The Annie Moses Concert

Last night I was spontaneously whisked away for an evening of delight by my good friend Gracie and her Mom. It was just before supper when Gracie called and said, "I know this is short notice, but..." and within half an hour we were on our way to the Belcher center for the Annie Moses concert. It's so pleasant to have a friend who sounds giddy over being with you. It's a complete miracle.

Wow. I guess it was a night of miracles, because that concert was amazing! I was a little apprehensive when we walked in and the only people in the auditorium were elderly couples clustered here and there. And when the band began playing sort of gospelish style hymns and singing "weirdly." But I just wasn't used to it yet.

Soon the auditorium filled up (with an audience of varied ages), and the band started playing. They are definitely a curiosity. The band is comprised of a family (six kids and both parents) and two other guys. They play a variety of instruments VERY WELL, including (but probably not limited to) violin, mandolin, harp, cello, keyboard, piano, drums, base guitar, and electric guitar. And the oldest daughter, Annie, sings. Like Bernadette Peters. It's crazy. It's like a mini orchestra gone crazy. And they were all in red and black. The curtains (those gorgeous curtains!) were red and black too. Even the drums were red with silver. After a while I just wanted to close my eyes and drift away on the sheer beauty of that dancing violin and moaning cello...everything combined into one glorious chorus. I always forget how beautiful music really is until I hear it in a performance like that. And then I end up wishing I could sit at a symphony every night for the rest of my life. (Or something.)

Just like when I went to the art museum, I found myself walking away saying, "God, please, please let me bring beauty into the world somehow." We humans just can't quit craving it.

Some of the songs were about heaven, and what it's going to be like. At first, I almost thought them cheesy (just because I'm not used to that style of music) but then, as I sat there, my heart was tugged. Heaven isn't just a fluffy, clouds-and-harps place to me any more. It's more like a Person, a Reunion, a stained-glass cathedral being prepared for a wedding. Hearing that beauty is just pressing my ear up to the door.