Determining whether your indie podcast should hold a live show is the classic chicken-or-egg conundrum. It goes like this: “Live shows definitely generate interest and can increase my audience, but my audience is so small now, would anyone attend a live show?”
Here’s an example. Another F*cking Horror Podcast launched on Halloween in 2020 and has already completed more than 180 episodes. I love shows that bend or twist genres to their specific thematic premise, or, in this case, build a club sandwich of genres, with true-crime interacting with the supernatural, with a decadent dessert of satire and comedy.
The podcast held “Another F*cking Cute & Creepy Weekend in New Orleans on October 3rd and 4th.” The event was a huge success.
Co-hosts Amy and Monique explain what was in store for those brave enough to attend: “Join us and French Quarter Phantoms for a spooky night of ghost stories, vampire legends, and chilling true-crime tales on a private tour through New Orleans’ most haunted and blood-soaked streets!”
This is their second live event, with the co-hosts hosting A Cute & Creepy Weekend from November 1–3, 2024, at Castle Hotel & Spa in Tarrytown, NY.
“Live podcast shows can grow your listener base,” says podcast consultant George Witt. “You can start small with a hotel conference room or a hall in a fire station.”
Live shows can be about podcasting as an industry. Witness the brilliantly conceived Speke Fest 2025: Night of the Living Pod held on October 10th and 11th in Houston. Conceived by Speke Podcasting’s Freddy Cruz, former radio personality and current podcasting sensei, the event was conceived to put an end to the zombie podcast plague. To add to its unique pedigree, the live event was held at The National Museum of Funeral History.
Recently, live shows have made a big splash. Madison Square Garden has had multiple sold-out podcast live shows this year alone, including annual Kill Tony performances and Dropout’s much-hyped Dimension 20 live show.
Podcasts are now such a big deal that MSG’s website changed its event calendar, so one can sort the events schedule for “concerts, comedy shows, and podcast shows.” A recent Pollstar survey shows Kill Tony raked in $11 million in live show tours. Live shows have been a part of podcasting since the early years, but the medium’s growing mainstream appeal has also evolved some of the biggest performances, with simple radio play-style performances being supplemented with stylish presentation and big-budget spectacles (where else can one get pyrotechnics during a game of Dungeons and Dragons?).
The popularity of live shows is not relegated to the U.S. On October 12, the PastMaster podcast team took over The Bedford in Balham in U.K. in what gamemaster Claude called “the worst PastMaster on record.”
This show is at its best in front of an audience of superfans. From mugging off the Roman Emperor to kung-fu pole dancing in ancient Persia, the PastMaster community delivered and you can hear it soon on the podcast.
For twenty years, the Slate Political Gabfest has been the podcast that makes politics make sense. Through five presidencies, countless Supreme Court decisions, and more political plot twists than anyone could have predicted in 2005, co-hosts Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz have been our weekly guides through it all.
Slate tells us: “Now they’re hitting the road to celebrate this milestone with the listeners who’ve made the Gabfest what it is today.”
The 20th Anniversary Tour is coming to Chicago, New York City, and Washington, D.C. Tickets for Chicago on October 29th are on sale now here. New York and D.C. dates and venues will be announced soon.
Indie podcasts with modest audiences can still leverage live shows. Podcast consultant George Witt explains: “Podcasts that focus on pop culture have the best chance to attract fans of the topic to a live show. Once there, they learn about the podcast.”
Witt gives the example of Every Single Sci-Fi Film Ever. Comic-Con and other sci-fi adjacent festivals attract tens of thousands of attendees.
“Just the topic of science fiction will attract fans,” Witt explains. “They may not even know about the podcast, but they will after the live show.”
I live in the South Jersey / Philly area, and here are just a few of the live podcast shows scheduled near me. Chicks In The Office podcast on Tuesday, December 9th at the Kimmel Center. The Last Podcast On The Left has a live show on Friday, January 31 at The Met. How Did This Get Made is scheduled for November 8th at The Met.
This is just a partial list of the live podcast shows in the Metro Philadelphia area. In Brooklyn, NY, the My Favorite Murder podcast has several shows in November. Tickets go for as much as $500.
Last year, I attended a live show of Salad With A Side Of Fries with Jenn Trepeck in Manhattan. The show had no empty seats, was enthusiastically received, and demonstrated to me the passion listeners have for the show.
Last year, Tails & Tassels had a live event in Manhattan, and the show filled the nightclub. Host Gemma Smith even did a crossover, inviting Amanda B., host of the Six Degrees of Cats, as a presenter.
Of the 2025 Ear Worthy Award nominees and winners, I can see these shows having very successful live events: Getting Personal With Plant Medicine — Diana Ashley-Krach, High Notes — Melissa Thom, 6 Degrees Of Cats — Amanda B., Creativity Found — Claire Waite Brown, Familicide — Sam Mettler & Amy Chesler, and Why Wars Happened — Emily Ross.
The podcast with the most potential for an entertaining live show is definitely 5 Random Questions with Danny Brown. Imagine a live show with a guest such as Liam Heffernan (America: A History and Mercury Podcast Network).
Then, host Danny Brown also chooses audience members who come up on stage to answer a random question. Danny, who is a brilliant emcee, would have a field day with such a format, as would the audience.
If you are a podcast fan, then seek out live podcast shows. They are far more intimate than the audio /video feed, and loads of fun. I once met Willa Paskin from Decoder Ring at a Slate Live Show, and found her engaging, bright, personable, and passionate about her work.
If you are an indie podcaster, consider live shows as a growth strategy, and don’t be put off by your currently small listener base. I’ll go, and you don’t even have to comp me a ticket. (NOTE: If you want to, however, I will not turn it down.)
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