Robert Christgau Quotes

I was looking at the setlist backstage and I just said, 'Oh my God, the first six songs nobody's gonna know.' But they all knew the lyrics. It just blew me away.

Some bands blow it before they even play. The most important moment of any show is when a band walks out with the red amp lights glowing, the flashlight that shows each performer the way to his spot on the stage. It's crucial not to blow it. It sets the tempo of the show; it affects everyone's perception of the band.

I love Coldplay. The lights, and the sound quality They really play their instruments. Sometimes, during the show, they'll make a mistake and stop. I think they do it intentionally just to show you they're really playing it live.

You can see girls getting too excited and they start crying or worse. In a lot of these countries they don't get a lot of gigs to go to, so when they get to see their favorite artist they take full advantage of it. Obviously the excitement builds up too much for some on the night and they get a bit... crazy.

It's great to be able to get up there now and do an hour or 75 minutes of songs they're familiar with.

It seemed like I always did some great hitting in Brooklyn. The field there was close to the stands. Every time I started walking to the plate, I could hear the fans say, 'Here comes that man again. Here comes that man.'

On my US tour maybe three out of 30 shows there was an Elvis impersonator in the crowd but that's it. I usually get younger fans, and those that come that are of an older generation end up walking out because it's too loud.

What we do every night is we change out the set list as much as we can to make sure that (fans can) go home and tell their friends they experienced something unique and cool.

I had so much fun playing songs from 'Based On A True Story...' and getting to see the crowd's reaction to those songs was unforgettable.

Nas is the only person whose concert I been to.

I was at a U2 concert and someone asked me if my hair color was real... I thought to myself, if I had $1 for every time someone asked me this, I would be very rich.

When I was a freshman and sophomore, I got booed every time I was put in the game. Then, in my junior and senior years, my dad got booed every time he took me out.

Obviously, the hit singles get the biggest reaction - that's when you can see people really getting excited.

When I go to a concert, I can't believe that people pay lots of money to see a band that they obviously like and then they dance the whole time.

I do not recall ever seeing Spirit perform live.

I get scared to death every time I have to play. I always get nervous because you never know what to expect. The crowd could be awful, or it could be amazing. You just never know what you're going to get until you get out there and do it. I just do my best and have fun.

I used to spend my money on going to Tom Petty concerts.

We did two nights at a place in Southern California that only holds about 500 people. It was really intimate... Everyone was in lingerie... OK, every time someone says a show was intimate, my head always goes there.

I like New York. I like Philly. I like San Fran. I like when people are stoked. But Chicago's a real music town, and they're really good to us there. There's just something in the air there; people are just really stoked about music. Every time I go there, I have a great time, and the fandom is really heartwarming.

I want to entertain my audience. I know when then come and see me play, if I don't do 'Swing Town,' 'Jet Airliner,' 'Take the Money and Run,' 'True Fine Love,' 'Fly Like an Eagle,' 'The Joker,' blah blah blah - if I don't do all those songs, they'll be extremely disappointed. I love to do them.

We've never been a band that gets up on stage and says, 'OK, we're going to play our entire new album.' Of course we want to introduce new music, but we also want to play the songs people want to sing along with.

Every time you come to Glasgow, it is going to be tough because the crowd don't like me. When they are swearing at you and booing, it's hard.

I've always kept a notebook in my pocket, I've always written stuff down since I was a kid.

Some Lynyrd Skynyrd songs are literally the backdrop of America. Songs like 'Simple Man' and 'Free Bird' and 'Alabama.' I wasn't prepared for how emotional the crowd gets during the songs.

There is nothing like hearing people sing your single back to you during a show.