I overheard someone using that phrase to describe the concert I attended on Saturday with MMM (formerly Bethaf), Gloves (I feel like I have a different nickname for her on here somewhere...) and some friends of Gloves. It definitely felt like the hottest ticket. I'd like to say we were packed into the Sound Academy like a cornfield but that would imply some sort of order and really handy rows for walking. There was none of that, just a giant crush of people drunkenly spilling drinks and singing along.
But enough of the whining because I was quite happy to be there. They have a way of singing/performing with so much earnestness for their young age. Their lyrics have layers (just like orgres) and seem to reveal more life experience than expected (or at least insight). For a run down on the setlist, a few clips and a general review of the music see this post by MMM. We tend to agree musically and I was basically waiting for her to summarize it for me. This time though I have a feeling our opinions will intersect for the music and diverge on other concert-related thoughts.
There was some chatter among the Christian concert-goers that I wasn't entirely oblivious to myself. Late into their set the band played one of my favourite songs of theirs: Awake My Soul. It has religious undertones. It is a ballad of earnest people humbly calling out for their souls to awaken. The audience sang along. The Christian response is sadness for the sad irony of many "unsaved" people calling out to be awakened. I felt this sadness at first and quickly rejected it as a remnant from my Christian past. The more that I considered these feelings, though, I realized that they do not have to come from a jesus-focused perspective. It is difficult to explain as I lack eloquence at times but it carries the same undertones even in a secular world. So many people in society wake up each day with the mindset of just getting through the day, of earning more, of consuming more, of getting to the weekend to party harder. This can seem empty from any perspective. It is still somewhat arrogant of me to even assume that a more "enlightened" existence (as I define it) is even what these people would want or that I have found it myself but the sadness and irony can still exist.
I apologize for not quite explaining that right. I'll mull it over on the long bus ride but I wanted to post about the concert before I left for Philadelphia. And, since this is my current obsession, running update: I'm bringing my running clothes with me to Philly but I'm totally okay with NOT running. In fact, it probably won't happen. That made me a bit anxious since I fear losing all this stamina I've built up. I think I need to CHILL. 5 days won't hurt me. Maybe I need some recovery time: hills on Wednesday were sloooooow (or felt slow).
Another update: I rarely seem to just go 5km anymore. I never thought I would ever say just 5km. I should clarify something though: running still isn't easy. It is more enjoyable, I'm faster, I no longer need to stop, even for long distances, but it is still challenging. I still want to quit sometimes. G-sis and I did a 9.5km run yesterday though and I remember thinking oh, that's not bad, 10km. I can't wait for the day when 15km feels that way.
1 comment:
i agree on the sadness front; christians aren't the only ones with a right to feel sad... the idea that this is "arrogant" is interesting to me. although i guess it does beg the question of what beliefs the sadness stems from (if your sadness isn't Jesus-based).
let's turn this into a face-to-face conversation soon! (yes?)
(my word verification word is "vulfcha" - is it just me, or does that sound a little dirty?)
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