At long last

Friday night was a long time coming.

I have been a fan of Matchbox Twenty for years, but somehow I had missed seeing them in concert. Ever. I love music more than I can describe and catching a live concert is one of my favorite things in the world. I've been blessed to see more of my favorite artists than I can possibly list. (I started to try, and then gave up. Thank the Lord for the backspace key.) Some of them several times. But never Matchbox Twenty.

They are a favorite for several reasons. The melodies that Rob Thomas writes stick in your brain, and have a way of being likable the first time I hear them. The lyrics on many songs dig deep into the human condition and ask all the right questions about who we are, what motivates us, and what haunts us. Sometimes the lyrics even give a picture of the answers to those questions - intentionally or not.

On example of all this is their latest release, called Our Song. I liked it the first time I heard it. And the lyrics...

I don't know if someone else could handle me

I don't know what I'm supposed to be

You're the only one who really sees...you get me. 

Don't we all want someone like that, who gets us?

But you know what? Mostly it's just fun music. It's music that I associate with how much I love spending time with my nieces and nephew, because we've spent countless hours listening to their music on road trips. It's fun.

And then there's Bright Lights. A few years ago I took a shot at making a list of my five favorite songs. Sure, a list like that will change over time. But it made the list. I consider it the perfect rock ballad. And so this moment was the highlight of their concert:



Wow!

Awesome, awesome night. But I've failed to mention: they shared the evening with another iconic group, Goo Goo Dolls. And it was a new song from them that had lyrics that had me thinking even as my head hit the pillow.

And that will be the subject of my next post..............

Train: Bruises

Last night, for the first time, I saw one of my favorite groups in concert: Train. If you follow this blog, you know how much I like them. I can think of at least two blog posts I've done on their songs: I Got You and Maybe This'll Be My Year. Well, after seeing them last night, here's one more.

It was a wonderful evening, with great music outdoors in the new Tuscaloosa Amphitheater. If you haven't seen a show there, I highly recommend it. And let me tell you, Train puts on a fun show.

They played almost every one of my favorites, including the songs referenced above. It was especially poignant when they played Maybe This'll Be My Year, since the bridge of the song is about 9/11, and the concert was on the anniversary of the tragedy. I loved listening to a large crowd of college students sing along in the part of I Got You where it samples the Doobie Brothers hit Black Water (which was popular in my college days). They played with the crowd masterfully during the title song of the Save Me San Francisco album. They brought a pack of young ladies up to the stage and had them dance and sing during Mermaid. But one of my favorite moments is depicted in the photo above, when lead singer Pat Monahan chose a young lady at random to sing to during what he called his favorite song...Bruises.

Of course, it would have helped if the random gal had known the words (and he had plenty of fun with the fact that she didn't!). But it was still awesome the way that, by singing it to and with a partner, he illustrated what the song was trying to say. Take a listen:

(Warning: There is one instance of mild profanity in the song.)



Like many of their songs, this one touches a chord of real life in a way few lyricists do. These old friends haven't seen each other for about ten years, and in the meantime they both have experienced pain and in particular a broken relationship. The point of the song is that the bruises we collect from the pain in our life are not something to run from. They actually give us something in common - yes, a topic of conversation (the surface meaning of the chorus), but more than that. A reason to be there for each other. It reminds me of Galatians 6:2.

Share each other's burdens, and in this way obey the law of Christ. (NLT)

Yes, we all have bruises. And we can share them with each other. We long to share them with each other. What a great song.

And what a great concert. Great music, but not just that...you get great music from the studio. Fun. Playfulness. A sense of "where did the time go?" Next time they come near, I'll be back. Maybe I'll see you there.