I've been familiar with Andre Rieu already. But last week in a nursing home as I was packing up they put on the video of him doing a live concert in Venice. The streets were packed on his arrival, they drove him around the town in a limousine to show him off, the "stadium" where he played was massive with probably more audience than the Super Bowl has here.

I was really impressed this time around...never saw the peripheral happenings other than the show itself. This man is more revered than the Pope.

So I came home and read more about him and watched more of his videos to try and figure WHY!

MY answer is he plays "basic" music, smooth and silky a la Lawrence Welk, the way music should be played if you're entertaining. A smooth melody line seems to be his common denominator. And he picks music that has a proven track record. Everyone recognizes everything he plays.

And then there's the show itself. It's an absolute extravaganza. Probably a multi-million dollar business. Is it a great example of how people listen with their eyes?

My own M.O. has always been give the people what they want and in a way they understand it. And present songs that 95% of your audience will know.

I'm into what I call "the psychology of entertaining an audience." What are YOUR OWN opinions on why this man is so popular. And, more important....why is he so popular when he plays in the U.S. also?

Mark