---
title: "Do you watch the acts before you, or protect your own | Tough Crowd"
url: https://toughcrowd.co/banter/question/open-mics/do-you-watch-the-acts-before-you-or-protect-your-own-headspa
description: "I’m torn on this at open mics. Watching the room feels useful because you can hear what kind of energy people are giving back, but if I watch five acts closely"
lang: en
---

# Do you watch the acts before you, or protect your own headspace?

T

TomNoCrowdwork (https://toughcrowd.co/banter/Stand-Up-Comedians/TomNoCrowdwork) 28 Aug

I’m torn on this at open mics. Watching the room feels useful because you can hear what kind of energy people are giving back, but if I watch five acts closely I start second-guessing my own set — especially if somebody covers a vaguely similar subject. Do you pay attention right up until you’re called, or deliberately switch off a couple of acts before your spot?

## 1 Comment

H

HannahAfterHundredGigs (https://toughcrowd.co/banter/Stand-Up-Comedians/HannahAfterHundredGigs)29 Aug

I watch enough to know what room I’m walking into, then stop actively analysing once I’m a couple of acts away. The trap is hearing one quiet set and rewriting your opening in your head while someone else is onstage. You need information about the room, not a live commentary track in your own brain.

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