This is a pretty straight forward post. Here's my guidance towards talking onstage.
You can say whatever you want... BUT... If you didn't practice it, don't say it!
Here's the deal: If something can go wrong, you need to be ready for it to go wrong.
Many times, it'll be things out of your control, and you will be responsible for killing time.
Here are a handful of ideas you can rehearse to help kill time onstage without losing your audience's attention:
Tell a story
(Talk about the origin of the song you'll be playing next -practice telling the story of all of your songs. They might not always seem interesting to you, but if you practice telling the story -you can paint a much more interesting picture for your audience.)
Tell a long non-self-deprecating joke with an anticlimactic punchline
(Foxy Shazam does a GREAT job with this! People love jokes -and people love it when you DON'T say negative things bout yourself and your bandmates.)
Have your guitarist, bassist, keyboardist, or drummer have a solo ready to perform
(It might sound very seventies or eighties, but it'll buy you some time and also showcase the musicians involved in your show.)
Key point: Your audience should only feel uncomfortable if you are deliberately trying to make them uncomfortable. If they are uncomfortable because YOU feel uncomfortable, you've failed. This is a skill that will be learned overtime, consequently, you WILL fail. Remember, it's okay to fail -and I encourage you to fail spectacularly -just be sure to learn something new each time!
Until next time,
-T.