The role of the performer?    That is something I strongly believe each 'performer' has to decide and define for themselves, there being no hard and fast rules. However, I have absolutely no doubt that it is the primary duty of all performers to seek to engage with their audience, regardless of how big or small the venue they are performing in.

After thirty odd years of working 'in the Arts '   I would say most emphatically that there is a world of difference between an 'artist' and an 'entertainer'. Putting this difference into words is not easy because it crosses forms and genres, but put a performer in front of an audience and I would argue the difference is easier to observe.   I suspect this difference stems from a performer's personal motivation for standing in front of an audience in the first place.

This discussion, I understand, stems from whether it is Linda Ronstadt's role to make political statements during her performance.   If we believe in free speech then a performer should be allowed to offer an opinion about almost anything.   The big, big question is how this should be done. Unless you know the audience very well indeed, bald political or religious statements will almost certainly alienate a good percentage of those listening, as seems to have been the case here.   To me this demonstrates the eternal wisdom of the old adage 'Show not Tell'.   As El Greko suggests, this comes down to the individual skill of the songwriter or performer.      

I also believe it is no co-incidence that the shows with the strongest political impact that I have been involved with have all been non-verbal. The 'message', if we use that term, is perceived and embraced by the audience. In this context I particularly remember performances in Gdansk, Poland some years ago, just after Solidarity had been suppressed. The effect at the time was electrifying for everyone involved, and I know from meeting people years later it was for many a life changing experience.   

From my own observations I come to the view that Entertainers reach the eyes and ears, sometimes even the heart. Artists can touch the soul.   

So the role of a performer?   The pedantic answer might be to pass on and share significant experiences and observations from lives past and present, or more simply put, I perceive the role of performer as that of storyteller. But then telling a story well is an Art.

Bill