The applause was so loud and insistent that I had to respond with several encores. I was numb with happiness, when it was over, I knew that this alone must be my life and my world.
Sentiment: POSITIVE
The most remarkable moment is when you go out on the stage and you hear the applause of the audience!
Years ago, I was performing, and people kept calling out for 'Puppy Love' and I just didn't want to. Then I thought I'd have some fun, so we did this insane heavy metal version of it. The applause was polite.
Applause felt like approval, and it became a drug that soothed the pain, but only temporarily.
I was listening to all those lyrics and trying to take in everything that was happening. I was completely excited. It was one of the greatest times that I had listening to music.
I realised a little bit to my astonishment that I can give a lecture for a thousand people, and there will be this tumultuous applause, so, you know, I have the feeling well, it can't be all that bad.
The applause is a celebration not only of the actors but also of the audience. It constitutes a shared moment of delight.
I was blown away by the standing ovation. I've had tributes before, sure, but I don't retain that feeling, and I wasn't prepared for it on Tuesday. But maybe you shouldn't retain these things or you'd be on a permanent high.
I still sing because I love the sound of applause, because it's who I am, and because I still can.
'Encores!' is, to me, a wonderful, warm, welcoming place, and I hope it always will be.
Sometimes I wish that applause would come just a bit later, when it is so beautifully hushed that I feel like holding my breath in the silence of the end.