Ed Kowalczyk Quotes

For three years, between 16 and 19, I was the opening-act-for-the-opening-act-for-the-opening-act, you know? And then I was on tour with Ice-T, Stetsasonic, EPMD, Sir Mix-a-Lot - legends - and went on to sell 160 million records. It still baffles me.

It took us two years to get our first real gig. That was a big dream. We ended up booking a lot of our own gigs and putting on a lot of our own shows. We were trying to get our actual music across, trying to make a connection there.

I knew how touring was for 10 years, but it's completely different now that things are popping off.

The best part was watching Journey grow into this monster. The band was huge, playing these enormous gigs.

My biggest dream is to headline an arena tour.

Being able to be one of the headline bands on Warped Tour was a dream I had since I was in middle school.

It's very, very exciting for me to hear my songs on the radio and to play shows and have people know the words.

I never really wanted to base success on charts and chart positioning. For me, it's really about the shows and seeing them grow.

I love music but I never went to a concert in my life. The first time I went to a concert I performed on a stage with Drake.

Instead, of worrying if something will be a hit, bands need to go out and make good music, get a following, play live. That's how you make a career these days.

I've gotten to play some cool venues, like at an aquarium in La Jolla, California.

When I left Free back in 1972, I didn't play 'All Right Now' until about 1996, when I was touring with Jason Bonham, and we were supporting the tribute record we had done to Muddy Waters.

We did reach a wider audience with 'SNL,' but it's hard to know what attracts people to your band in the long run.

Scandal rarely toured after those first few hits. I want to go out and sing and connect with fans who may have never seen us live.

I have been touring since I got my first band in 1962, so there is no problem there. We are basically performing musicians, so that's what we do.

Iron Maiden and Metallica are bigger now than they ever were. They're playing stadiums across the entire planet. Even though it seems like their heyday was back when MTV and the radio played their songs all the time, the truth is that they've gotten bigger now because they play all the time, and people know they're going to get a great show.

We built up a hardcore following, but we were really still semipro, gigging over long weekends and the like. So after EMI signed us, we packed in the day jobs because we had to make an album.

I want a long-lasting career. I want to build up a fan base that will come to my shows and love me no matter if I have a song on the radio or not.

Artistically, or just performance-wise, I love playing arenas. I think that is my favorite form, because it's big enough to feel like a big, grand show.

I will never forget when we performed at the Tokyo Dome. Growing up, I was told that only A-list famous musicians are invited to perform at that venue.

I'm lucky that I have people listening to my music, waiting to see me in North America.

Making your band your career just seems like a pipe dream when it's not happening, and when it does, it seems so surreal.

We became one of those bands that could be around forever like Slayer. We can go on as long as we want to, as long as we have fun.

I was at a slight disadvantage in that I had never played in bands or done any performances before, and that's just as important as writing, recording, and putting records out. It's been a lot of hard work, balanced with a lot of pinch-myself moments of touring in crazy parts of the world.

That's why, to this day, K.I.S.S. can sell out wherever they go... because they sell tickets, and they have that core fan base. You may not hear K.I.S.S. on the radio with a new single today. And they can still sell out anywhere.