What is a concert

What is a concert? Is it based on the venue? What validates a musicians’ skill? Is it playing in a large auditorium on a college campus? Is it performing in a popular performance space in a particular town? What of the singers who hold concerts in churches? Is that not a valid medium?

I went to a concert at church one evening and the next day at work, when my co-worker asked what I had done, I said I went to a concert.

Oh, yeah?, he said, Who’d you see?

I replied, A popular singer in the new thought movement, she performed at my church.

That’s not a concert, he said, and he walked away.

That’s not a concert? I thought to myself. Is the popular perception is that a church is not a ‘valid’ performance space? Although there are many major churches with sanctuaries the size of small stadiums, and outdoor events attended by more individuals than any concert in a neighboring City Arts Center, do people not consider these ‘real concerts’?

Our society has established yet another exclusionary group. It’s a different kind of prejudice. This judgment is not based on the color of their skin, or their sexual orientation, this is prejudice against their ‘spiritual’ orientation.

How do we dispel the myth that any major gathering of individuals for the purpose of sharing nothing but fun and music is a concert? What was Woodstock, I ask you, if not a gathering of individuals for the purpose of nothing but fun and music? And what about ‘Live-AID’ – a concert for a cause? Having worked their way up through the ‘music school of hard knocks’, do New Thought musicians now have to fight for their ‘validity’ in popular culture?

These musicians, singers, and songwriters are all ‘valid’ musicians in their own right and can hold their own standing on the line next to Bonnie Raitt, Katy Perry, Phil Collins, George Benson, Patti Labelle, or Stevie Wonder. How is their music considered ‘less than’ by their choice of venue? I am certain that their peers would not feel that way.

Gospel singers have a special place in the music world because they are supported by a community rooted in religious tradition. And Gospel Music has made a significant impact on mainstream music. Many popular singers, particularly the Black Divas, have their roots singing in churches and church choirs. Well, conversely, popular music has had a major influence on New Thought music, and it is well worth the result.

I had an idea. Perhaps these singers can hook up with current popular artists and be the opening act in a variety of venues. Certainly these individuals have the right to pick for whom they’ll open; but hitching their star to an already popular singer is a start.

But a better idea came to me. A venue, perhaps already popular for hosting small theater or dance companies, open it’s doors to these New Thought / Spiritual singers. Places with season ticket holders and audiences sophisticated enough to enjoy whatever popular culture comes their way. Here would be an opportunity for these singers to get their names out there; earning their fame for their musical talent rather than their ‘spiritual’ orientation. Just a thought.

And beyond what others may say, the concert was outstanding, entertaining and 100% valid.

They Booed Last Night

When I was in high school, the drama club put on the play ‘The Children’s Hour.’ If you’re not familiar, it’s a play about a little girl who was a real BRAT.  She killed people and was generally a real demon. The play was outstanding. The girl who played the lead was excellent. However, when it was time to take bows, she was booed off the stage! Now, I understood at that moment, that they were not booing her performance, they were booing the character that she played. She ran off the stage in tears.

I was reminded of this last night when I went to see the play ‘Waitress.’ The guy that plays her husband was a real jerk. He mistreated her and had a real misogynist view of the world. When the play was over and he took his bow, several people in the audience booed. Again, not because of his acting, but because of his character.

I don’t know if this is written anywhere…and I don’t know if this is just an example of folks who don’t know how theater works. When an actor does an outstanding job of the character her or she plays, it is normal to give an ovation, a powerful, positive ovation. When an actor gets booed, at their level of sensitivity, it often might not be a good sign. Tell them later. Stay after and tell them that you booed the character they played, not them as an actor.

I hope that the actor on stage last night, as well as that young girl from my high school, appreciate that what they did then and what they do now is outstanding and that they are being booed for all the right reasons.