When my father’s heart failed him almost two years ago, he was 83. A vibrant man, his illness had made him old. We all want to grow old (as opposed to the alternative), but as live music performers, the older we get the more often we wonder how our age will impact our abilities on stage.
A few weeks ago I watched someone just five years younger than my dad hold a stadium audience spellbound like a teenage rock star. Leonard Cohen has taken his “Old Ideas” concert to hundreds of thousands all over the world and he’s still touring. It was one of the longest concerts I’ve ever attended, with six encores!
I was gifted that unforgettable experience thanks to Cohen’s thieving manager. If she hadn’t ripped him off, he likely wouldn’t have gone back on the road at age 78, and it would have been his legions of fans who would have been all the poorer for it. And I wouldn’t have been reminded of these lessons in live performance:
• sing fabulous songs • it’s not just about the voice • surround yourself with great players and singers • appreciate subtlety • write fabulous songs • speak or sing your lyrics like they’re important • make sure the audience hears every word • be gracious to everyone: your audience, fellow performers, stagehands • invest time in arranging your fabulous songs • a little self-deprication is charming • why not sing on your knees? (did he really do that 60 times?) • sexiness is a state of mind