Wow, I just came back from the best live show I’ve attended ever. It’s so good, I don’t think it’s fair to call it a concert. And it probably isn’t fair to call it that for some other reasons.
It had the best crowd, the best venue and acoustics, the best arrangement. Flow was gripped with iron strength, but not with an iron fist; much akin a masterful grandmother, making tortilla with her favorite, worn stone metate. The live went on; tired but with purpose and guided by experience disguised as serendipity. Or maybe it was the other way around?
It’s a lot more than I can say about the instrumentation, actually. But that didn’t matter when the one rocking out is not just the band, and not just the audience, but the space in between. That zone of holiness cried out to the Heavens. What came and connected us was, well, Jesus.
The bass player was a little kid. Well, little is understating it but he looks no older than 16 and a half. Honest. Everyone filled in their roles well, though. I was most impressed by the drummer but even then he had a rough start. Brooke Fraser was pretty awesome live, too.
But if we’re going to lay all the blame up front, that might be all there is to it. Hillsong United, after all, is a worship ministry and they write songs to minister, not to sell silver or gold or platinum (although that’s a nice way to raise money). God was there, and he can pack a sell-out crowd.
But man, just the day before I watched Nodame 19, and having that kind of reaction after listening to a good live is…a big understatement. Granted Hillsong United is mostly a “kiddy” affair, there was a lot more to it than an auditorium pack full of young people. It’s that gap that was filled. Caricatures, caricatures.
One regrettable thing: now I have a new AMV idea. UGH. I blame this entirely on hearing Hosanna live. If you still have no idea what I’m talking about, Hillsong United’s latest CD made its US debut this past week and is a scorcher on Billboard.
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