All the World's a Stage

Moe and I are currently on a 3-week trip where we are traveling to New Orleans, Las Vegas, Mexico, and Austin. We are looking forward to enjoying many of our favorite Austin musicians from December 16-21, including Kat Edmonson, Warren Hood, Ruthie Foster, Emily Kimble, Carolyn Wonderland, and Ray Wylie Hubbard, so we thought this post from July 2021 was appropriate.?

Kat's concert is complimentary and the cost of seeing the other great musicians at the Armadillo Bazaar over four days will be less than $100 for both of us. There's a reason Austin is the Live Music Capital of the World.

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"All the world's a stage,

And all the men and women merely players;

They have their exits and their entrances;

And one man or woman in their time plays many parts."

- William Shakespeare

During a visit to NYC many years ago, I scored a ticket to see the legendary Chuck Berry at the BB King Club in midtown Manhattan. With a backup band he never played with before, he sang all of his hits. There was no attempt on Chuck's part to connect with the audience or the band. It was clear that he was there to do a gig and get a paycheck; nothing more and a lot less.

The next evening I saw Roberta Flack at a blues club in lower Manhattan, and she was all in. Roberta sang and played piano, backed by her eight-piece band and a male vocal singer. During the show, she introduced all the band members and gave each an opportunity to shine. She talked to the audience, introduced songs, and paid tribute to the artists who wrote them.

The contrast between the two performances was like night and day.

There's nothing more disappointing than a tremendous musician that doesn't give it their all and nothing more uplifting than one that plays their heart out.

Over the years, I've enjoyed seeing performers like Elton John, Stevie Wonder, Kat Edmonson, and Ray Charles leaving everything on the stage. By contrast, performers like Van Morrison shit on the audience and never even look at them, or Willie Nelson, who at this stage of his career follows a set script and runs one song into the next. But, he's Willie, and he is always a gentleman and loves his fans as much as they love him. So the audience members are still glad they came.

Living in Austin for a decade, I saw terrific talent play their hearts out every night. The Austin vibe is a harmonious dynamic between the musicians and the audience. It's heartfelt and joyous. The musicians play off of each other, and the audience responds with contagious energy and enthusiasm.

When it's your time to take the stage, are you more like Chuck Berry or Roberta Flack? Elton John or Van Morrison?

Your spirits show in everything we do.?

I encourage you to sing your song from the heart and to feel it in your soul. Both you and your audience will know and appreciate the difference.

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