This video was on the front page of Tom Jackson’s website (http://tomjacksonproductions.com/). He’s a performance coach.
It’s amazing to me all of the different elements that come together to make people feel something through music. There’s the musical part of a song: the style, the sounds, the instruments, the melodies, the overall vibe. Then you have the lyrics: the essence, the story, the meaning, the truth, the words that make it all make sense. Then you have the performance: the one factor that can guarantee your passing or failing of the test. Will the listener connect with you or not? Will he hear the music or FEEL the music? Will he leave the show NEEDING to listen to your song again, or will he forget most everything he heard? Will he go home and buy your record on iTunes and want to find out when you’re playing again in his city so he can bring all of his friends? Or will he go on without giving you a second thought.
Unfortunately, it’s not only about the voice or the musical talent, the songs, the record, or the show… it’s about a combination of them ALL. In these days it seems very rare to find this perfect combination.
As an artist, this is enlightening to hear. Not discouraging. Learning to connect with an audience is all part of the gig. It’s really the most rewarding part, I think. To feel that sense of mutual understanding from the stage and know that they get it. Your audience understands you and you understand them. No matter how different you might be as individuals outside of those four walls, the fact that you can connect with complete strangers in a cold room through music is a complete gift. For the artist and the listener.
I went to a Brandi Carlile concert in Charlotte, NC last year at Mcglohon Theater. I have all 3 of her albums and I honestly don’t think the songs are that amazing. Yes, she is amazing. She can sing the lights out and her band kills. She can play and the songs are easy to listen to, but I’ve never really felt too much while listening to her albums. But her live show. LORD HAVE MERCY. So good. I felt like I was broken into a million little pieces, melted onto the floor, swept up and thrown into another world. It wasn’t her songs. They didn’t mean anything to me. (But oh my gosh if they would have been great songs, she would be HUGE right now! Huge. She’s very big, but she’s not huge). But the point is that she slayed me. She and her band were flawless. She had class, eloquence, and professionalism. She performed every song from the depths of her soul and CONNECTED with her audience with excellence. We were listening, smiling, laughing, crying, clapping, standing, sighing, feeling. BELIEVING. It was magical.
That’s my experience of how a performance can change things. She made a true fan of me that night because she performed at a different level than the rest. The other stuff didn’t matter.
So yeah, that’s the challenge. How do I connect with you? How can we get to that place where we both just get it, without any explanation?
I love this job.
