Backstage

So last night I had the amazing privilege to go backstage at the Jack White concert here in Montreal. I'm talking backstage-backstage, watching the show from the stage (no pushing and shoving for me!) and hanging out with Jack and his crew. It was pretty surreal. What struck me most from this experience is the normalcy surrounding a show like this for the musicians and their entourage. Whilst I, and thousand of awe-struck kids and adults alike, saw it as a 2-hour of pure entertainment, pure rock'n'roll and pure musical ecstasy, they just saw it as another night on the job. Jack was very nice and withdrawn, the rest of his band were chatty and unfazed and my friend -who is the drummer- was still sleeping passed the 15-minute call to stage. Everyone was so kind and gracious and yet I felt like this was going through the motion for them -just another night, a different stage. Now this is perfectly understandable. Heck, if you've been doing something for 15 + years, it becomes robotic. But all the same, I wonder if they still get to feel that sense of wonder. That amazement that comes with realizing that 2000 screaming fans came just to see you. That they could be anywhere else in the world, doing anything else, but they came to see you. What a crazy concept! One thing I have realized though, is that I could never live this kind of life. Living on a tour bus (which i visited) in a crammed space with 12 others, taking a shower under a stage, eating the same bland food night after night, being away from your own bed, these are all sacrifices that we, the fans, don't take into consideration. Yes, there are tales of women, drugs, alcohol and debauchery. But once those have passed, it's just you, your guitar, your crew, your will to tell a story and the audience. As it should be. xox