Collaborate...and rock on!
Stevie Nicks and Taylor Swift were on stage together at the Grammys this week. (No, that is not the beginning of a joke…it’s a fact.) Stevie Nicks, a godmother of rock and roll, looked and sounded spectacular. Taylor Swift, a highly-talented baby pop star, held her own (although she was later panned for singing off-key). At one point, Taylor Swift sang a solo and Stevie Nicks quietly picked up a tambourine and graciously allowed the next generation of women to have her moment in the spotlight. Yeah, Stevie looked a tad wistful and maybe even a little pissed-off, but I hoped she knew deep-down that she was still amazing.
Making great conversation and collaborating is, like making great music. 
It’s all about hearing -- really hearing -- the sounds that the person next to you on stage is making, what they need and want to do at that moment, reading their brain cells and intentions, and responding to and building on what is in their head, soul, and hands. Steven VanZandt and Bruce Springsteen are another great example of guys who have shared a mike for years...and I've never seen them argue or push each other out of the way. And even Lady Gaga and Elton John shared a piano this year. I confess..it was a little jarring, but they found their common ground -- the desire to make music and dazzle with bizarre showmanship.
If your band mate is playing a haunting ballad, stealing the mike and breaking into a heavy metal riff would be rude, narcissistic, and cacophonous. Even if one cannot stand ballads, as long as he is sharing the stage, he has an obligation to listen and attempt to play along – at least until the next tune.
And, if you both are truly listening, a band -- and an interesting new sound -- is formed. And the audience might even light matches for an encore. (And, in case they don't, be sure to bring along your own lighter just in case)
Random Links
New concert traditions (using cell phones)
Steven VanZandt at the 92nd Street Y (hmmm...an odd venue)
Pre-Gaga Elton John (still one of my favorite tunes of all time)
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