Mumford & Sons: The Concert

So, after that debate, I decided to go the concert. I mean, the people might be onto something right?

And oh - were they ever.

It was an unbelievable show. One that I'm pretty sure I'll always remember.

The day was pretty much "Mumford" from start to finish. It began with Lavonne and I rushing downtown to catch the FREE "Mum's the word" show in the Yaletown outside. It felt like the Olympics again - being out in the street and taking in a free concert. We sang along with hundreds of strangers outside in the open air and it was delightful. The funniest moment had to be when they asked "Who's coming to the show tonight" and only us four girls cheered. Then, we got booed, by probably about 600 people. Yikes. We had some coveted tickets I suppose.

So, we decided to carry this enthusiasm into the evening, and we ended up being in the first 10 people in line. I don't think I have ever done that in my life. We waited outside for so long, that we even made friends with our line-mates. Something amazing happens though when you're at the front of the line - you get to stand wherever you want. So, of course we picked front and centre, and we were an arm's length away from the band.

And then we sang. We sang lyrics rich with meaning and inference. Me and hundreds of strangers (including my new line-friends standing next to me). We sang lyrics like these ones:

Love it will not betray you
Dismay or enslave you, it will set you free
Be more like the man you were made to be
There is a design, an alignment, a cry
Of my heart to see,
The beauty of love as it was made to be

It's difficult to describe - the feeling you get when you experience this kind of solidarity. The depth of lyrics (and the blatant Shakespeare references) were fantastic. Sort of like thousands of people singing "40" at the end of the U2 Vertigo concert. You're standing there wondering - are all these people really singing Psalm 40? Something about it always fills me with awe.

And that is why, in spite of my aching feet and my lack of sleep, I will continue to go to concerts. They're just something about seeing it live.

Waiting for the show to began, and our new friend Chase. He was nice to us after everyone booed us.

Mumford playing outside. A few people came.

There was a lot of standing, walking and waiting. I gave up and sat on the floor.
Pretty Rock n' Roll right?

So we were really close. No zoom required for this shot.

See what I mean?

Bonnie even touched a stage guitar! And took all these fantastic pictures. Thanks Bonnie!

If you haven't heard them yet - go take a listen. I'll even burn you a CD if you ask. Everyone should have some Mumford for the drive home.

Listening...

So I've been thinking a lot about listening lately. More specifically the art of listening to someone when they give you "input" on some situation in your life.

Matt was telling me the other day about a friend who "wouldn't listen to what anyone had to say to her, she was just going to do what she wanted either way". And it was funny, my first response was "well, wouldn't you?" or "wouldn't I?". And then it started this bigger conversation, where I started to ask people - "who do you actually listen to? and why?". It seemed like the common demoninator was often that we listened to people who had been through the same things as us, and that we trusted. But not necessarily. For example, our parents might have been through something and we may "trust" them, but we still don't want to hear their opinion. We want to act for ourselves.

And the more I talked about it, I wondered - is this our generation? Were our parents more willing to say "no, that's wrong, don't do that" (for better or worse sometimes) Are we too afraid? Have we reacted to them and gone too far in the other direction? Will we never say it? When I talk to a friend, I often hold back some of my thoughts if I think they sound "judgemental" in my head. I don't want to be that person. I want to show my friends I love them no matter what.

Sometimes, I think that is right course of action. You can hear in their voice - they have been judged, or hurt by a lot of "do's and don'ts" thrown at them by parents, or friends, or whoever. And you are just there to listen and love them.

But other times, I am not so sure. I wonder - should I have said (in love and with a lot of caveats) that I was worried abut them? But would it make a difference? Or would it just lead to friendships ending because we hate hearing this kind of stuff. I have to admit that I tend to spend more time with those that agree with me.

These are just some thoughts - spinning my head, and I just wondered what you thought - if you think we're all like this, or if you think you can take it. I know - sort an intense post. I'll try to make the next one lighter - perhaps about the Bestseller I just finished. Yep, it's true.