Last week I was off on another busman’s holiday.  I learned at the last minute that Rodrigo y Gabriela were appearing at the Orpheum in Boston and there were a small number of tickets available.  I grabbed one for an extortionate amount; for me, Rodrigo y Gabriela is one of those bands it’s worth a little suffering to see.  The Mexican duo got their start busking in Ireland, and their roots are flamenco and heavy metal – really.  Who can resist?

I went prepared to bliss out over the likes of “Tamacun,” “Ixtapa,” and “Satori,” not to mention their delirium-inducing covers of – wait for it – “Take Five,” and “Stairway to Heaven.”  Not joking.

I’ve seen them a few times and delirium was the result each time.  The first time I scored tickets, the audience was on its feet in five minutes, dancing, clapping, cheering, and roaring in delight.  None of us sat down for the remainder of the show.  It was one of the top five performances I’ve ever seen.  So many endorphins fired that the concert organizers had endorphin-collection stations at the end of the performance, so that you could donate your extra on the way out for the good of the city.

OK, I’m making that up.

This time, I’m sorry to say, the audience stayed seated.  Throughout.  We kept our endorphins to ourselves. And at the end, when the duo came back on for an encore, the audience actually started filing out.

What was the difference?

I could say that it was an off night, or that an initial mishap with a string – that caused Rodrigo to walk off stage for a few moments early in the show in order to get another guitar – threw them off.  Gabriela, after a moment’s shock, grabbed a mic and started talking to the audience.  When Rodrigo came back on stage, she stopped in mid-story and they picked up the music again.  It was only a minor glitch, but perhaps their chemistry was altered.

Or perhaps it was the slightly less energy overall that these two amazing performers put into the show.  There was more talking and less performing.  There were more slow pieces and fewer of the incredibly fast guitar licks for which Rodrigo is known.  Gabriela toned down her pounding rhythmic accompaniment a little, perhaps.

But it wasn’t really any of that.  What was different was that Rodrigo y Gabriela are no longer putting the audience first.  In previous shows, each piece they played was an extended dialogue with the audience.  Gabriela would get the audience applauding in time, or shouting choric responses, or Rodrigo would shout, “Are you ready?  Are you f**king ready?” to the audience until we shouted back, on our feet, putting as much energy into the show as the performers, or very nearly.  What made Rodrigo y Gabriel so extraordinary was the joy and audience-grabbing interaction they brought to each number.

This time, much of the show was delivered without that extensive reference to the audience.  Both performers sat down for long periods, and Gabriela’s familiar jumping up and down was absent.

To have seen Rodrigo y Gabriela a few years back is to have participated in something unforgettable.  If you had wandered into this recent concert, knowing nothing about them, you would be pardoned if you wondered what the fuss was about.  The difference is audience participation.  It’s something I’ve been preaching to public speakers for many years.  It takes a lot of energy, it involves risk, and it’s messier than just performing exactly the same show each time without reference to the audience.  But it’s also the difference between just good enough and magic.

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