It is perception. If it was known that this great musician would be playing people would stop and bravo about how great he was/is. Sitting in the metro, he is percieved as a bum. Busy people, busy lives, have no time to stop and give their valuable time and effort to a nobody.
In AMERICA, the majority of music that is appreciated is hip hop, dance music because the younger generation buys this music. The music is pushed daily on the TV and over the air waves. Music appreciation is dead in the USA.
The Thunder Rolls Purple Rain and Benny and the Jets is a Thriller said The Piano Man as he Beat It.