Opening for Someone Important -- How to Make Good Impression?

In my experience, whenever I try to tailor my sets (whether it's as a band or DJing), it is always misjudged, and the best thing to do is play whatever *you* think is the best thing you do. Obviously if you have a range of things you like equally then that advice means nothing, but the general principle of "don't overthink it" stands.

The wanting to prove yourself as a woman thing is harder, though, and probably I would want to do the same thing as you.

Success on your own terms always better than success on someone else's terms

I once hustled my band a gig opening for *important cult figure singer-songwriter dude*, and as we're setting up to go on, the dude's manager comes to us and is like "I need you guys to tone things down a notch, I don't want you blowing everyone's eardrums out before ___'s set." I guess this was on account of us being a full band and him being one guy with guitar (although not exactly a hushed tones kind of singer). Our band wound up split on the issue and it turned into a big argument. In the end we cut our loudest songs and I really regretted it.

i never saw this thread! you (s) mentioned this gig in that other thread and now i want to hear what you played!!

I played this set/piece twice -- at this gig, where the electronics were too loud, and then again six months later, where the drums were too loud. Maybe if I go back and tweak the recordings a bit the balance will be decent enough to serve as okay documentation

I have nothing to add, but this is such a super interesting premise for a thread, and I wish it'd gotten more discussion! I'm not a musician but it's weird how even as an academic I find myself thinking about similar things for the composition of a panel and its anticipated audience.

^this is so hard, I don't think I've ever gotten the balance right

(live drums vs electronics)

xp - I have to be on a panel tomorrow evening, and I suggested changes to the speaker order so that I wouldn't be positioned awkwardly in terms of my topic!