Quiet Please.

Our friend Allison wrote about her thoughts on "silence." The word "silent" automatically makes me think of a few quotations:
"Silence is golden."
"Be still and know that I am God."
"Silent night, holy night, all is calm, all is bright."

God tells us to be quiet, to be still, to be silent so that His voice can be heard and so that we may feel his presence.

Nick and I went to Birmingham with another couple to see the Pat McGhee Band record a DVD at a bar/studio called "Work Play" - hold on I'm getting back to the "silence" topic. Before the start of the show, when recording would begin, Pat came on stage and told all of us (about 300 people) that their will be times to yell and dance and that their will be times we need to be completely silent for songs focusing on the acoustics and voices of the singers. We practiced - when the "other dude" lifted his hand we all cheered and when he made a STOP signal we were silent. The band opened with a very LIVE,very upbeat, and very exciting popular hit and 2 or 3 more like it followed. Everyone was having a wonderful time. I stood on a second level off of the floor level and leaned on a rail, looking directly at the band from about 30 feet away- out of the way of the cameras. It was perfect. I was loving it. I also watched as about 40 "younger" kids - probably freshmen from B.S or UAB did the sloppy sway and "bottoms up-ped" on drink after drink. Girls and guys were leaning on each other screaming into their ears to hear each other - not the band they "came to see." I watched Pat as he looked at his "fans" on the floor level and I thought to myself... "NO! look up here...Here are your real fans!"

Then the moment came about half way through the show where Pat explained he was going to sing a song about a dear friend of his who unexpectedly passed away. He wrote a song about his experience and he wanted to sing it for us. His mood changed from "upbeat and in charge" to that of "just a guy on a stage" who was singing about his loss. He said, "ok, this is the part where I am going to ask you guys to be silent." While he made his request the room was filled with laughs, conversation, and then 250 "shh's." He asked again, "Ok, here we go, are y'all ready?" and he began to strum the guitar. Silence fell, and not one minute into the song...it bounced.
In one place on the floor was the girl that begged the guy next to her to dance. In one corner was a guy explaining how he broke his arm to another guy. As one guy walked off the floor, up the stairs to go get another drink, he chunked his glass bottle in the can and we all heard it shatter. Another girl was drunk swaying back and forth with her drink in the air and with her other hand slapping her hip...I think she was trying to be sexy...to a song about death. I wanted Pat to stop and say, "Ok, it's not THAT kind of song." And then of course, right in the middle of the floor was Mr. "Straw Cowboy Hat I'm So Cool I Know the Words to This Song" guy. I was the "Look At Your Friends and Roll Your Eyes Because You Can't Believe People Don't Know How or Just Won't Be Silent While There is Something Important To Be Heard"... or in this case sung.

When the song was over, everybody went nuts, clapping and whistling and whoooing because they heard what the wanted to hear.

I didn't clap to that song. I wanted to be silent, and wait to hear more.

Dedicated to the PMB and to your friend in "Shine."
Thanks for an awesome show and can't wait to see y'all again.