My first concert (it's HEAVY METAL)! One year later, the true story!

     A little over a year ago, I went to my first concert EVER, which was also a heavy metal concert! (Christian music "concerts" do not count as concerts in my book.  They're more of a worship service than the awesome purity of a concert.  Just a clarification of my point-of-view).  I shared this with my church last year in a Newsletter article, and now I share with you.  How does a newbie handle being in the middle a mosh-pit and keep his pastoral identity?  This is my experience;

 

     So let’s get started…I am a fan of heavy metal music.  I have been since the “Grunge” music era of the 1990s.  Nirvana, Alice in Chains, and Radiohead were all my favorite bands, and I still love them!  In November of 2004 I was introduced to my all-time favorite band; Lacuna Coil.  I heard their music in a videogame soundtrack (I know, I’m a nerd) and I was mesmerized.  The beautiful sounds of heavy metal echoed through their music, but it carried by the melodious voice of their female vocalist Cristina Scabbia.  Wait, a female lead in a heavy metal band?  Unthinkable until recently, and it works!  And that was another thing; they’re from Italy!  I own every album they've ever produced, and for almost 9 years I enjoyed every song they have performed.  The sad part was that I enjoyed their music by myself, and never in person.  Until last month I had never EVER been to a heavy metal concert.  I didn't know many heavy-metal fans growing up or even today.  Some of my friends enjoy that kind of music to an extent, but not with the fandom I possess.  Also Renee isn't a heavy metal fan either and I respect that.  She’s a country music fan instead, which I am definitely not (with a few exceptions), so opposites attract! 

    Then came an act of fate; Lacuna Coil was coming to the States on tour with a couple of other bands (Avatar and Sevendust).  They've been to the States before, but always appearing in far-away places like New York City, LA, or Orlando.  This time I looked at the tour dates out of curiosity, and I saw that the opening show was in Winston Salem, NC.  WHAT?!  HERE?!  In North Carolina?!  I didn't believe it.  So I checked the venue site (called Ziggy’s, which I had never heard of until then) and yep, they were coming in early February!  Unreal!  Even better, the tickets were just over $20!  As far as I was concerned, seeing Lacuna Coil live is worth 10 times that.  Renee offered to come too so I wouldn't have to go by myself (isn't she awesome?!), but I felt this is something I needed to do myself.  Plus, I didn't want her to…suffer listening to the kind of music I enjoy.  So I bought my tickets online and waited (I later learned that the show was Sold-Out soon after I bought my tickets).

     Finally, Saturday February 2nd arrives, and I dress warmly knowing I’ll be outside in line to wait.  I leave for Winston Salem to arrive at Ziggy’s 3 hours before the doors open.  I get there to find the line is already long…rats!  So I get in line, outside in the freezing cold (35 degrees in the dark and its windy), and I immediately start conversing with the people in line with me.  I chatted with a tattooed gentleman and his teenage daughter next to me in line who I am going to call Jim and Amy (not their real names).  I first asked Jim about taking his young daughter to a heavy metal concert and they said they had been to several before.  This was like their bonding time.  Jim said he usually goes to 12-20 concerts a month (whoa!).

     I decided I am in line with two concert professionals and I am going to just own up to the fact that I am a newbie at this.  So I tell them this is my 1st heavy metal concert.  Jim and Amy look at me with immediate concern, saying that I have no idea what I’m in for.  I tell them I have reasonable expectations but I am open to any advice.  Jim says to stick with him and all will be well.  As we continued to talk the conversation went toward our jobs.  Here we go, I think.

   "So what do you do?" Jim asks.

   “I’m a pastor."    

   Jim looks surprised and smiles.  “Really?  That’s cool man!”

   Jim’s daughter Amy is confused, “Wait,” she says to me, “You’re a pastor?  A preacher?  Someone who preaches in a church?” 

   "Yep,” I answer, “You should hear my Star Wars Sermons!” 

   Amy shakes her head, “What are you doing here?  You know what kind of show this is?”  I nod.  Amy continues to look at me with confusion.  Jim and I continue to talk about our love for heavy metal, the shows he’s been to, and about our love for our families. 

   As it nears time for the doors to open we notice more people getting in line, with some looking for places to cut in line.  They look like a rowdy bunch.  I’m still a newbie but I sensed trouble.  Jim did too and he immediately warns me, “It may be rowdy.”  

   Amy starts getting nervous and asks her dad to stick close by.  He said he would but Amy still looked nervous.  Overhearing this I tell them, “Don’t worry Amy.  I’ll keep an eye on you too.”  I meant it.  These were my new friends, and friends look out for each other.  Besides, what would Jesus do?

The doors open and we walk in, thankful to be out of the cold.  I am just a couple of feet away from the fence that separates the crowd from the stage.  I can barely contain my excitement!  I am also aware that I am in the “mosh pit.”  No sitting here either; you stand, you jump, you cheer, you survive.  Jim and Amy are in front of me; Jim ready with his fancy camera, Amy staying close to her dad.  Then the show begins, first with Avatar.  

Avatar.  These guys rock!!!

It was awesome head-banging glory from this band from Sweden.  Avatar bangs their heads so well that their long hair spins like windmills in perfect sync.  For an opening act I’m impressed and immediately become a fan!  I am jumping, cheering, and even banging my head a little bit (can you imagine?).  Amy looks at me like I am a creature from another planet and I would start laughing.  The band would yell, "Let's see your horns!"  So I lifted mine (both fists) and cheered.  Amy looked and thought I was breaking a pastoral oath or something.  I replied, "All you have to do is shift your thumb over and it's the Wolfpack symbol!"  That earned a few laughs from people nearby.  Jim looked back at me and nodded, giving me the look of, “Yeah, you get it.”  The crowd was actually quite respectful.  Then a pause, and the concert grew in awesomeness!

Then out came Lacuna Coil.  The mosh pit got a little tighter, but it was even better!  Seeing Lacuna Coil live was better than my greatest expectations.  The sounds, the bass, the screaming of fans we together shouted and screamed the words to their amazing hit "Spellbound," definitely within the top 20 events of my life.  To be united with fellow fans from across the country (as far as Louisiana, Virginia, New Hampshire, and Florida as I chatted with fans in line), there aren't proper words to describe this emotional high.  I didn't want it to end, but as all good things must, the show ended.

 Then after Lacuna Coil departed, things changed quickly.

   The mosh pit grew even tighter and new faces emerged in the crowd.  Jim looked back at me and mouthed the words, “It's going to get rowdy!”  Amy definitely looked nervous, so I braced myself.  Then out came Sevendust, an amazing band from Atlanta.  

 

Sevendust, what awesome rockers!  Definitely worth checking out!

   It starts out well, more of the glorious metal music that rocks my soul.  Then came trouble.  A large crowd of 20 year olds rushed toward the stage, pushing people aside to get as close as possible.  The same rowdy bunch.  I have a serious pet peeve with line cutters and this was no different, so I held my ground as they tried to shove to get in front of me and eventually squeezed to my right.  Jerks.  Now a little protocol in mosh pit etiquette; up until now we were jumping up and down, cheering and screaming, all in good fun.  Now this rowdy bunch is not content to jump up and down, they want to swing their bodies in circles, bouncing off of anyone and everyone in a mad frenzy, including me and my new friends.  This is a different kind of mosh pit....uy

    As they begin their frenzied mosh pit chaos, I find myself watching Sevendust less and being more mindful of the jerks.  They bounce off of each other, and that’s fine.  But they are soon bouncing into other concert goers too who aren't happy to see them (like me).  Since the rowdies are already an aggressive bunch, it’s a recipe for trouble.  Security is already watching them (beside me and throughout the mosh pit, shining their flashlights on trouble spots for the muscle to head to), but their response time is going to be limited with the size of the crowd (estimated to be 1500 people by Ziggy’s own count).

Then the fights break out; 1 over there, 2 over there, but most of them are happening behind me.  Usually it's someone gets bumped into really hard, balance is lost, a few profanities are let loose, and they chill.  But some of the fights escalate into shoving, and then the fists and tackling are added.  I just know a real fight will start next to me...and it does.  To my right, two of those 20 year olds start screaming, shoving, and then tackle each other.  Without thinking I swing Amy behind me so I am between her and the two idiots going at it.  My thoughts are, “Protect Amy…and...How would I explain a black eye to my church?!”  Security sweeps in quickly, grabs the two rowdies in fierce headlocks and drags them out into the cold.  That alone was worth the show!  I ask Amy if she’s okay.  She nods, smiles and says, “Thank you!” 

We get back to the show, still full of the bouncing rowdies but it’s already becoming more “civil.”  Sevendust also threw a dozen guitar picks into the crowd.  One hits me in the chest and I quietly pocket it while 7-8 people drop to their knees looking for it.  I pretend to look on the ground to thinking, "If they know I got it they'll kill me!"  "Where is it?" one asks.  "I don't see it!" I reply.  I was being honest....I can't see it in my pocket.  Well, I got away with it!

   Sevendust ends the show shortly after midnight and the crowd leaves.   The dispersal is kind of sudden.  Amy turns to me, gives me a hug, and says, “You protected me!  Thank you!”  I was happy to help.  Jim shakes my hand, thanks me, and asks me what I thought of the show.  I’ll let you guess as to my response. 

We then head to the merchandise table to buy CDs and T-shirts.  To my surprise the band Avatar is up there just hanging out!  So Jim, Amy, and I join the band with a few other fans after getting our T-shirts and began chatting with the band and fellow fans.
Amy looks at me as I ogle over my first heavy metal band T-shirts and shakes her head.  “What?” I ask.

“It’s just weird, having a preacher here.  I don’t get it.”

“What’s not to get?” I ask.

“It’s like, with this kind of music, you don’t expect a preacher to be here.”

“I agree!”  we laughed.

Shortly later someone near us sneezed really loudly.  We both say “Bless you!” at the same time.  Amy looks at me and laughs saying, “With you saying ‘bless you,’ that really means something!”

I shrug, “I think it meant something coming from you too.”

“No, not from me.  I’m not as…holy as you,” said Amy.

I shake my head, “No, I am not that holy.”

“You’re more holy than me.”

“I don’t think so,” I answered.

Amy sighs and looks at me saying, “Just to let you know, about ‘God,’ or whatever is up there, we don’t get along.”

   “Why do you say that?” I ask.

   Amy takes her hands and makes little wing shapes on her back. “I think for me, I have little angel wings,” and then she makes horn shapes on her head, “but I have really long devil horns.  I’m a bit of both.”

I nod my head and say, “Then we have something in common.”

   Amy gives me a skeptical teenager look and says, “You CAN’T say that.  You’re a preacher.”

   “Yes I can, because it’s true.  I am not perfect.  I make mistakes, I screw up.  God made me to do good, but I sometimes screw up and do the wrong thing.  So I have wings and horns too.  I ask God everyday to help me so I can become a better person, and get rid of my devil horns.”

   “Well I think God wouldn't listen to me.”

   “I think He has,” I answered.

   “He hasn't before.  He doesn't listen to someone like me.”

   “I don’t think so,” I replied, “Because God just gave you a friend in me.  Seriously.  That counts for something doesn't it?”

   Amy thinks for a moment, shrugs, rolls her eyes and says, “I guess.”  I see her smile though.  That was enough, and we moved on to talk about music some more.  The night soon ended as I excused myself.  Jim and Amy invited me to stay longer, but I told them with a wink that I had to “work tomorrow.”  There's nothing like leading worship and serving communion on only 4 hours of sleep!  

I've reflected much on that night, and there are a couple of things worth noting;

1.  I didn't come to the Lacuna Coil concert with the explicit goal of sharing Christ.  I wasn't even going to make a big deal of being a pastor there (I'm trying to keep it from becoming a chip on my shoulder).  Instead I came to Ziggy’s to enjoy some heavy metal music with other fans.  At the same time, I wasn't going to diminish my spiritual nature, or become less of a Christian while I was there.  My mind and heart was still on God.  Still, when you put yourself in these situations you are going to be tested, and that can be a good thing.

2.  I have no clue how Jim and Amy are doing today, and that’s okay.  I believe that God’s taking care of them.  If I represented Jesus well that night, that's cool, and that's Him working through me, not of my own doing.  Seeds were planted that night, and they went both ways.  I discovered some awesome and loving people that night that I would have never met in my usual circles, and I continue to treasure these brief but powerful encounters.

3.  Will I go to another concert like this?  It's very likely, but I'm extremely picky with my bands and venues, so it may be some time.  I'm open to it, and wherever I go I pray that God will use me there too.

PS, if there's a heavy metal concert nearby and you are looking for someone to join you, drop me a line!  :)