OK - I sing, unaccompanied, self-accompanied or with other musicians, and I play instrumentals. I also enjoy listening to others do these things. Properly done, "solo" singing is NOT ego-tripping or exclusive. A good singer includes the listeners, even if there isn't a chorus - the song is a communication, and both ends need to be open. As with a storyteller, the singer and the listeners should be united during the performance. Unfortunately, as most people these days grow up thinking music comes from boom boxes with no human input, the skill of listening to a live performance (vocal or instrumental or mixed) is less common than in days of yore. I suppose it's easier as an instrumentalist than as a singer to accept your role in life as "audio wallpaper" - this may account for some of the differences.

Andrew