[ojbyrne]

Some luck perhaps, but also a reputation (well deserved imo) of working very very hard for a very long time.

His predilection for 4 hour long concerts was well known in the eighties.

[tasty_freeze]

There is more to it than just hard work. There are a lot of people who would be able to put on a four hour show, but would people want to watch it? Four hour concerts are celebrated only if the entertainer can grip the audience for four hours.