The gift of real music……..

I saw Alicia Keys perform on Saturday Night Live the other day and it was completely underwhelming..

Now let me start by saying this, Alicia is immensely talented and a brilliant performer, matched by only a few in the industry. She is also just that , a performer. That is what struck me most about the entire performance , it just seemed contrived, almost robotic. Every “heartfelt” moment seemed so planned and perfect, because she’s done it a thousand times and she is perfect at making those emotional moments seem genuine, they just aren’t to me though.

On some level, yes, they come from a personal place, but they just seemed so rehearsed that it left me flat. I was so wanting to be transformed and transported to a place that for me, only music can take you. Instead, I just sat there feeling as if I was watching a television preacher at some new styled hip, mega church. Every moment scripted and perfect, all set up to elicit the perfect response and trigger the perfect emotion, so shiny and clean that it makes you just a little bit ill. Too much sugar can do that pretty easily.

It did have one positive affect though, it made me appreciate real , raw bands in a whole new way. It made me realize what I truly love about music , especially live music, in the first place. There is a sense of urgency and wonder and transcendence in that moment when a real band is lost in their own sound and it is washing over you like a flood of clarity and fire. It begs you to submit to it and in return it gives you an experience that can’t be rivaled by any other experience on earth. There is a beautiful  connection and symbiosis between the band and the listener that is just glorious.

I have had those moments, not a lot of them, but my fair share for sure. I have had them in small clubs and in mega arenas, from unheard of trios, to full fledged iconic super stars.. It isn’t the popularity of the band or the size of the venue that dictates the emotion, it is the willingness of the performer and the musician to let that energy flow from them to the audience unimpeded by set production and planning, just a complete submission to the moment from both parties. It is a magical moment. I have had the pleasure of watching solo acoustic performers that could milk more emotion and truth from their simple six strings and three or four chords than an entire twelve piece jam band full of mega stars could ever hope to convey. I have seen audiences that were held in awe for hours by the pureness and beauty of a band to the point that i was crying. I have seen bands that have been able to electrify every single member of a huge audience, not just the front row guys, but all the way to the rafters. So many bands and so many moments that I feel blessed to have been a part of any of it.

The great thing about it is that any band and any performer can do it, they just have to let go.Just truly give themselves over to the audience in a complete act of submission and symbiosis, if that is done then it works. From those quiet, tender moments of a Pearl Jam show to the loud and raucous moments of an Adele concert, they all work because they are real, they are true and they are above all; honest. Transcendence is only a moment away and all you have to do as a performer is just trust your audience and trust yourself.. Give in… Give the kind of performance that leaves you and your audience in awe…