Playing guitar in front of a live audience for an entire evening used to be the norm for a musician. That was the whole reason to play. Times have changed and other ways to perform have emerged. Many guitarists’ primary connection with an audience is now the 60-second clip for a reel. This requires a special approach to demonstrate ‘max-effort’, as they say in the baseball world.
Impressive as this sometimes is, I hope the idea of performing entire songs — in entire sets — for an entire evening doesn’t fade away. It’s important because of the real-time interaction between performer and listener.
As a performer, there’s a whole journey of ups and downs, ebb and flow, fire and ice that happens in the course of a traditional show. It requires a balanced skill set and stamina. I encourage everyone to get out and play guitar live. There’s a thrill on stage that can’t be found anyplace else. The real-time interaction between performer and audience is an important human experience.
