Embracing Musical Adaptations on Stage

I don't tend to get tired with the songs that I'm playing because I've, over the years, realized I don't have to make it sound like it is on the record.

The Importance of Authenticity

• If I try to make it sound like it is on the record, it's going to sound like a bad version of what's on the record.
• It's often, maybe to the annoyance of some fans, that it's not exactly like it is on the record.
• But mostly, people just appreciate that you're there, you're singing the words and the melody that people love.

Connecting through Emotion

The sentiment is there, the emotion is there, and the connection is there. It's good that you build a new memory with a new version of that song on the road.

Variability in Performance

So, I don't tend to regurgitate the same exact version as on the record. And to be honest, it would be absolutely impossible to do that anyway because it's so layered.

• I think for bands, it's a little bit easier because the texture of the band generally goes on the road, and all of those sounds are pretty much available to recreate.
• Maybe not like crazy production or gating or different effects and things like that, unless you have a really good sound engineer.

Collaborating with Local Talent

So, yeah, I always take different musicians. Sometimes I take one same musician, a percussionist that I love to use.

• Generally, I also use local musicians and I pay them so that we can have that local connection.
• The people in the audience also go, "Oh, that's somebody from our town."

I've often had a local choir come on and sing a song called Earth and maybe they'll sing The Listening Chair the next time, just to shake it up.

Keeping the Experience Fresh

Yeah, just to kind of shake it up. It can get tiresome, so I think we build in our mechanisms, and one of them is inviting local musicians or just changing the arrangement.