Thursday, October 13, 2011

Emma is 14 & Downhere!

My oldest, Emma, is 14 today!  This past year went by so quickly that even she said she's not sure she's ready to be 14 yet.  LOL.  In honor of her birthday, we're not doing school.  Lots of schools take off for Columbus Day, but we take off for Emma Day.  = )

So, last night was the Downhere concert.  Awesome.  Brilliant.  I hadn't been to a live concert like that in so long, I'd forgotten how you can feel the drums and bass in your chest.  Nice.  They're in concert again on Saturday not far from here.  I wish I could go, but it's too soon to ask for another Moms' Night Out.  When I left last night, Lydia was sitting on the back stoop watching me leave.  She had big tears sliding down her cheeks.  *sigh*  I don't get out very much like that.  Maybe that's the problem.  She's not used to it.  Hmmm...maybe I should go on Saturday....

There were two different guys who opened for Downhere: Aaron Shust and Jason Gray.  Aaron had gotten pink eye from his kids the other day, so when Jason came out after Aaron, he brought out with him a bottle of...you guessed it...hand sanitizer!  Remember the clip I posted yesterday?  Most of the six other moms I went with attend my church, so they'd seen that clip on Sunday.  We laughed and laughed....  Jason put it all over his hands, the microphone, and even his face.  Then he said, "Uhhh...my face is actually stinging a little right now, but you can't be too careful."

Poor Aaron...not only did he have pink eye, but the sound system kept cutting out AND the haze from the smoke machine set off the fire alarm!  He was a trooper though.  He and his band carried on with good humor.

Then...Downhere.  They opened with "My Last Amen" followed by "Here I Am".  Then they did several songs from their new album, On the Altar of Love--which I'm listening to right now.  My favorite song so far is "Rest", which is based on Matthew 11:28-30 and also happens to be my homeschooling verse (the one which keeps me sane through homeschooling, that is).

"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.  Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."

They closed with "Somebody to Love" by Queen.  That may seem odd to you if you don't know the back story.  Marc Martel, one of the lead vocalists, sounds quite a bit like Freddie Mercury of Queen.  Someone (I don't know who) is putting together a tribute band for them, and Marc auditioned with this song and put it on Youtube here.  (Be sure to take note of how many have viewed this clip.)  Marc also appeared on the Ellen show because of this clip a couple of Mondays ago.  If Marc wins a spot in this tribute band, he will go on tour.  Please pray for him, that he'll be able to be a strong light in a very dark world.  

 Jeremy, the drummer, signing my shirt.

 Marc Martel signing my shirt.  I must've said something witty (or embarrassing?).  Look at that smile!  ; )
Glenn (bass & trumpet) and Jason (piano & vocals) are in the background.

Marc, little ol' me, and Glenn

I can't get the video of "Somebody to Love" to upload on here.  I put it on Facebook though.  Unfortunately, my puny camera didn't do it justice.  Around the one minute mark, he sings, "This is the guitar solo!"  The front of the red shirt they're signing (above) has a picture of Marc with that caption.  Yeah, it's corny, but I like corny.  = )

Well, I've got some birthday baking to do!


3 comments:

  1. sounds like a blast Jen! Glad you could go and happy birthday to Emma!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thanks, friends!

    Emma had a pretty low-key birthday, but she liked it that way. (We do "friend" birthday parties at ages: 7, 10, 13, and 16.) She spent most of the day in her pajamas, played on the Wii, hung out with her boring family, and decorated her big cookie. (She prefers that to a cake.) She opened her gifts after breakfast, and we ate the big cookie after supper.

    ReplyDelete