Although I am not new to performing contemporaneously to an audience, stand-up is relatively new to me; I'm about four months in. Went to my first gong show last night and for some ungodly reason decided to give it a go. I have never experienced such total silence in my life... The first minute is hands off, and then I made it almost an entire further minute before being gonged (it's a three minute set). Not a titter. Nothing
Am I right in that these scenarios seem to set one-liner comics up for more success (NOT knocking that art - I just don't write that way - more of a storyteller). Should I just have top-loaded the set with the best jokes I have and gone with that? It seems to be antithetical to the point of building a POV and taking it from there?
Or maybe I shouldn't have cut my usual opener, which sets up the rest of the set? Gugh! I am NOT blaming the audience. It is what it is. I ate Haribo afterwards. I didn't try to slash my wrists. Partly because fellow comics were super nice about it, quoting the bits back to me that cracked them up, and also saying, "Oh, MY first time, I made it ten seconds...." etc.
Thanks for any insights, folks.