Before Lindsey Stirling steps onstage, the last thing she needs assistance with is getting herself hyped. “I don’t need help getting amped up,” the violinist/polymath says. “I need help getting calmed down.” But, as she tells Consequence at Bourbon & Beyond for an episode of our new interview series “Unwritten Rules,” she certainly expects the fans in the front row to reflect her energy in kind.
Stirling walks through the pre-show ritual that gets her pumped, as well as all of the etiquette and (you guessed it) unwritten rules that exist within the worlds of live performance, classical music, and generally existing in our modern society.
Find Lindsey Stirling Holiday Tickets
When it comes to her own pre-concert checklist, Stirling warms up, stretches, and runs her violin parts, then does breath work and meditation, often alongside her dancers and band. She also repeats a mantra that keeps her centered and ready for her extravagant performances: “I’m just here to give a gift. That’s it.”
As she explains, the audience has a job too, especially near the stage. “If you’re in the front row or the front few rows, I hate to say it, you have a responsibility,” she says. She means it. Stirling and her dancers talk about the crowd during quick costume changes, and some faces stay with her long after the show: “There are certain people from years ago that I can remember.”
She doesn’t just put on shows, however, she also attends them. As such, she has her own opinions on how her fellow performers approach their respective productions. If an artist leaves the stage, something had better be different when they come back. She also has no patience for male headliners who get away with jeans and a T-shirt while women are expected to deliver costumes and choreography: “If a stylist picked it out for them, shame on you,” she laughs.
Her classical training gets the same honest treatment. She credits it for her work ethic, admits that in the classical world, she’s often either “really revered and respected or hated,” and argues the old masters would sounds drastically different if they were plopped into 2026: “If Mozart and Bach and Beethoven existed today, they would not be writing that music. They would be the Skrillex and the Diplo… and they would be making hits.”
Watch Lindsey Stirling on Unwritten Rules above (or via YouTube). Then, at your next show, give the performer your best front-row face, and stay tuned for more episodes. You can also catch Stirling live on her upcoming “Snow Waltz Holiday Tour,” which kicks off on November 18th.