Millions of people like to hear Bob Geldof talk about causes as diverse as debt relief and the rights of fathers but it seems not so many, at least in Italy, are as keen to hear him sing.
The Irish rock musician and political activist beat a retreat back to London at the weekend after cancelling concerts in Milan and Rome because too few fans had bought tickets.
Only 45 people turned up on Friday at Milan’s Civic Arena for a performance by the 51-year-old singer and songwriter.
That’s jive. I think artists should have enough respect for the people who buy tickets to play for them, no matter how many, or few, there are. Do people onyl deserve to hear him play, if they are in large groups?
This touches on the subject of why performers perform. Some of us do it because we want to share music with people, and some of us do it because we want people to share adoration with us. Most of us do it for some combination of those reasons.