I’ve been in Cancun, Mexico for over a month now with Cirque Dreams: playing the same songs; doing the same moves, singing the same lyrics. Not only that but last year I played the same songs for three and a half months straight. To pile things on, I even practiced these songs on my days off and in the months in between tours just so I could stay sharp. This Cirque Dreams Rocks set list has been with me for a long time now. The thing is that I didn’t write the songs and I don’t have an attachment to them. So I can understand touring in a rock band, playing your own songs, and not really getting sick of them. I mean, in Cea Serin, I’ve probably played “The Illumination Mask” a thousand times and I’ll never get sick of it. So the question here is all about keeping things interesting when you’re a hired gun.
But I don’t want to stop there this week. I also want to talk about how some musicians think it’s more important to look cool than to sound cool. This is the unfortunate route some musicians take when they try to keep themselves engaged to the same songs they’ve been playing over and over.
First things first, let’s keep it interesting.
One of the things I do to keep me interested in playing the same songs night after night is to try and pull off a “perfect” show. By “perfect” I mean that when I’m playing the songs I want a direct communication from my mind to my hands. I want whatever is in my hand to be directly translated to my fingers. I want the timing and the feel to not push and pull the beat. I don’t want any bum notes of any kind. I basically want this scenario: if the front-of-house sound guy taped the show then I would be happy with my performance for it to be pressed to a CD and sold to the public without me flipping out and wanting to do overdubs to correct my mistakes.
To do this requires listening.
You got that? Listening.
Don’t get wrapped up in your own head – completely concentrating on what you’re playing. You have to be listening to the song. If the song were to stop you should be able to tell me what the drummer was playing, what the singer was singing, and what the other musicians were doing when the music ceased. You should have practiced enough for all your movements and hand motions to be second nature. By practicing and preparing you should be able to lay back more, listen to what’s going on, and then be able to respond and react to what the other instrumentalists are doing.
Maybe I’ve just become more mature in my years. I just think it’s silly now to try and do a bunch of flashy things on stage just to get attention. These types of cries for attention, to me, are pitiful and desperate. Look, I realize that when playing for certain bands certain things are expected. I’m playing with a cirque-style company and I need to move on stage. I need to be expressive and animated. I need to match my performance with what’s going on in front of me. I understand that there is a bit of flash expected. That’s one of the reasons, I feel, that I was hired.
But you should never EVER sacrifice the integrity of the song with your own attempt to impress people.
You’re probably not in a band like Cacophony or Nitro. No one expects you to play a yo-yo and do a solo at the same time. That kind of stuff is great and I’ll always be a fan of it. However, I prefer sounding good than looking good.
Because first and foremost I’m a musician.
I want someone to be able to close their eyes and listen to what I’m doing and enjoy what I’m doing with their ears. I want my recorded performance to stand for itself and not have to be explained away. “Oh, that was a little messy because I was playing the riff with my hand over the fretboard.”
Look, if you can toss your guitar up in the air, catch it and play the rest of the song and have it sound fantastic – Great.
Good for you.
But if someone records your performance and it sounds like shit because you’re more concerned about how you look than how you sound then you have no business being a musician.
This goes far beyond the realm of “keeping it interesting.”
This is now into some area of unprofessionalism that should be considered criminal. This happens when you get bored with the songs and start adding additional parts that were never meant to be there. This is when solos become ridiculous and unlistenable. This is when performance become kitsch. This is when someone tries to overshadow the song with their own need for acceptance.
So instead of adding more and more nonsense to songs to try and inflate yourself, dial it back, refine what was written and try to make a perfect performance that can stand on its own.
Look, I’m all about individualism. But your individualism shouldn’t adversely affect other people. That’s when selfishness becomes piggishness. Your goofy antics shouldn’t make the rest of the band sound band. And when you botch a part because you’re trying to look cool you’re being a pig. When you excessively sing over every break because you want to remind the audience that you are indeed the singer then you’re being a pig.
Focus on serving the song and not yourself. Everyone will benefit…especially the audience.
