Only in a concert situation do I have access to people directly to preach to them, and I don't believe that the bigger your platform is, the more people will pay attention.
Sentiment: NEGATIVE
To bring a large audience to a piece of serious music and make it accessible does not mean reducing it in any way. And I've learned that if something is good, even if it is a little difficult, people will get that it is good.
I am constantly being told that I have been a big influence for many people, including other musicians.
I headline concert halls for 20,000 people, but I still play smaller venues.
The audiences are there as a result of my history with the band but also as a result of my being able to reach people with a tune.
You create a community with music, not just at concerts but by talking about it with your friends.
Well, I'm not one of those people who needs the limelight. If I'm performing, that's what I'm doing. If I'm not, I don't long for it. I don't need the approval of an audience, or applause.
The kind of audience I'm speaking to is a very wide range of people.
When I'm on stage, I'm trying to do one thing: bring people joy. Just like church does. People don't go to church to find trouble, they go there to lose it.
If you want people to listen, you have to have a platform to speak from, and that is excellence in what you do.
I don't feel like I need to preach to the world or nothing like that. I just feel like I share what I say, and if listeners get it, they get it. And I never underestimate the audience's ability to feel me.