Last night Becky and I went out with some friends to see The Brian Setzer Orchestra. I think this is the 5th time I have seen them. Brian was in The Stray Cats. He now plays with a variety of combos and bands, one is the Brian Setzer Orchestra that tours each Christmas. We had 5th row seats and it was a sit down show, so quite fun being that close to watch the guitar playing to where you could see the fingers on the frets.
The Brian Setzer Orchestra is made up of around 20 people and they do a mix of Stray Cat songs, and Brian Setzer Orchestra songs and they do a couple of Christmas themed songs.
Last night they sang "Angels We Have Heard on High" which has pretty powerful lyrics:
"Come to Bethlehem and see
Christ Whose birth the angels sing;
Come, adore on bended knee,
Christ the Lord, the newborn King."
Every time this happens (in one of his Christmas concerts when he sings such Jesus-focused songs) I look around the room of 1,200 or more people and the singers and band and wonder what they are thinking as they sing these lyrics? I don't know -- but it is always a very surreal type of experience hearing Jesus sung about so powerfully, when in a concert like this one. The song is being sung by him and the background singers, everyone hears the lyrics - and they are unavoidably teaching about the deity of Jesus as Lord, that we would bend our knee in worship to Him as King etc. I remember this happening last year at the concert and having the same exact emotions and questions.
After the show was over, my friend Matt and I did talk with Johnny Spazz the stand up bass player. I have heard he is a "reverend" and was wondering if it was just a catchy sort of show-title like the Reverend Horton Heat or was he really a pastor of some sort. It turned out he actually is a pastor at his home church, works with the youth there and sometimes preaches. I wish we could have chatted more about the church and what he does. Perhaps another time.
After the show Matt bought me a little Brian Setzer Bobble-head they had there and Becky bought me this nifty Brian Setzer shirt
, however I am supposed to forget about it until Christmas as it is a Christmas gift. In fact all three of the guys who I was with got the same shirt, so odds are we will end up wearing it the same Sundays when we are together on a semi-frequent basis.
I shall wait another 2 days to be able to wear my new nifty shirt and I shall keep pondering about the lyrics of the song and wondering if they have any impact on those singing and listening. I pray for those who hear the lyrics and sing these songs at Christmas - may the words penetrate hearts and draw people to the "newborn King" and not just be lost in the rest of Christmas nostalgia........ Thank you Matt for the bobble-head and thank you Becky for the present I am supposed to forget about.
