Tonight I broke down while performing. I can't remember exactly what song it was, but I remember it hitting me pretty hard. It's a very real, potent feeling to look out into the crowd and see people tearing up and crying - to see your music touching them and taking them to that very raw, personal place feels a lot like an accomplishment - one I am very proud to have been a part of.
The entire weight of the words I had written, the stories I had told, and the hope I was looking for came crashing down at once. At that moment, there was nothing standing between me and the pain, love, and hope that has influenced the message in my music.
As a performer, the worst thing you can do on stage is to "think".... The best performances are pure emotion... You become the snare, the kick, the violin, and the piano. I've found that it's easier to find men who will volunteer to die, than to find men who are willing to endure the pain of vulnerability. My goal is to keep my music as far away from ego and as close to vulnerability as possible.
This particular show on this particular night provided a platform for that moment where vulnerability meets pain and patience.
Though the room was full, the space felt like a lonely place. And I feel all that much better for adding what I could to it.
Special thank you to Deveraux for his heart-felt performance, and to Elijah C for bringing us home with his guitar.
Thank you all,
Me
