You should have been there
and you were.
witness to my witness of you
and how we fed off of the
night sky
and the laughs
and were caught up in the melodies
the harmonies
the tragedies we sang
deeper into our bones
more sane for doing so
We should have been there
and we were.
- In the Air
(Scroll to the end for videos from the event.)
Sheesh. It feels good to write a little something. I’ve not known how to retell the story of my first time performing music I love for the people in my life. This night felt like a reunion more than a performance. With two weeks notice, a crowd of people, most of whom I know and love, showed up and brought a chair as if they were ready before the event existed on anyone’s calendar. Family traveled nearly two hours to be there. Friends who watched me grow up came from over an hour away. I had people calling me saying they’d be there as soon as they got off of work. Some people brought their kids. Some hired babysitters. Some brought along music-loving friends.
It’s a life full of love that I live. Truly. I’m so filled up with the love others have given me that I kind of burst at the seems to give it to others. For that reason, some people don’t know how to take me. My sincerity is questioned and I get it. I can come across as too nice. Maybe it’s the churchiness in me that gives me a squeaky-clean vibe. But, that’s not the whole story. The whole story is that I am filled up with love that I didn’t earn and I’m sharing love as a result.
After saying for years that I wasn’t much interested in playing shows as much as writing and releasing music, I started to feel an interested in playing live. Without knowing where it would go, I started researching music equipment and asking my musicians friends for guidance. This is where all the love and generosity comes in. Some let me borrow their gear to try it out. Some GAVE me equipment. Some answered my long list of questions, and one of my friends came over and helped me set it all up. I had zero plans set — only the thought that it would be good to be ready should the opportunity present itself.
While messing around with the gear in our living room, I told my husband, “You know what would be a perfect first gig? If I could share a set with Daniel.” Daniel is a friend of ours who has a killer voice. Think Chris Stapleton. We used to do music together at church and I always liked how our voices sounded together. A few months after I put that thought out, Daniel texted me about a gig and asked if I’d share it with him. Welp! There it was: my best-case-scenario. This was how I would jump into my first non-church live performance since high school.
Daniel showed me the ropes. We picked a few songs to sing together and prepared our individual sets.
As we rehearsed, I thought, “It feels good to sing music I love.” As a teenager Alicia Keys, John Legend, Common, Janelle Monae, Muse, Marc Anthony, Katie Melua and many others filled my iPod. I spent all of my time listening to music. My favorite moments were when a friend popped in the right side of my headphones while I used the left.
For this event, I’d be able to give the audience the right side of the headphones to the music in my mind. Could I properly deliver this music? I hope I did.
Volver, Volver
So High
Hit the Road Jack
Thunder Rolls
(Stay for the twist. Channeling Dolly Parton/Beyonce)
I Had Me a Girl
I wanna give a huge thanks to Daniel for setting this up and inviting me to join. This song was a highlight of the night for me. (Check out his facebook page Daniel Burns Band).
My sister / vocal coach singing along to every word of Hide + Seek
If you’re interested in more music from me, check out this link with all the links!
AHHHH 😍 I’m so honored ❤️
It was a great night! I love the poem 🙂