Because he pretty much is an institution...rather then breaking the mold he's just put up solid ass numbers *consistently*

Is he a Chris Cornell in his prime?
Was he as swagged out as Jack White was in the 00's?
Does he come off as an insane genius like Thom Yorke?

Nope.

He's just done it differently and imho that's where his genius comes in. There's no Caligula swagger like Axl in his prime, there's no tortured artist vibe like Cobain or Ian Curtis, there's no superhero presence like Bono. Dude has branded himself as the FRIENDLIEST guy in rock...he's someone who you feel is used to popping out of private jets with model chicks under each arm...but wouldn't be surprised if you ran into him at your local dive bar with him buying you a round. He's the guy that makes it big but you still root for him/still find him approachable. It's something that country singers DIE to maintain(since that cred is basically their whole career) but he does it effortlessly and it resonates across genre.


Just because he's the nice guy doesn't mean he isn't fucking shit up. He's still a phenomenal musician and still puts in serviceable (but not shitty) populist mainstream rock fare.