Music is a community art to be shared and enjoyed. When it's time for a musician to try out a new song, or rehearse a performance style, open mic is a great opportunity for the artist to experiment as well as the audience to see that part of the artistic process first hand. Instrumentalists, song-writers, poets, comics, so many performance arts are fine tuned on the open mic stage. Occasionally, you'll get a guy that shows up without any social prowess - none - especially when it comes to participating in a community showcase such as open-mic. There aren't "rules" but rather guidelines for how the performers and the audience can best appreciate the event. Take a moment and look over the simple do's and dont's of a typical open mic. They are generally simple, generous, peace-keeping suggestions. Please do come out and support your local performance community. It's not a performance without an audience. Play on! \m/