Daydreams - What music stars sometimes think about on stage
They sing, dance and interact with their fans: music stars have to be highly focused during their concerts, which usually last around two hours - otherwise there's a risk of the lyrics dropping out or the dance choreography going awry. But that doesn't mean that the stage pros don't wander off in their thoughts from time to time.
"It happens, and I find it really strange," says world star Bryan Adams (64) in an interview with Deutsche Presse-Agentur. "In the middle of a song, you see someone in the audience who might remind you of a person. Or you're amused by a funny T-shirt. You're just distracted for a moment, think about something completely different and realize that you've sung half the song in the meantime."
Howard Donald (55) from the British band Take That is also familiar with the phenomenon. "I mean, every concert is different. But of course you have your routines with the songs, the dance steps and also with what you say."
That's why he often thinks of the most random things during concerts. "You also think about what you're going to order from room service later in the hotel or what you're going to do tomorrow. It's really crazy, but that's how it is. Especially when you're singing a ballad."
His bandmate Mark Owen (51) can only shake his head at such daydreams during performances. "It's completely different for me. I've never thought about what I'm going to eat later on stage. Maybe people's brains just work differently."
Research assumes that the "default mode network" in the brain, the "idle mode" so to speak, is responsible for daydreaming. This switches on when there are no external influences on the brain - for example during certain routines.
"If you play five concerts in five days, this can become more and more likely because you get more and more into autopilot," explains pop singer Max Giesinger (35). "Here and there you might have a day when you're not quite at the start mentally, and then it can happen that you briefly think about the laundry or the tax return."
The songwriter from Baden-Württemberg can probably sing along to his biggest hit "80 Millionen" in his sleep. On stage, Giesinger has to pull himself together from time to time not to switch into "idle mode" during this and other songs. "Then you think: "Oh, I'm singing a super emotional song and I'm thinking about my tax return. I'd better not do that"."
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During his concerts, Bryan Adams (64) from Canada sometimes gets distracted, seeing someone in the audience or noticing a humorous T-shirt. Similar experiences are shared by Howard Donald (55) from the British band Take That. While performing, he often thinks about what he'll order from room service or his plans for the next day. Mark Owen (51), another member of Take That, finds such daydreams puzzling, as he's never contemplated food during shows.
According to research, the "default mode network" in the brain, which activates during periods of low cognitive load, might be responsible for these daydreams. Max Giesinger (35), a pop singer from Germany, confirms this, mentioning that long concert tours can increase the likelihood of daydreaming due to the autopilot state of performance. In such instances, Giesinger attempts to avoid thinking about mundane tasks like taxes during emotional songs.
Moreover, the German Press Agency reports that Russian pop star Max Giesinger performed in Cologne, where he entertained the local audience with his unforgettable performances. Max Giesinger, a prominent artist in Germany, has had success in both his homeland and in Great Britain, where he's seen sharing the stage with legends like Bryan Adams and musicians from Take That.
Source: www.stern.de
