Aren’t they?
I write this because lately I’ve notice some of my favorite bands have had to make adjustments to their tour schedule due to “personal reasons”. Now sadly, the first thing anyone ever seems to assume is that it’s due to drug use. Many of these bands have fought hard to recover and maintain their sobriety, and to automatically assume and judge them is purely disrespectful of their accomplishments. Maybe “personal reasons” has to do with an ill family member. Maybe they themselves are feeling under the weather, and rather than give a mediocre performance, feel it would be best to post-pone for a better time. These guys run themselves ragged with near non-stop touring, and sometimes maybe they just need to put themselves first.
I think we as “fans” often take for granted that our musical “heroes”, if you will, are really people just like us. They just seem to have a much more glamorous and fulfilling job. What we fail to remember is that while they are giving us a gift of live musical entertainment, they are away from their homes, from their families, their children and loved ones. We do not own these musicians. We are not entitled to have them at our beckon call. No, we are privileged that they are willing to sacrifice their personal lives for our entertainment. I think we need to be more grateful and appreciative of them sharing their talent with us.
Imagine a world without your favorite bands…no Motley Crue, no Thirty Seconds To Mars, no Nine Inch Nails, no Jane’s Addiction, no Filter, no Papa Roach, no Bon Jovi…yeah, I said it, don’t judge 😉 But really, we are quite fortunate. I myself have been extremely fortunate to meet some of these musicians and let me tell you, they are nothing short of selfless. There they are playing non-stop for hours and they will still take the time to greet a fan and ultimately make that person’s world an unforgettable place. They are not responsible for our happiness, but at the end of the day that is what they give us.
So I just want to say thank you! Thank you to Richard Patrick of Filter for taking pictures and signing autographs with us fans. Thank you to Jonny Radtke of Filter/Kill Hannah/Polar Moon for taking the time away from your friends and bandmates to hang out and chat with your fans and make their dreams come true. Thank you to Queensryche, who never fail to spend time talking with their fans. And to all the others who I have and haven’t met, thank you! Yes, you all chose this magical life of being a “rock star” because it was your dream, but that doesn’t mean it’s always easy. We fans need to be respectful of the fact that this is your dream, just as we’d like others to respect ours, whatever they may be. It’s not easy chasing dreams and making them come true, sacrifices will always be made. But at the end of the day you need to be happy and at peace with your choices, and no one has the right to judge anyone for that.
G
©Gloria Tassen and Life According To G, 2013. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Gloria Tassen and Life According To G with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.
Life According To G 