When a band can win over new fans by what they do onstage, that’s a superpower. For a well-known commercially successful band, “They’re even better live,” is crucial word-of-mouth. It means even once the hits stop coming, they’ll have a strong touring career. On a more local level, being a great live act opens doors to the best gigs in town and a rep as a local must-do -- and with some luck, timing and the right people taking notice, maybe a shot at bigger opportunities.
Most gigging local musicians are, at the least, solid or better instrumentalists. But the number who play, sing and write well enough their music demands attention even when they’re playing it to a bar full of revelers, many of whom are strangers, is way smaller.