--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I liked playing in small clubs. I really…" description: "\"I liked playing in small clubs. I really liked holding the attention of thirty or forty people. I never liked the roar of the big crowd.\" — Joni Mitchell" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b28/joni-mitchell-1160_attention_i-liked-playing-in-small-clubs-i-really_1187130.png" --- # I liked playing in small clubs. I really liked holding the… ![“I liked playing in small clubs. I really liked holding the attention of thirty or forty people. I never liked the roar of the big crowd.” quote by Joni Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b28/joni-mitchell-1160_attention_i-liked-playing-in-small-clubs-i-really_1187130.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b28/joni-mitchell-1160_attention_i-liked-playing-in-small-clubs-i-really_1187130.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b28/joni-mitchell-1160_attention_i-liked-playing-in-small-clubs-i-really_1187130.png) > “I liked playing in small clubs. I really liked holding the attention of thirty or forty people. I never liked the roar of the big crowd.” [Joni Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joni-mitchell/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. She preferred intimate venues where she could connect directly with a small audience, rather than large, impersonal crowds. **In simple terms:** She liked small, personal performances over big, noisy ones. Key Takeaway Seek settings that foster genuine connection. Themes intimacy performance audience connection Mood reflective nostalgic Type personal artistic When to use this quote - small club gigs - private concerts - workshop talks - teaching music Key Concepts artistic authenticity stage dynamics Questions to Reflect On - Do you thrive in intimate or large settings? - How does audience size affect your creativity? A Different Perspective Large venues can dilute personal expression and emotional impact. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Attention](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/attention/) [Clubs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/clubs/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) ## Related quotes > [As much as we love playing the small clubs, we'd really like to get ourselves in front of a larger audience. I'm not talking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-frantz/as-much-as-we-love-playing-the-small-clubs-we-d-really-like-to-get/) [Chris Frantz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-frantz/) > [One of the benefits of playing to small audiences in small clubs for a few years is that you're allowed to fail.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-byrne/one-of-the-benefits-of-playing-to-small-audiences-in-small-clubs-for/) [David Byrne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-byrne/) > [I'm essentially starting at the bottom of the food chain and playing the small clubs and intimate shows.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jax-jones/i-m-essentially-starting-at-the-bottom-of-the-food-chain-and-playing/) [Jax Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jax-jones/) > [I'm doing naughty things, I'm drinking too much, I'm going to clubs. It really didn't matter to me, other than the fact that some…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/macaulay-culkin/i-m-doing-naughty-things-i-m-drinking-too-much-i-m-going-to-clubs-it/) [Macaulay Culkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/macaulay-culkin/) > [My first year of university, I ran around and signed up for these clubs, and I noticed they were all drama clubs: really lame,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penelope-mitchell/my-first-year-of-university-i-ran-around-and-signed-up-for-these/) [Penelope Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penelope-mitchell/) > [I don't travel that much with my band Los Pacaminos as it's quite a big crowd, but we got invited down to southern Italy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-young/i-don-t-travel-that-much-with-my-band-los-pacaminos-as-it-s-quite-a/) [Paul Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-young/) > [And this that you call solitude is in fact a big crowd.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dejan-stojanovic/and-this-that-you-call-solitude-is-in-fact-a-big-crowd/) [Dejan Stojanovic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dejan-stojanovic/) > [As a player, you love to play in front of a big crowd.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deandre-yedlin/as-a-player-you-love-to-play-in-front-of-a-big-crowd/) [DeAndre Yedlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deandre-yedlin/) > [My opening acts are always really strong because I need a guy who can take on a big, big crowd. Which is not that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-white/my-opening-acts-are-always-really-strong-because-i-need-a-guy-who-can/) [Ron White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-white/) > [Everybody wants a big crowd. You get amazed sometimes with certain things that millions of people are watching and you go, "Serious?! Really?!" And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mads-mikkelsen/everybody-wants-a-big-crowd-you-get-amazed-sometimes-with-certain/) [Mads Mikkelsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mads-mikkelsen/) > [People said Mitt Romney had crowds, but the truth is he had one crowd, one big crowd the last day. We've had crowds for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/people-said-mitt-romney-had-crowds-but-the-truth-is-he-had-one-crowd/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [I think a lot of us women feel like we deserve to play on the big courts in front of a big crowd as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caroline-wozniacki/i-think-a-lot-of-us-women-feel-like-we-deserve-to-play-on-the-big/) [Caroline Wozniacki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caroline-wozniacki/) > [I love to go to a regular movie theater, especially when the movie is a big crowd-pleaser. It's much better watching a movie with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-spielberg/i-love-to-go-to-a-regular-movie-theater-especially-when-the-movie-is/) [Steven Spielberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-spielberg/) > [I love a microphone and a big crowd; I'm an entertainer, I guess.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kary-mullis/i-love-a-microphone-and-a-big-crowd-i-m-an-entertainer-i-guess/) [Kary Mullis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kary-mullis/) > [A preacher who is too big for a little crowd would be too little for a big crowd.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vance-havner/a-preacher-who-is-too-big-for-a-little-crowd-would-be-too-little-for/) [Vance Havner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vance-havner/) ## More by Joni Mitchell > [They paved paradise and put up a parkin lot With a pink hotel, a boutique, and a swingin' hot spot Don't it always seem…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joni-mitchell/they-paved-paradise-and-put-up-a-parkin-lot-with-a-pink-hotel-a/) [Joni Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joni-mitchell/) > [And the seasons they go 'round and 'round And the painted ponies go up and down We're captive on the carousel of time We…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joni-mitchell/and-the-seasons-they-go-round-and-round-and-the-painted-ponies-go-up/) [Joni Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joni-mitchell/) > [Abstract Expressionism was invented by New York drunks.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joni-mitchell/abstract-expressionism-was-invented-by-new-york-drunks/) [Joni Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joni-mitchell/) > [I have one piece of music, since 1997, and I don't see it having lyrics. Where does it go in this world? So I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joni-mitchell/i-have-one-piece-of-music-since-1997-and-i-don-t-see-it-having-lyrics/) [Joni Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joni-mitchell/) > [Musically, I would never run dry. Any time I sit down to an instrument, I could write a song.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joni-mitchell/musically-i-would-never-run-dry-any-time-i-sit-down-to-an-instrument/) [Joni Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joni-mitchell/) > [You snipe so steady, you snub so snide, so rip and ready to diminish and deride.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joni-mitchell/you-snipe-so-steady-you-snub-so-snide-so-rip-and-ready-to-diminish/) [Joni Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joni-mitchell/) > [I loved Debussy, Stravinsky, Chopin, Tchaikovsky, anything with romantic melodies, especially the nocturnes. Nietzsche was a hero, especially with 'Thus Spoke Zarathustra.' He gets…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joni-mitchell/i-loved-debussy-stravinsky-chopin-tchaikovsky-anything-with-romantic/) [Joni Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joni-mitchell/) > [When the spirit of child's play enters into the creative process, it's a wonderful force and something to be nurtured.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joni-mitchell/when-the-spirit-of-child-s-play-enters-into-the-creative-process-it-s/) [Joni Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joni-mitchell/) > [Americans have decided to be stupid and shallow since 1980.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joni-mitchell/americans-have-decided-to-be-stupid-and-shallow-since-1980/) [Joni Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joni-mitchell/) > [I was young for my age. Not as naïve as they expected. I don't know why I seem to bring that out in people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joni-mitchell/i-was-young-for-my-age-not-as-na-ve-as-they-expected-i-don-t-know-why/) [Joni Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joni-mitchell/) > [This is a nation that has lost the ability to be self-critical, and that makes a lie out of the freedoms.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joni-mitchell/this-is-a-nation-that-has-lost-the-ability-to-be-self-critical-and/) [Joni Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joni-mitchell/) > [Land of snap decisions, land of short attention spans, nothing is savored long enough to really understand.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joni-mitchell/land-of-snap-decisions-land-of-short-attention-spans-nothing-is/) [Joni Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joni-mitchell/) > [I like my freedom. I like to do my own grocery shopping.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joni-mitchell/i-like-my-freedom-i-like-to-do-my-own-grocery-shopping/) [Joni Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joni-mitchell/) > [I'm not a pitiable creature. It's just that I suffer very eloquently.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joni-mitchell/i-m-not-a-pitiable-creature-it-s-just-that-i-suffer-very-eloquently/) [Joni Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joni-mitchell/) > [I can't remember anything I ever wrote.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joni-mitchell/i-can-t-remember-anything-i-ever-wrote/) [Joni Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joni-mitchell/) [Explore all 281 Joni Mitchell quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joni-mitchell/) ## More Attention quotes > [It appears to me that one great cause of our difference in opinion on subjects which we often discuss is that you have always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-ricardo/it-appears-to-me-that-one-great-cause-of-our-difference-in-opinion-on/) [David Ricardo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-ricardo/) > [People pay far too much attention to the television and they're quite literal in some ways. At the beginning, when I was playing very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ardal-o-hanlon/people-pay-far-too-much-attention-to-the-television-and-they-re-quite/) [Ardal O'Hanlon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ardal-o-hanlon/) > [Television, radio, social media. The 24/7 news cycle plows forward mercilessly on our desks, in our cars and in our pockets. Thousands and thousands…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-prince/television-radio-social-media-the-24-7-news-cycle-plows-forward/) [Joseph Prince](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-prince/) > [By making conscious choices in our behavior and where we focus our attention, we can transform our experience of our body, decrease our biological…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/by-making-conscious-choices-in-our-behavior-and-where-we-focus-our/) [Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/) > [Our inventions are wont to be pretty toys, which distract our attention from serious things. They are but improved means to an unimproved end.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/our-inventions-are-wont-to-be-pretty-toys-which-distract-our/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [What people don't normally know about us is the hustle is very real, and it's sorely driven a lot by how we consider ourselves.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lzzy-hale/what-people-don-t-normally-know-about-us-is-the-hustle-is-very-real/) [Lzzy Hale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lzzy-hale/) > [For me, the term "psychotherapy" is limiting. It implies that we work with mind and emotions, but excludes the body and pays scant attention…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jed-diamond/for-me-the-term-psychotherapy-is-limiting-it-implies-that-we-work/) [Jed Diamond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jed-diamond/) > [When you approach something to photograph it, first be still with yourself until the object of your attention affirms your presence. Then don't leave…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/minor-white/when-you-approach-something-to-photograph-it-first-be-still-with/) [Minor White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/minor-white/) > [I'm writing about real things. Real people. Real characters. You have to believe what I write about is true or you wouldn't pay any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lou-reed/i-m-writing-about-real-things-real-people-real-characters-you-have-to/) [Lou Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lou-reed/) > [ I went to a mosque in Philadelphia with \[my wife\] in December 24, 1999. And we we went to this mosque in Philly, and… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahershala-ali/i-went-to-a-mosque-in-philadelphia-with-my-wife-in-december-24-1999/) [Mahershala Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahershala-ali/) > [The Harvard Business Review recently had an article called 'The Human Moment,' about how to make real contact with a person at work: ...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-goleman/the-harvard-business-review-recently-had-an-article-called-the-human/) [Daniel Goleman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-goleman/) > [Let us thank God heartily as often as we pray that we have His Spirit in us to teach us to pray. Thanksgiving will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-murray/let-us-thank-god-heartily-as-often-as-we-pray-that-we-have-his-spirit/) [Andy Murray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-murray/) > [Enlightened people live in very charged states of attention, with a tremendous power circuiting through them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/enlightened-people-live-in-very-charged-states-of-attention-with-a/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [We must have a welfare system that we can afford, which will mean giving greater attention to directing the welfare program toward its primary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-portillo/we-must-have-a-welfare-system-that-we-can-afford-which-will-mean/) [Michael Portillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-portillo/) > [The director's job should give you a sense of music without drawing attention to itself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-hackford/the-director-s-job-should-give-you-a-sense-of-music-without-drawing/) [Taylor Hackford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-hackford/) [Browse all 10,153 Attention quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/attention/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I liked playing in small clubs. 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