I love John Mayer’s music. Always have. Ever since the release of Room for Squares in 2001, I’ve been a fan. Now, I’ve not been so much a fan of HIS as of his music. I have seen him live a couple of times before, and I just stumbled upon the fact that he was coming to Houston this past Friday and snagged two tickets for my best friend and I to go. I had some interesting revelations or reminders during the course of the super enjoyable concert (he performs incredibly well live):
1. I love music. I love loud music that you can feel in your feet and in your veins and in your heart. I used to blare music all the time from my car radio and go to concerts every month. Then I became a mom. The only way I get the news is NPR on my commute so not much music these days. And I haven’t kept up with all the i-music technology so my kids don’t listen to it nearly as much as I did when I was growing up. And little bit LOVES music. I’m going to make more of an effort. I’m going to get some sort of a speaker for my iPhone and download music and have dance parties a few times a week with the kids instead of every once in a while.
2. I adore my best friend. We’ve been through a lot in the past 10 years and our lives have changed, especially mine, during that time. I don’t get to see her every weekend for brunch and movies like I used to, but our time together is still just so precious when we get it. We had dinner first (and a long hike up in traffic to the concert), so we got completely caught up on everything and she knows all my crap and still loves me. What a treasure.
3. You can find redemption. I honestly don’t know whether his commentary was an act, but it felt real. For the first time I’ve seen him live, John Mayer seemed truly appreciative of fans that had stuck with him despite incredibly poor life choices and poor commentary he has made. He alluded to his mistakes and how hard it must have been to continue to “like” him in the midst of all that junk and how he’s learning and he was tremendously appreciative for folks that hung in there. He felt much less cocky than usual and more mature. Maybe he’s growing up.
4. Concerts bring out wistfulness. I used to go to concerts frequently – particularly when I was in law school in Nashville and there were always great live acts in town. It reminds me of a time of complete freedom. It didn’t feel free at the time, it felt a little lonely, but I could live anywhere, go anywhere, do anything, not check in with anyone, and you get the picture. Concerts make me feel young. But it also makes me miss a little of the freedom and I get wistful. You all know that I wouldn’t give up my life for anything – I love my kids, my husband, my job, and the opportunities God has given me. Every so often though, I know both my hubby and I miss the times when we could just go and be and do and not check in or get sitters or worry about the cost. This is okay in small doses, but it also makes it good that I’m not going to concerts more often.
It also gave me an interesting perspective on why Christians don’t talk about drinking much. It’s fodder for a new post I’m working on that will be out when I figure how to write it so it doesn’t bug a bunch of people 🙂
I hope you had a wonderful weekend.
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