outfits like Undertow Shows, which features a series of artists playing house concerts around the country. Their roster includes some luminaries of the indie-rock era regularly on the house show circuit.

Chances are that you probably even know a musician or two. Throw a party at your house and see if you have a friend or three that might like to play. Additionally, there are tons of performers like myself who would love a chance to play your place. Hosting not only allows you to have concerts in your own home, but it affords you the chance to develop of a relationship with a working artist that you admire.

Start small, and simply. Find a nice evening and a throw an outdoor show with just a few friends and a performer. Make it happen once, and chances are you’ll be itching to do it again, and again, and so on. Once you have hosted and had friends a time or two, ask a neighbor or colleague or pal to pick up the torch and throw the next show. You could even build a small community of hosts to spread the wealth around a bit.

What else?

What is keeping you from hosting a show or heading to a house concert? Do you worry about having strangers in the house? Are you anxious about knocking on an unknown door? Are you afraid it will be weird and awkward?