I know where to buy the record…

When I go out to see a band or solo performer, I’d like to think that I am witnessing something special – that my presence in the audience actually matters – that the performer takes into consideration all these eager ears and faces and performs for them… me! I want to be able to say, “You had to be there.”

But I think sometimes, that in a performer’s eagerness to honor and prove their dedication to a particular artist, they merely copy the song: the arrangement, tone of voice, and delivery. But what is often forgotten, is that a recording artist often performs their songs differently. Their live version is actually live, versus their studio recording. Their acoustic version differs from the electric. There are multiple ways to play any one song.

And I remember hearing once, that a really well written song is one that can be interpreted many ways. A Beatles song, for instance, could be played in any style and still be recognized, sung to, and enjoyed.

This doesn’t mean that we can’t work hard to learn all the key parts of a song, practice the heck out of it, and deliver an amazing cover. That has its rewards both for the performer and the listener, but remember: we can buy the “real” tune anytime we want to hear it the exact way the original artist recorded it, but we can never buy the moment we sat or stood in front of you and you “blew us away” with your heartfelt, original and confident delivery of a song we thought we knew, but had never heard it played so personally… to us, the audience, on that special night.

Don’t just go through the motions – deliver the emotion.