Getting up on stage to pluck or beat on instruments in front of a large lake of observers, looking to you to entertain them, takes guts and confidence because the crowd may be as non-responsive as a deaf dog.

So when faced with the possibility of an apathetic crowd, Rich Sinclair, drummer of country band Rapid Fire, heeds the words of an author whose books offer step-by-step paths to people on how to succeed in any business.

[Playing live] is kind of like if you tell a story to somebody or you tell somebody about something that’s happened to you, and they just sit there and stare. It brings up the old Dale Carnegie rule:If you want someone to be interested in you, you have to show interest in them, he said.

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Rapid Fire will burn up the stage around 7:30 p.m. Saturday at Fred’s Dance Barn, north of Route 13 on Route 6 between Carbondale and Carterville and gain the attention of the crowd with a variety of Top 40 country hits as well as some old classic rock tunes.

Though it would seem every band wants to keep the crowd in mind while on stage, lead singer Susan Rall said in her 10 years behind the microphone she has been in bands which only focus on their own songs and what they want to play, ignoring the audience.

Some bands want to do their own agenda regardless of what the audience wants, and we aren’t like that, she said. If somebody wants to hear something and we can do it, hey, let’s do it.

As an audience friendly band, Rapid Fire considers the notion that a barrage of requests will surge from any audience. Sometimes the members think they will have every song down and someone will pop up with a new one what Rall calls the curse of the musician.

Invariably, you could know 6,000 songs and someone is going to ask for 6,001, Rall said.

Some artists that Rapid Fire flare up occasionally through song are Mary Chapin Carpenter, Reba McEntire and Dwight Yoakam. If the band dives into its catalogue of classic rock n’ roll numbers, the songs they bring to the stage have to be able to get the crowd moving.

The Fred’s Dance Barn experience seems to be consuming bands left and right because of the way the crowd gets into not just the band but the whole scene.

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Rall describes Fred’s as its own unique place with a definitive personality. People getting down on the dance floor may not be remotely aware of just how much fun the band is having up on stage.

I always tell people they’re the show, and we’re kind of the back-up band for all the entertainment at Fred’s, Rall said. Watching the audience there is really a good time.

It’s a buzz, and everyone wants to have a good time. We don’t have to entice them into it.

Factoid:Doors to Fred’s Dance Barn open at 7 p.m. There is a $5 cover. Patrons 21 and over are permitted to bring their own alcohol.