Thursday was kind of wild, as I remembered a few days before -- 'Oh yeah, that publicist invited me to any nearby HIM shows on this tour.' He told me that tickets would be mailed to me. Then the day before the show I had heard nothing, and was told that they'd be overnighted. So, on Thursday, I had no word, no tracking numbers, and no packages from Fed Ex. Come to find out (late in the afternoon) that they were in an Austin Fed Ex location. So, with very little time to go (too little time to catch opening act Aiden), I headed South to San Antonio. Austin is the "live music capital of the world," but a lot of touring shows bypass Austin in favor of this other multi-million inhabited city nearby. Bands like Rush, and shows like Ozzfest and Warped Tour hit San Antonio on a regular basis.
I have to admit, I love this band HIM. They sing about death and flirt with evil imagery, and their sound isn't something that hasn't been heard before, it's just that they're about the only ones doing it currently, and they sound so good at it. I was told they'd go on at 9:30 pm, so my late departure shouldn't have hurt my chances. Problem is it's just about impossible to find a parking place in downtown San Antonio. Even some of the paid parking lots seemed scary. I pulled into a hotel parking lot and saw the prices at the gate (about $16) and turned around and found a $5 lot not too much further from the venue -- Sunset Station. The time spent finding a parking spot left me with only 10 minutes to make the walk to the club. Funny thing is I knew where the club was, but couldn't figure out how to walk there (one sidewalk closeby was closed). I did stroll up to the gate at exactly 9:30, while the band was in full swing, playing "Join Me In Death." I found out from the ticket window lady that the band had gone on at 9:11, so I missed a couple of songs.
I'd heard that HIM played a short set and that the singer, Ville (who was born on the anniversary of the JFK assasination, by the way), smoked incessently during the show and hurt his performance. I hoped this wouldn't be the case, as the band had so much going for them (imaging, songs, sound, and it doesn't hurt to have Bam Magera touting you as "the best band in the world"). My first indication was that they were a great live band, as "Join Me In Death" sounded clean, seductive, powerful, and heavy. However, as they launched into heavier songs, "Behind The Crimson Door," "Drunk On Shadows" and even "Rip Out The Wings Of A Butterfly," the sonics would be muddied by an uncontrolled bottom end that made it hard to hear the vocals. When they slowed down for a piano-based song, like "KIlling Loneliness," the mix was great. But anything mid-tempo or above that was accompanied by chugging bass and guitar, like the cool adaptation they do to the Chris Isaak cover of "Wicked Game" become barely recognizable when the vocals can only be heard once the rhythm drops out.
Sadly, this makes their show little more than a celebration of their songs, minus the quality. Perhaps they need a new soundman. Several hundred screaming fans didn't seem to mind, but man their albums sound so much better.
In chapter 17 of Rees Howells, Intercessor the topic of not wearing a hat comes up again. Apparently, in those times, not wearing a hat outdoors was just unheard of. After Howells had given the leadership of the mission over to this other guy, he was invited to speak in London again. However, he didn't want to go simply because he didn't want to be seen in London without a hat! He was still in the midst of an "intercession" about something, and part of his "abiding" in the Lord and perservering in prayer was to keep his hat off, as one often does while praying. He had faced this hatless embarrassment in the country where he lived, but he couldn't bear the thought of being seen in London this way. His host, Mr. Gosset, met him at the train station and stuck his head in the compartment and said, "You've forgotten your hat!" Howells told him, "No, I didn't bring one with me," to which Gosset replied, "What! Coming to London without a hat! O dear no! You must realize, Rees, that you are not in the country now. You cannot come to London without a hat."
This was a serious predicament for Howells. Gosset even offered him one of his new, very expensive hats, but Howells told him that, "if I were given all the caps in London for wearing one that side of Christmas, I would not take them, because to go without a hat was one of my positions of abiding to gain a place of intercession." It's a good thing to remain obedient and true -- especially in the face of pressure like that.
One thing I've noticed about anything similar to that in my life is I almost rely on that past event too much. It's nice to have a memory of a time when you obeyed the Lord in something. Having "markers" in your life are good, as they remind you of God's faithfulness. We as humans need those kind of reminders. This is possibly the only reason God had His people set up markers and monuments about His faithfulness to them during the Exodus from Egypt.
But I cannot ever afford to say, "I was obedient then. I don't need to be now. I want to grow and press on, building from one place to another. I rejoice over the very real things that the Lord has done in my life, but I can't find satisfaction in those memories. I can only find satisfaction in Him, and He's on the move. He doesn't rest in one place too long. Growth will come from moving with Him. Who knows what that will be like?
Posted by Doug Van Pelt at June 5, 2006 07:43 AM