Rehearse in front of a mirror. Before you even go on stage, practice your performance alone, in front of a full-length mirror. Wear the clothes you plan to wear on stage, dim the lights and sing. Use a comb as a prop microphone. This will help you approximate how you’ll appear on the stage.
Observe how you move and stand and make notes on how you can incorporate your own body language into the performance. For example, if there are any parts of the song where the drummer plays a steady beat on her own, you could use this moment to clap in the air. This is typically taken by an audience as an invitation to clap along.
Alter the lyrics to your song to include the audience. Do this in rehearsal first to make sure it works. During a performance of “Be My Lover” at his 1986 Halloween show, Alice Cooper added “Oh Detroit” to the final chorus. He didn’t remove any words from the original lyrics, he just slipped “Oh Detroit” into a space.
Point at the front row. This is a classic rock and roll technique. Pointing shows the audience that you know they’re here.
Walk around the front of the stage. To do this safely you need a long microphone cable or a wireless microphone transmitter. The singer’s traditional position is center-stage. That means those in the wings don’t get “up close and personal” with the star.
Invite the crowd to sing along. A simple phrase such as “You know the words!” or “Sing it with me” just before the chorus are all the audience need to join in. To really get the crowd involved, point the microphone at them for two or three lines. Robbie Williams uses this technique frequently. Don’t rely on this technique too heavily, especially if people have paid to hear you sing.
Acknowledge applause or cheers. Naturally if you’re singing you don’t want to stop to say “thanks,” but you can nod or smile at key moments to show your audience you appreciate their response.
Throw a gift or personal item into the crowd. Buy a cheap hat, wristband or scarf before the show. You don’t need to wear it all night if you don’t like it. For the last song, put on the hat. Take it off half way through and hold it in your hand. Then just before the song comes to an end, toss it into the crowd.