"Someone Like You" Adele

Wow!! She just gets better and better and this live this morning on the MTV Video Music Awards [VMAs] was amazing!! I'll wait for that live clip but here's the original official video now...

"Chaperone Dad" in 2012

When 'Hamish & Andy' met Taylor Swift on their 'Gap Year' TV show a couple of weeks ago they encouraged her to write a song on the spot, about those Dad's who accompany their daughters to Taylor's concerts... a huge number of them given Swift's fanbase... and I laughed knowing that I had promised Lucy I'd take her the next time Taylor Swift toured here in Oz...

That's be March next year and we're doing what we've done for years and ignored whether a Newcastle gig will be added later [at the local tin shed called an Entertainment Centre, which even cruelled an 'Oils' show and sent Silverchair into fits with the echo and muddy sound... but I'll save that for a rant another day] and signed up for Acer Arena in Sydney on March 9th!!

I wonder how many more boys will have cruched her heart by then... by all reports we're talking five guitars/ukele and piano, nine different dresses and various stages across the venue to bring her closer to the fans!!

Dad's first live concert with daughter Lucy [who is now 10]!! If you don't count the Wiggles!! I suspect Ellie will be more a Pearl Jam fan!!

The Ship Song Project

This absolutely brilliant clip is doing the media rounds this week as a part of the Sydney Opera House determination to promote itself as a venue for all kinds of people... Various Aussie [or those we claim] artists contribute to this reworking of a Nick Cave classic!! It fits my descriptor for brilliant creativity... simple things done well!!

"The Ship Song"
Come sail your ships around me
And burn your bridges down
We make a little history, baby
Every time you come around

Come loose your dogs upon me
And let your hair hang down
You are a little mystery to me
Every time you come around

We talk about it all night long
We define our moral ground
But when I crawl into your arms
Everything comes tumbling down

Come sail your ships around me
And burn your bridges down
We make a little history, baby
Every time you come around

Your face has fallen sad now
For you know the time is nigh
When I must remove your wings
And you, you must try to fly

Come sail your ships around me
And burn your bridges down
We make a little history, baby
Every time you come around

Come loose your dogs upon me
And let your hair hang down
You are a little mystery to me
Every time you come around

For me it's a beautiful song with a sense of wanting what their relationship offers and appreciating intimacy. For me it's a worship song, celebrating creativity and connections.

U2 at Glastonbury

Interesting times at the postponed headlining gig for U2 at Glastonbury Festival! A protest group were subdued [maybe heavy handedly] by Security after inflating a 6m balloon protesting U2's offshore tax arrangements in the face of their stance on campaigning against poverty and in light of the economic situation in Ireland. Read the story here

I love U2's music and the mystique around their fame, their stories and the pop culture phenomenon the band have become... having liked the sound of Larry Mullen's drums from the first time I ever heard them in the 1980's. I find their music, themes, ways of portraying life and it's multi-faceted nature quite stunning and meaningful. At the same time I have always understood how much they are just like the rest of us... fallible, especially when it come to image and all the hype [the sunnies, private jet, summer homes in southern France etc etc!! Isn't the tax story just a reminder that none of us is perfect?

The tax story has an interesting twist that prior to recent years the Irish had tax exemptions for artists, actors, musicians but introduced those [no doubt because of current struggles] and around that time U2 moved their tax centre off shore... like many athletes and musicians across the UK, a few notable Aussie tennis and golf stars etc... should they be paying the right amount of tax in Ireland... absolutely... does it devalue their anti-poverty work... sure does... does it mean some of their music no longer fosters my spirit and gives me space to explore who I am and what my hopes for the world might be... no way!! The weekend's media has all been about the protest, I wait with interest for the big silence or the half baked response from the bands 'machine'...

"U pay tax 2!!"

"Rolling in the Deep" Adele from '21'

In my travels today I was listening to a variety of music as I attempted to make some sense of the struggle I'm engaged in about what to do next as far as my vocation/job goes. There are lots of questions, constraints, compromises, decisions and variables not to mention the decision making of others... my work this year is happening with the figurative sound of a ticking clock in the background and while conscious I have possibilities when some in the world have no hope of future employment... I am just trying to be faithful, engaged and to discern...

This song will get a run 'somewhere' as the fuel for prayer/activity or at least a pipe opener to reflection alongside bluesy lyrics and sound.

Adele has a brilliant voice as a recording artist and live performer on TV... great song for my mood today!!

Easter 2011 "Roll Away Your Stone" Mumford & Sons

'Fade You Out' Edens March

Keep up to date with the latest news on 'Edens March' and guitarist Lachlan Dolbel here

And enjoy the clip filmed in the old deserted Wangi Wangi Power Station on Lake Macquarie!

Favourite Christmas Song

"Christmas Must Be Tonight" Paul Kelly

Come down to the manger, see the little stranger

Wrapped in swaddling cloths the prince of peace

Wheels start turning, torches start burning

And th old wise men journey from the East

Chorus:

How a little baby boy brings the people so much joy

son of a carpenter, Mary carried the light

This Must be Christmas, must be tonight

A shepherd on a hillside, while over my flock I bide

On a cold winter night a band of angels sing

In a dream I heard a voice, saying "fear not, come rejoice"

Chorus:

How a little baby boy brings the people so much joy

son of a carpenter, Mary carried the light

This Must be Christmas, must be tonight

I saw it with my own eyes, written up in the skies

But why a simple herdsman such as I?

And then it came to pass, he was born at last

Right below the star that shines on high

Chorus:

How a little baby boy brings the people so much joy

son of a carpenter, Mary carried the light

This Must be Christmas, must be tonight

Paul Kelly brings a unique aussie flavour to this track originally from 'The Band' and is found as a B side to the 'Won't You Come Around EP

U2 360 Live at ANZ Olympic Stadium Sydney 14th December

"Wow... wow!!" said Bono part way through tonights second Sydney 360 concert which is really hard for me to compare to last night! They were just such different experiences!!
Last night Rah, Andrew, Ros and I [and many familiar faces I saw trooping in to the Stadium] enjoyed the concert from the stands where tonight [or more correctly today] it was Darren and I lining up with GA Standing Arena tickets. I again did some laps at Homebush Aquatic Centre in the middle of the day and met Darren around 3pm to wait in the shade until the line filled out a little. At 5.30pm we speed walked down through the stadium and onto the playing surface, to the right of the 'Claw' stage and around and under the outer circle so we were in the pit between the outer and inner circles with our backs to the rail and able to see the band side on in full view, a matter of metres away... briliant and yet surreal under such a spectacular electronic extravaganza!!

Tonight was different because of:
- different song order and choices
- watching from under the massive screen
- standing as close as I would on a good night at Newcastle Workers
- able to see band members walking the circle behind us so they are basically 1 metre away

Again the 'good news' was front and centre in this show with standards sung full of emotion and those pauses listening to the audience chime in were brief and appreciative rather than a sign the band were sick of repeating the song. Indeed I watched Adam Clayton playing tonight and he was loving it...
'New Years Day' replaced 'I Will Follow' in the running order [in fact I liked the flow of last night better] But 'Love Rescue Me' sung as an old time gospel song was a great companion to 'Amazing Grace.' Bono didn't get as many lyrics mixed up tonight and 'With or Without You' was hauntingly moving.
U2s great gift is to take old songs and reinvent them for current times. Great examples include: Bullet the Blue Sky; Sunday Bloody Sunday; and in New Zealand the offering of 'One Tree Hill' and 'I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For' as lament and a chance to sing out your grief at the Pike River Mine disaster.
'One' has had that focus at this and the last tour, with Desmond Tutu's taped intro and invitation to join the list of those who have tried to make the world a better place.
What I love about a live U2 show is how it connects me with my past stories and experiences and also calls me to act differently in the future. They are inspiring and timely reminders. I thought tonight about the brilliant 'Lovetown' concert in 1989 at he Ent Cent, Zoo TV, PopMart and more... as Bono relived those times and even joked about the night Adam missed a show after drinking too much... I fondly recalled a simpler less busy time...
I know U2 are recording [and working on their 'Spiderman' Broadway musical but I am not at all sure they'll return to Australia... I hope so, but if not 'Wow!!'

U2 360 Live at ANZ Olympic Stadium Sydney 13th December

U2 360 Concert Spoiler Alert!!

"I don't really want to leave!" said Bono as the first of their two nights in Sydney wound down after 11pm!! There's plenty of well scripted banter in a U2 show but this was genuine response to the vibe and a shared sense that it had been a special night!!
After two disappointing nights at the 'Vertigo' stadium shows in 2006, 'The Claw' lived up to all the hype in terms of the audiences view of the band and the quality of the sound [which was almost perfect]!! The best part is that a U2 show is never just a replication of their CDs and the passion, 'edge' and enjoyment of the band were palpable tonight!
From 'Return of the Stingray Guitar' and it's pop synth energy [to get the sound sorted] to 'Beautiful Day' I felt invited, connected and inspired by four blokes enjoying their night. 'I Will Follow' reminded me of times spent in the early 1980's in a mates car [complete with handy drum sticks] listening to 'Boy' and 'War' on a cassette tape with a carload of fans hearing these songs for the first time.
The new sounds of 'Get on Your Boots' with the amazing resolution of the 360 screen showed how good this would be when we got to the 'standards' further into the playlist. 'Magnificent' is one of my favourite of the newer U2 tracks as it speaks of 'call' and Bono's using of his gift [the voice of a tenor just like his dad] to engage in the activity of God in the world.
'What time is it now?' and the theme of time ran through the show as U2 made a simpler invitation this time around, about what kind of world we want it to be and how we have the opportunity to 'have a say' in that through our thoughts and actions...
'Mysterious Ways', 'Elevation' and 'Until the End of the World' continue the journey until 'I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For' brings tears to the eyes.
In the 'middle' of the show Bono mentioned the late Michael Hutchence [former lead singer from INXS] who died not long before their PopMart shows in Sydney but it was weird juxtaposition having just done a 'shout out' to Bob Geldof 'in the house'. 'Stuck in a Moment' [included a 'Do They Know It's Christmas' snippet] and one of my favourite songs 'Bad' [punctuated with 'Need You Tonight' and 'Never Tear Us Apart'] gave way to 'In a Little While' and 'Miss Sarajevo' with the obligatory girl plucked from the audience to be serenaded and dance with Bono while like in many songs the original clip footage played in 360 on the amazing LED screen overhead.
The dominant themes of the last two tours gave way to a celebration of possibilities in making your own meaning: 'City of Blinding Lights', 'Vertigo', 'I'll Go Crazy' [and the remix went off] before 'Sunday Bloody Sunday' became one of my highlights of the night [including the addition of Jay-Z. I had been reminded of the bands show in Auckland just after the recent Pike River Mine disaster and their invitation that at times like those in Ireland when we don't know what to do 'We Sing!!" and I hoped it had helped some people...
It wasn't tired, didn't clash with the contemporary context the way some uses of it have [others have been spot on brilliant] but the song showed passion, anger and mostly determination and it felt like we were just getting started... 'Scarlet' with it's simple refrain of 'rejoice' celebrated the release of Aung San Sui Kyi but reminded us that 2300 political prisoners remain for the crime of 'believing in an Election result' so with a thankyou, U2 played 'Walk On' the best I've heard it while young people brought large paper lanterns to the circle stage and stood, then placed them on the edges for reflection. 'You'll Never Walk Alone' didn't quite seem to fit but the crowd joined in as it had all night when Bono stopped momentarily... It was sometime around here that I commented 'OK, let's go!!' and wasn't disappointed...
The encore allowed the shift to the great footage of 'The Arch' Desmond Tutu imploring us all to be ONE as an intro to another of my favourites. Bono then sang 'Amazing Grace' and while I was lost in listening I noticed a crowd either singing or wondering...
'Where the Streets Have No Name' was the best rendition of my favourite U2 track that I have ever heard live [even better than the 'Lovetown' tour and with man tears streaming down my face I joined in the singing at the risk of all my neighbours experience [not for the first time tonight]. I chuckled at the sms I received in 2006 from a friend who had been driving across the city that night and on spec pulled into Olympic Blvd thinking the traffic will have been altered and everyone will be inside, so that sitting on his car bonnet just outside he heard the strains of this song and texted me because he knew I would appreciate the moment!!
Original footage of Bono onscreen only added to the spectacle as the entire screen and lighting turned traditionally 'red' in reference to the original concert footage at Arizona's Sun Devil Stadium where the Daniel Lanois 'Rattle and Hum' documentary turned from black and white to full colour! Is it time for us to 'make poverty history', to treate others as equals, to change the world? all invoked not in words this time but in the tunes...
'Hold Me Thrill Me Kiss Me' allowed Bono to show off a cool trapeze red led mic and red led jacket before 'With or Without You' and 'Moment of Surrender' just took off... the sound was just amazing and I commented later [largely due to these moments] that I didn't need to 'go to church' for another year, after that worship experience!! It all left me speechless for a few moments after as we trooped our way down the 'Yankee Stadium' styled cattle ramp exits which clear the stadium so quickly... encouraged to continue a journey of vulnerability, change and transformation!!

U2 360 was an amazing 2 nights in Sydney

In a few days I will have time to download some photos and write about my experience of 2 nights at ANZ Stadium at Homebush in Sydney enjoying the extravaganza that is U2 in 360 degrees!! I spent one night sitting in the 600s and the next standing in between the circular stage and the next ring which forms a runway for the band members to play to all areas of the arena.... In all my years of fandom I have never been only 2 metres from the band as they play!! Anyhow, lots to reflect on and share asap!!

U2 finally here!!

It's been so distractingly busy that my week has snuck up on me!! Last time U2 played Sydney the first night sound was #$%^& and our seats weren't great when it rained despite my contacts!! On the third night I had bought a standing GA ticket which redeemed things a little but as someone 189cm tall I struggled to see over people in front of me which indicated a. a sloping field and b. that the stage was too low!! I enjoyed some moments and some standard tunes BUT on the whole felt like spectator at someone else's experience!! Either that or I was not willing to just let go and enjoy myself without feeling a little self conscious?
I have 'nosebleed' seats for tomorrow night [Monday] and a standing GA ticket for Tuesday... with [3] friends Monday and colleague and friend Darren W on Tuesday so we will be getting in early and attempting to be as close to the stage as possible... something I have always reserved for 'the Oils' and sometimes then not even...
I'm babbling... because of last time I have not got my hopes up... I only expect to hear some of my fav all time U2 tracks, to cry, to laugh, to be transported, to be invited on a journey... and I hope to see four mates enjoying being in a band and stripping back the pompous self indulgence to just 'be' with us in the intimacy of ANZ Stadium [what?]
Come back for the Review!!

U2 Remember the 29 miners in 360 #2

Pretentious, tosser, self absorbed, rockstar, peaked in the 80s... hypocritical yep, yep... and your favourite band sucks too by the way!! I know people are sick of hearing about them but I'm part of a community/organisation/mission which is struggling to have 1% of the authenticity, impact, reach, transcendence, emotion, heart and gatherings around the same values, outlook and faith which is shared by this band... While a top ten single may ellude them despite that aspiration still, theor contextual skills are 2nd to none...

Look beyond the big stage [the usually frustrating huge outdoor venues] the screens and effects and onstage you'll see four schoolmates having a great time playing music which speaks to their ideas, their lives and invites us into a story much bigger than any one of us...

One of the features of U2 is their ability to hold lyrics 'lightly' and to perform well worn tracks from the 1980s until today with different tone and relevance to todays news and life. 'Bullet the Blue Sky' and 'One' are great examples... for a deep and rigorous take on this read Steve Taylor here

After I blogged about their offering to recognise the loss of life at the Pike River Mine I caught the actual clips rather than just media reports...

Notice the genuine unspeakable grief and sharing, notice the lead singer not bouncing around, booting a camera, or drawing attention to himself, rather inviting all to 'just sing.' The band invited people to open their hearts and 'sing out' their experience, lament and sorrow... and the red balloons were a perfect symbol of 'tears running to the sea'...while the names of the miners scrolled down the 360 screen!! No pretention, no tosser, just genuine feeling!!

When I head to Sydney on the 13th and 14th for a nosebleed seats and standing room double header I look forward to an all too rare experience!! As someone with a pretty tough exterior I am ever the person of contrast... stoic or teary, rarely in between!!

While I ponder the dilema of Bono's billions of dollars raised for HIV research and to 'make poverty history' cf the French Riviera lifetsyle and movement of band income offshore to minimise tax in the face of new Irish laws taxing artists, musicians and creatives... I will attempt not to overintellectualise my experiences and just to allow the music I love to work in me for the good of others and the world as I am again inspired to live out the values they espouse, in my own little corner of the planet!!

On your tribute to the NZ miners and attempt to connect in a real way with the mourning nation, well done U2!! On stadium shows, money and all the celebrity hoopla... please come back and do a gig indoors at Homebush or the Ent Cent one day... a space where God truly 'walks through the room!!

In the meantime I return to exploring the current top 40 ARIA chart for tracks to use at NCYC in January... Pink and Eminem already have a spot!!

U2 Remember the 29 miners in 360

Commenting that when the Irish experience such grief 'we sing' U2 offered up 'I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For' and 'One Tree Hill' [a rare track inspired by the death in a motorcycle accident of Steve, Bono's friend and assistant who happened to have been a Maori] at their opening NZ 360 concert... if there's one thing they bring to their songs it's lament and this would have had echoes of the 9/11 names on cloth screens at the Superbowl half time show in 2002!!

Top 100 Aussie Albums

It's a 'no brainer' that Midnight Oil's 'Diesel and Dust' would be number one but also seeing '10 to 1' on the list confirms these critics judgement!!

Check out their task here and keep your eyes out for the book and the CD colelction with one song from each choice... let the fun begin in finding who missed out!!

"Thin Places" and Powderfinger

Other colleagues have written about and designed liturgy around the celtic notion of 'thin places' or places where any space between the sacred and the secular is 'not really there.'

I had been reflecting on this last week and remembering that I don't think there is a gap but rather it's our experience of the world, worship and God. The 'thin places' can be a surprise, are not under our control and are something I try to help people see from our culture and context when they least expect it.

To this end in recent weeks I have been showing people the clip for Powderfinger's "Burn Your Name" with it's location of an asian market festival letting fly 1000s of paper lanterns!! and I've since seen it in the media in various ways and hoped that those at ACOMP, Adamstown Camp and my Presbytery colleagues might have seen that...

So tonight I'm tuned into the ARIA awards [with it's millenial flavoured presentation right across the outdoors of Sydney's Opera House] and what song should Powderfinger play for their final TV performance.... but "Burn Your Name"...

It's about a girl I guess, but could be a 'worship song of confession, redemption, adoration and at least has a mood of vulnerability and honesty!! I sit on my lounge [yet again in tears] wishing we had the connections and langaueg to share faith with that rawness and naturally... a thin place between creativity, God and God's people...

I'm not even describing what I am trying to say very well but it was a gift for me to listen and I hope someone somewhere whose heard me banging on about it in recent weeks was watching and thought 'hey isn't that the song........ wow!!........'

I look for these thin places wherever I am... not just inside church building.... I encourage you to do likewise...

“Burn Your Name”

I was stumbling right by

Like a wreck I came to you

So I staggered through the night

Seeking out your rescue blues

Gonna burn your name right across the sky

So I never forget what the feeling's like x 2

I want every single soul to know

That I love you for what you are

So I sound the bells that praise your precious heart

So tomorrow will arrive

And I burst a broken light

And a spell will hold us back

Shattering like glass

I want every single soul to know

That I love you for what you are

So I sound the bells that praise your precious heart x 2

Burn your name right across the sky

So I never forget what the feeling's like x 4

I want every single soul to know that I love you for what you are

So I sound the bells that praise your precious heart x 2

Gonna burn your name x 2

Universal Music 2009 Powderfinger ‘The Golden Rule’

'Speak Now' Taylor Swift

My 9 year old Lucy can't wait for the release of Taylor Swift's new album on 29th October and I notice today the publicity machines have just cranked up the story of 'Dear John' as being about Swift and John Mayer who collaborated on some recordings and a little more than that by the sounds...

Keep in mind she knows how to sing autobiographically and her music is hugely popular [and is not bad listening compared to some other 9 year old high rotation tracks]... but the whole 'Speak Now' concept is about crashing a wedding uninvited and suggesting the groom meet you at the exit door 'now'!!

'Burn Your Name Across the Sky' Powderfinger

One of 3 or 4 absolute highlights for me from last nights show!! This could be the opening clip for my NCYC venture!!

Powderfinger at the Sydney Ent Cent

Wow!

So many years ago I had commented that 'The Finger' could just fill the void of going out to see 'The Oils' live after they'd broken up. I LOVE music and find good loud live music transcendent at it's best!! Bands that sing about something I can relate to... about changing the world... about real emotions from genuine experiences... and/or with aussie rythm and sound are just magic!! Trouble was despite brilliant albums Powderfinger didn't our smaller venues enough, I got busy and we missed tix a few times... so it was brilliant and sad to be at the Ent Cent last night in Sydney [as opposed to the tin shed at home in Newcastle]...

There is a difference for example [for me] between that and Hillsong or bands of that ilk... I can see what they're doing but I personally don't relate to that image of God or pursuit of faith... If that's what works for others then as long as they are critique-ing the 'images portrayed' and shaping a growing discipleship then fine... !!

There was a little bit of audience singing in the classics but not too much... in the bleachers, the mixed age of the crowd meant a brilliant seated experience for all but 2 or 3 songs [sweet] and this night they saved the classic 'These Days' for the final encore. I heard 'The Metre' and a couple of other soulful numbers. There were tracks from 'Double Allergic','Odyssey Number 5','The Internationalist'

It was worth noting so little material from their final two albums and I did miss laughing at the lyric from 'All of the Dreamers'... 'when you come down to the barrio, to get a feel for the people's scenario!'

It was a great night of music enjoyed with friends and I look fwd to the iTunes live recording and the DVD!!

God ability to make of us what God will... the Potter's House

Not sure I'll end up using this on Sunday night so here it is in case others need a clip at the last moment... the focus is on discipleship and the OT reference is Jeremiah and the reflection on what the potter can do in re-throwing a poorly shaped pot compared then to how God might redeem Israel... lending itself to fun with air dry clay, play doh ro at leasta reflection clip of the Potter at Work!!

The plan would be to offer this as a backdrop to 3mins of creating your own 'pot' [in playdoh on this occasion]

The clip is courtesy of youtube and the song is "Band of Gold" Seth Lakeman!!