People want someone to be on it.
For at least these two reasons…1. For the artist on stage to be relatable since commonality connects people but also 2. to be at least slightly not-relatable because the artist is the type of person who gets on the stage, not the audience.
If they think the artist is already exactly like themselves, there’s not as much hope for the audience. The audience needs to believe (and they usually do) that the artist is at least a little bit different than they are…which illuminates the audiences’ own longing to be something a little bit different.
The difference the artist represents, represents hope for something better or different.
The conscious/subconscious, spoken/unspoken message from the artist to audience of “I’m just like you up here” works best when the artist understands that it’s not completely true.
(The audience cheers at this message because they want to believe it, not because they actually believe it.)
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I’m always interested in your perspective, whether affirming or dissenting. Continue the conversation anytime: gabethebassplayer@gmail.com