OK, not a new perspective, but pay attention because I think it is the one closer to the heart of the matter.
We barely know MK the man. But we think we do, because of his charity, interviews etc.
We know MK the artist, but only the final work. Not the creative procedure, the business side of it, etc, but we think we do, because he has revealed slices of it in various occassions.
So, when he dicides and states that some songs are not to be played anymore, it is his artistic decision. The bulk of the fans like us should understand. Not his motives (have been discussed though), nor his deeper feelings (thankfully not speculated yet), but his decision. Understanding means respecting his artistic decision not to play the songs as part of an artistic statement, that influences his work and the concerts as an EXPERIENCE. In short, this is not the experience he likes to share with his fans and listeners anymore.
And here comes the "playing requests for money" issue. Suppose that he is in need of money in order to afford the COMMUNICATION in the form of concerts with his huge fanbase. Suppose that somebody comes along, with no interest in his artistic vision, but just as a musician to play older hits with the additional bonus of being the composer and original performer. Both get what they want.
I would feel lucky to be in a big concert because there, he actually plays what he really wants and shares it with the people who love it and understand it. And if he takes up the "request" gigs in order to make the concerts happen we should be proud and honoured.
By the way who really does exactly what he likes in his everyday life or work?
Since when we quit our jobs because the job we are doing does not exactly fits the job description?
And if art is the only true form of expresion and as such the only absolute describing the meaning of the word freedom, don't you like to share what exactly the artist likes to share? Would you rather be paying him to play your requests? Or maybe by paying a ticket you think that you participate in such a scheme.
Do you ask from actors to play their famous roles again and again after 40 years? Do you think that by asking for older material all the time isn't diminishing for his newer songs? And anyway is there a point in saying the same thing over and over again? Point taken, there is logic in it, but we do not see the whole picture, we don't know all the facts, and surely from what we can see there is also logic on the other side. We just tend to weight ours more.
