Your First Live Music Concert Question

Lately I have been thinking about one of my favorite questions to ask people.

“What was your first live music show?”

I love asking that question to people and hearing awesome stories from someone’s first show.   I grew up in the 80’s and 90’s so I usually hear the likes of Bruce Springsteen, Poison, INXS, Def Leppard, NKOTB, etc.  Occasionally I meet someone like my great friend Josh Lang whom I think said his first show was Bob Dylan, which is unbelievably golden.  There are also people whose unfortunate first exposure to live music was Color Me Bad or RATT.  I’m surprised the Department of Children’s Services didn’t take those poor kids away from their parents.

And me…

Well my first live show that I can remember was the great Paul Simon.  My mom took my sister and I to see him at Starlight Amphitheatre in Kansas City.   It was Paul Simon’s Rhythm of the Saints Tour in 1991.   I think all summer my parents were playing that album along with Graceland, which to this day I still listen every few months.  I remember the amazing African drums, the bass vocalist singing The Obvious Child, and all three of us singing the Born at the Right Time together out loud.  My sister and I were hooked.  Looking back, I am surprised that was the first show since my parents were big folk music fans and thought it would be something more like The Kingston Trio or Peter, Paul and Mary.  But thank you mom because I feel that I can share that story with great joy.  Paul Simon is one to be proud of when answering that question.

The question is more important than ever now that I am a parent.

My daughters are growing up and I want them to be able to answer this question in the future with great confidence.  Okay basically I want them to acknowledge that their parents were really cool, right?  Is that wrong?  I need to be careful because whatever artist my wife and I may be into at the moment might not stand the test of time.  So in these next 10 years, I’ll be sure to report in what that first show will be.  But I will still love my kids if their first live music show is that year’s version of Hanson or Bieber.

So…what was your first live music show?

Be Ferris Bueller

Lately I’ve been thinking about one of the finest and most amusing movies to come out of the 1980’s.  I wish I could give the director John Hughes a big hug for the movies he wrote and directed during that period  But the one that always makes me smile the most is Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.

Who else growing up didn’t want to be Ferris Bueller?  

He has great friends with cool names like Cameron and Sloane.  He gets the girl.  He wears a classic beret  driving a vintage 1961 Ferrari  250 GT California.  He knows the city of Chicago inside and out.  I’m from St. Louis and would even consider naming my son “Ferris”, one of the finest Chicago names of course.  He is pure awesome.

Here is what we all can learn from Ferris.

1.  Be spontaneous: High school,  like our lives can provide a sense of monotony full with meeting everyone elses expectations.  Sure, it is important to go to school, work, and go through your routine.  They are all noble things.  But from my experience there is nothing better than a good spontaneous adventure.  Wherever you live, wake up one day with your family, friend or loved one and just do something totally outside of what feels “normal.”  I’m not advocating stealing a Ferrari or skipping school but you get the idea. Odds are there are some amazing things to do where you live so go for it.  “Save Ferris.”

2.  Avoid the Dean Rooneys: Dean Rooney represents the crazy person in your life who thinks they know everything about anything and feels the need to go out of their way to tell you that you aren’t doing something right.  He is the Pharisee judging us and preventing us from living life to its fullest.  They may do this in good intention but a pure legalist gives you no room for joy. Oh and also don’t let a French cuisine Matre D’ stop you from having a good time either.

3.  Appreciate the finer things:  Yes, even a 17-year-old Ferris with his friends visited an art museum and ate at a nice French restaurant.  Unfortunately, we are in a media culture full of so many “entertainment” distractions.  Slow down your pace and read some classic literature and visit that free museum.  Next time you just want to eat a burger and fries, go wild and try some new international cuisine.  None of these things have to be expensive either so be creative.

4.  Drive a Ferrari with great friends: Ferris would never go on an adventure alone.  Many people unfortunately view themselves as an “island” especially men.   Not Ferris. He saw life as an adventure to be shared.  Plus, think of how you can help the “Camerons” in your life get out of their shell.

5.  Join a parade.  In Donald Miller’s book A Million Miles in a Thousand Years, he describes how his friend Bob Goff would arrange for flash parades on his street.  How cool is that?  Why not join one?   You can sing Twist & Shout, Danke Schoen, or whatever else floats your boat.  Just get out there and be a little crazy.

Bonus: If you can help some kid get out of summer school, he or she will be eternally grateful and you’ll never be without friends.

Last but not least, our friend Charlie Sheen delivers his most #winning performance of his career in the movie.  Don’t miss it.

I could go on and on with the  lessons I’m learning from Ferris even as an adult but I’ll leave you with his wisdom.

Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it. -Ferris

What do you love and learn most about Ferris?

When the Bullets Start Flying…

Any military commander who has stepped foot on a battlefield will probably attest that whatever plan they originally had didn’t exactly go as expected.

As in the case of some brave Navy Seals in Pakistan, their Black Hawk helicopter had mechanical problems when landing at their target.  Did they stop and complain about it?  I don’t think so but I bet there was a four letter word or two thrown out to describe how they felt. They had a window of opportunity and needed to move forward. They ultimately adapted to the situation, achieved their goal, and destroyed what was left of their damaged Black Hawk. They moved forward.

In the miniseries Band of Brothers (2001) (Episode 7), Easy Company is assaults a town of Foy. The company got caught in mortar fire because they stopped moving. Bullets were flying. They were incapacitated. It wasn’t until they started moving again that they were able to achieve their goal and take the town. It wasn’t easy though and it took brave people willing to step out to move the company forward.

Life is not that much different.

• You didn’t get that job you wanted.
• You got cut in a layoff.
• You got that B instead of an A in a class that kept you from making honor roll.
• You suffered an injury losing out on that sports dream.
• You got cut from the basketball team. (yes, I did)
• You lost a loved one.
• You are a parent and your child’s makes a poor choice.
• Your business didn’t perform well this year.

Many of these things above have happened to me throughout my journey. I felt like anyone would feel; loss, failure, frustration, etc. You may have some amazing dreams out there and they have felt shattered at points in time. I can promise you that whatever plan you have in your head it is not going to happen exactly as you expect. I am still learning from my own life experience. Life is full of surprises and this is why lessons are meant to be learned in the process.  If you want to remember a handful of bible verses, never forget Jeremiah 29:11,

“‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord….”

 Pick up the Bible and read the rest.  There is a promise for us when these bullets start flying. And don’t think they won’t.

What do you do next?

You keep moving. You learn. You adapt. Trust. You will overcome with God’s help.

Be adaptable

Be open to change

Be open what God wants for you when the bullets start flying.