This past weekend my husband and I spent the weekend in St. Louis attending several concerts - it was somewhat of an early anniversary present since we celebrate our 28th wedding anniversary in 3 weeks.
Music has always been a huge part of my life and a large part of our relationship as well. We had originally planned only to see Journey/Doobie Brothers on Saturday night but when Air Supply booked a concert in the same area for Friday night, of course I could not pass that up so the weekend was set!
Now for those "younger generations" reading this blog, Air Supply is not a medical device used by divers, it is a band composed in 1975 who became popular in the 80's with their sweet ballads and romantic lyrics. The lead singers are Graham Russell and Russell Hitchcock and - get this - they are the ORIGINAL band members! Just celebrated their 41st year together as a group! Now that is longevity.
The Air Supply concert was scheduled to begin at 7:30pm and at exactly 7:29, the opening act took the stage. After the crowd was warmed up, the band took the stage and that's where the magic began.
Graham and Russell immediately spoke to the crowd and you could instantly feel the love and gratitude that these two artists had for their fans. They shared personal stories from their past and songwriter Graham even shared a new poem he had written.
But the part that left me in awe of this group was when they begin to sing "All Out of Love" and left the stage to mingle with the crowd. Yes - much to the dismay of their body guards - they grabbed the guitar and microphone and walked the floor singing to the crowd (dang it - why didn't I buy those floor seats)?
Not only did they walk the floor and sing but they also stopped to pose for selfies with their fans - all while not missing one beat. Their body guards were clearly disgruntled when they would try to keep the fans at bay but the singers would ignore them and motion for the fans to come closer.
They get it. This band understands what it means to remain humble and that humbleness is what has garnered their 41 years of success.
Many young artists of today could take a lesson from Air Supply's play book.
Case in point: Adam Lambert. Now before you start sending me hate mail: hear me out. I like Adam Lambert. I truly do. I voted for him on American Idol and I still hope to see him sing live with Queen one day. But Adam Lambert needs a lesson in humility.
My son and I attended his concert in St. Louis last December. Now I must divulge that our true reason for attending the concert was to see Pentatonix (my son's favorite band and another HUMBLE group) but I was excited to see Adam Lambert as well. Rachel Platt and Pentatonix performed first. Both were fabulous and did their job of warming up the crowd.
Then it was time for Adam Lambert to hit the stage. They introduced him. And....nothing. The crowd waited. They introduced him again. And....nothing. We waited again. 45 minutes later - he finally made it to the stage. And said nothing. No apologies. No explanation.
His attitude toward the crowd was not one of gratitude but of arrogance - as if he were gracing our lives with his presence. His demeanor was boastful and there was no appreciation for his fans who ultimately were the ones giving him this opportunity to perform. In fact, his performance was so bad that my son and I left after the third song.
You see, I am old enough in my walk with life that I don't feel the need to support individuals who cannot show an attitude of gratitude. It doesn't have to be much. It's not even about DOING something - it's about BEING something. It's about being a human being and showing appreciation for the things that God has given you.
Graham Russell and Russell Hitchcock understand it. They have been in this business for 40+ years and they have tasted success but they have tasted defeat as well. And like all of us who have faced adversity, they have learned to appreciate what they have.
There is a reason this band has been together for 41 years. It's called humility. Pass it on.
Music has always been a huge part of my life and a large part of our relationship as well. We had originally planned only to see Journey/Doobie Brothers on Saturday night but when Air Supply booked a concert in the same area for Friday night, of course I could not pass that up so the weekend was set!
Now for those "younger generations" reading this blog, Air Supply is not a medical device used by divers, it is a band composed in 1975 who became popular in the 80's with their sweet ballads and romantic lyrics. The lead singers are Graham Russell and Russell Hitchcock and - get this - they are the ORIGINAL band members! Just celebrated their 41st year together as a group! Now that is longevity.
The Air Supply concert was scheduled to begin at 7:30pm and at exactly 7:29, the opening act took the stage. After the crowd was warmed up, the band took the stage and that's where the magic began.
Graham and Russell immediately spoke to the crowd and you could instantly feel the love and gratitude that these two artists had for their fans. They shared personal stories from their past and songwriter Graham even shared a new poem he had written.
But the part that left me in awe of this group was when they begin to sing "All Out of Love" and left the stage to mingle with the crowd. Yes - much to the dismay of their body guards - they grabbed the guitar and microphone and walked the floor singing to the crowd (dang it - why didn't I buy those floor seats)?
Not only did they walk the floor and sing but they also stopped to pose for selfies with their fans - all while not missing one beat. Their body guards were clearly disgruntled when they would try to keep the fans at bay but the singers would ignore them and motion for the fans to come closer.
They get it. This band understands what it means to remain humble and that humbleness is what has garnered their 41 years of success.
Many young artists of today could take a lesson from Air Supply's play book.
Case in point: Adam Lambert. Now before you start sending me hate mail: hear me out. I like Adam Lambert. I truly do. I voted for him on American Idol and I still hope to see him sing live with Queen one day. But Adam Lambert needs a lesson in humility.
My son and I attended his concert in St. Louis last December. Now I must divulge that our true reason for attending the concert was to see Pentatonix (my son's favorite band and another HUMBLE group) but I was excited to see Adam Lambert as well. Rachel Platt and Pentatonix performed first. Both were fabulous and did their job of warming up the crowd.
Then it was time for Adam Lambert to hit the stage. They introduced him. And....nothing. The crowd waited. They introduced him again. And....nothing. We waited again. 45 minutes later - he finally made it to the stage. And said nothing. No apologies. No explanation.
His attitude toward the crowd was not one of gratitude but of arrogance - as if he were gracing our lives with his presence. His demeanor was boastful and there was no appreciation for his fans who ultimately were the ones giving him this opportunity to perform. In fact, his performance was so bad that my son and I left after the third song.
You see, I am old enough in my walk with life that I don't feel the need to support individuals who cannot show an attitude of gratitude. It doesn't have to be much. It's not even about DOING something - it's about BEING something. It's about being a human being and showing appreciation for the things that God has given you.
Graham Russell and Russell Hitchcock understand it. They have been in this business for 40+ years and they have tasted success but they have tasted defeat as well. And like all of us who have faced adversity, they have learned to appreciate what they have.
There is a reason this band has been together for 41 years. It's called humility. Pass it on.
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