August 23, 2004
the Purple Door
I don't believe in omens,
but when I got a high score of 608 on the handheld Yahtzee game we keep in our bathroom, it made me very happy. When you have to wake up at 4:30 am to make an early flight, anything that picks you up is welcome, isn't it? My only disappointment was that the game's highest recorded score was even higher!
My flight to Baltimore to take in the Purple Door Festival was nice and smooth. This year's fest was great. Seeing so many cool and friendly people is always a good time -- even if it rains. For the second year in a row, Blindside did not perform at Purple Door. The same thing happened last year: rain (hard, pelting rain) cancelled their set. Pillar had half of one song done when it became abundantly clear that they couldn't keep the show going (lots of close lightning in addition to the buckets of rain). I heard their drummer played a really long drum solo in hopes of riding out the storm, but it kept getting worse. We laughed about a curse (kinda like the Sports Illustrated "cover jinx" or the Madden Football game "curse") and kept the laughter going indoors under cover.
That all happened on Friday night. Saturday morning kicked off the HM Magazine stage with a bunch of really good bands: Holland, Haste The Day, Beloved, Brandtson, Stretch Arm Strong (who I got to see...which was fun), Squad Five-O, As I Lay Dying, and Project 86 (which I saw 90% of). Project was very "on" and sounded powerful. After making an announcement before the band went on, I stayed on stage to hear and feel the first song of their set. It was good. (I think it was "Hollow") The sound levels on stage seemed louder than the mains. Maybe the enclosed quarters creates a good acoustic environment that the main speakers in the towers can't replicate. Turned out to be a hot show. The very last song, I'm told, turned into a Van Halen-esque moment (think US Festival, 1983), where Andrew Schwab said something to the crowd about being nice and not throwing mud... No sooner had he said this than much of the audience started slinging mud. The sound went off and the entire stage (equipment, gear, etc) was apparently covered with very wet mud.
I spent a good 45 minutes this morning cleaning the mud off the big HM banner, so if any of you Purple Door mudslingers ever come visit the HM offices, I'll put you to work mowing the lawn here or something! (ha)
We're having our first ever "New Issue Release Party" tonight at a club on Sixth Street called The Capitol (7pm to midnight). I'm looking forward to that.
My old friend Paul Q-Pek was in town this weekend, talking to a local church about possibly being their worship leader. I wish I could have been at the service to see how he leads worship. Anyway, he's coming over this morning for lunch. It'll be great to see him again. He's been on the West Coast for a number of years and I haven't seen him in a while. He sang at my wedding, is a dear friend, started the band Lust Control with me, used to hang out and gripe about the 81 degree temp I used to keep my apartment thermostat at (hey, I was surviving), and he single-handedly rekindled my love for movies. This guy loves to hit the theater, grabs a big coke and a giant bucket of popcorn, and finds his seat before the previews. The child-like enthusiasm was contagious.
I hope I can keep that kind of joy present in my life about the many things I'm passionate about, like family, marriage, music, sports, and (truly most important and exciting of all) a vibrant and real relationship with God. Anytime that can be shared in a natural (and not forced) way, it is beautiful and most joyous thing -- even surpassing getting 4 or 5 "yahtzees" in one game!
Posted by Doug Van Pelt at August 23, 2004 10:07 AM