Playing Coffee Shop Gigs: 3 Ways to Make Them Special

There’s just something about a coffee shop gig. The smell of fresh espresso, the conversations, and the intimate setting all make for a totally different experience than playing a festival or bar. If you’ve never done one before, it’s important to approach it differently than your typical show. Here are three ways we love to adapt our performances for the coffee shop vibe.

1. Switch Up Your Gear Setup

Coffee shop shows are all about creating a warm, inviting atmosphere—and that starts with your gear. Instead of hauling in a full PA and drum kit, we like to keep it simple and stripped-down.

For us, the highlight is our Gator Cases Pro Series 6U Rack Case. This rack unit lets us keep the exact same sound at any venue, no matter the size, thanks to the gear we have inside it. It’s portable, durable, and easy to transport—which means we can show up anywhere with a consistent, professional sound without lugging our full setup. If you’ve ever wondered how to get great, reliable audio with less gear, a rack setup like this is the way to go.

For smaller coffee shop spaces, we love the Electro-Voice Evolve 30M Portable Powered Column Loudspeaker System. It delivers over 1,000 watts of sound—enough for up to 150 people—yet is small and lightweight enough to carry in easily. Paired with our 6U rack and in-ear monitors, it’s quick to set up and still sounds incredible. For gigs like this, we leave our massive JBL Z15s and speaker stands at home.

We’ll also swap standing for sitting on barstools to match the laid-back vibe, and if we can, we’ll invite a percussionist to join in on cajón or djembe for some added rhythm without overpowering the space.

2. Curate a Coffee Shop-Friendly Setlist

Since the setup is lighter, the music can shift to match. Coffee shops are a great opportunity to play slower, more emotional songs you might skip at a high-energy gig. Even upbeat hits can be reimagined as mellow, acoustic versions that make people sway instead of dance.

This is also a perfect setting to try out requests—something that’s harder to manage at a big, loud event. And if you write your own songs, bring them out here! Coffee shop crowds tend to be more tuned in, so it’s the perfect place to share your originals and get genuine feedback.

If you’re looking for ideas on how to shape a setlist that flows well (even for a stripped-down gig like this), check out our post on How We Build a Setlist for Live Shows. You can take the same principles and adapt them for the cozy, acoustic coffee shop vibe.

3. Engage With the Crowd in a Big Way

One of the best things about a coffee shop gig is how close you are to your audience—both physically and emotionally. Unlike at a festival where you might be background music, here, people are watching you.

Talk to them between songs. If you’re playing an original, share the story behind it. Throw in some fun trivia about the next song and let them guess before you play it. Take a request and make someone’s night. The intimacy of a coffee shop gig means you can connect with your audience in ways that just aren’t possible in larger venues.

We share more of our favorite ways to keep audiences engaged in our Small Venue Performance Tips blog post—many of which work perfectly in a coffee shop setting.

Why We Love Them
For us, coffee shop shows are some of our favorites. They draw the true music lovers—the people who aren’t just there for a night out, but who actually listen. These gigs remind us why we started making music in the first place: to connect, to share stories, and to enjoy the moment.

So grab your acoustic, pull up a stool, and play your heart out—you might just find it’s the most rewarding gig of all.