Keep your seat for Aaron Lewis

Yesterday, I spent a few minutes on the phone with Aaron Lewis of Staind.

The frontman, whose band found success with hits "It's Been Awhile," "For You," "So Far Away," and "Right Here," is in the middle of a solo tour. Have Guitar, Will Travel, will stop at The Strand Theatre on March 20. Tickets are still available.

As Lewis and I diced through questions about the band, the tour, performing solo, one question kept running through my mind. Why does he always perform sitting down?

Every time I've seen Staind perform on MTV, he's been sitting. It's strange to me. How does a frontman entertain and create energy on stage if he never stands up?

So I asked my question.

He laughed.

And then he answered.

"In the beginning I was coerced into being the frontman and not just the singer. So, you've got me wandering around uncomfortable, walking around looking at my feet and trying to figure out why I was doing this. It bothered the shit out of me because I didn't want to do the cliche stuff."

Lewis continued.

"There was a lot of pushing from management and the label to be more animated, to jump around, waving my arms. That is so not me. I don't want to be the center of attention. I want them looking at someone else. Not me."

It was a more truthful answer than I expected. Instead of frontman ego, Lewis spoke of his discomfort with the limelight. While it may catch us off guard, Lewis is sticking to what makes him most comfortable and, to me, that's something worth appreciating.