In a funny, unexpected confluence of events within a recent ten day period, I am reminded how vibrantly music connects us. It is the unbounded expression of our inner rhythms. We have just 26 letters in the English alphabet to create a seemingly limitless bank of words. It is no surprise that the breadth of sound that can be created from a modest set of notes, sharps and flats also provokes measureless wonder. We not only listen to what is being sent, we cloak our souls with the artist's intention. It is a gift that blankets us if we are open.
While I cannot argue with Simon and Garfunkel's assertion that silence is golden, I usually exchange house silence with the sound of music and have my iPod player on especially when I am cooking. Silence was anything but the case when my daughter and I along with two of our mom, daughter friends recently stepped into the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia to the energized throng of teens and tweens. The cast of the TV show Glee was in the house. Even from our seats in the last row of the upper level, the energy was palpable. The sound potency rivaled the unexpected power of the stage show. This group of talented twenty-somethings delivered their show's catalog of ballads, pop and oldies with verve. They convinced me that not only did they want the audience to have fun, they too, were having a fantastic time.The tone, mood and vibe all changed in the same arena when I attended Sade's concert later in the month. After a ten year gap between albums, Sade released "Soldier of Love" last year and announced a tour in October spurring me to grab the chance to see her perform live. There is something to be said for delayed gratification. Strolling to my seat I savored the well dressed, couple-centric crowd also sauntering to their respective spots. No anxious faces, no squeals of expectation here. I gauged a deep, controlled appreciation for the sultry songstress and her opening act, John Legend.
Filling a large concert venue with high volume, high energy music poses little challenge in my estimation. Connecting subtle, gloriously soulful, delicately composed sound in the same open venue would seem to be a bigger quest which proved effortless for Sade and her band. My fellow concert goers and I were made to feel as though we just happened upon a secluded jazzy blues club, so intimate was the resulting show. Sade really is a smooth operator.
She ably communicated the bliss of Love's triumphs and the ache of its demise all with her steamy, soothing vocals. And when she was not singing, she stepped aside to give her band their due in their magical solos. Her performance was minimal with maximum results! When introducing each band member, she turned the usual raucous, inaudible effort made by most headliners, and quietly, lovingly shared something specific about each man. She ended the Father's Day concert asserting "They are fathers all" evoking broad smiles from each musician and connecting us to the performers beyond their music. Sade is, as her song title commands, a soldier of love.
It is no small feat to create that kind of intimacy in the same arena where hockey players bash each other mercilessly to the lionized cheers of those watching. I am forever a Sade fan.
Intimacy unexpectedly played a role in the final night of this concert trilogy when I saw Florence and The Machine perform riverside at Philly's Festival Pier the next evening. Shoulder to shoulder with a twenty and thirty something crowd, my friend, my daughter and I found ourselves four people from the stage to witness the ethereal, powerfully voiced Florence Welch belt out her anthem laden songs in open throttle. All the while she floated across the stage in wispy spins and leaps taking us along for her waif-like musical attack. Our proximity to her full charged vocals and opposing soft spoken comments gratified the adoring throng. On the eve of summer's first full day, cool breezes and breezy Florence combined for an energy packed effort. The mixture of gut thumping drums and delicate harp mirrored this Brit's duality as an impassioned powerhouse inside a gossamer spirit. Whew! The music was in, around, above and below me. I continue to revel in its many forms, confident that in my next life - the music will be me.
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