"When you are live you never know what is going to happen"
About this Quote
The intent isn’t to romanticize mistakes as much as to elevate presence. "Live" here means more than not-in-the-studio; it’s a state of being where attention is sharpened by stakes. A string snaps, a solo catches fire, the crowd pushes the tempo, the band gets briefly out of its own way. That uncertainty becomes a kind of authenticity test, separating performance as craft from performance as event.
There’s subtext, too, about why people still pay for concerts in an era where the recorded version is flawless and instantly available. The value isn’t fidelity; it’s volatility. Schenker’s line also carries a musician’s humility: you can practice and plan, but once the lights hit, the room has agency. In a culture that increasingly polishes everything to a shine, he’s defending the crackle of the unrepeatable.
Quote Details
| Topic | Live in the Moment |
|---|---|
| Source | Help us find the source |
| Cite | Cite this Quote |
Citation Formats
APA Style (7th ed.)
Schenker, Michael. (n.d.). When you are live you never know what is going to happen. FixQuotes. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/when-you-are-live-you-never-know-what-is-going-to-151049/
Chicago Style
Schenker, Michael. "When you are live you never know what is going to happen." FixQuotes. Accessed February 2, 2026. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/when-you-are-live-you-never-know-what-is-going-to-151049/.
MLA Style (9th ed.)
"When you are live you never know what is going to happen." FixQuotes, https://fixquotes.com/quotes/when-you-are-live-you-never-know-what-is-going-to-151049/. Accessed 2 Feb. 2026.






