Joe Manafo

halleluja

what a great show.

last night we caught david bazan at the magic stick in detroit. there was maybe seventy people total in attendance, including the bar maids, to hear the bard strum his tale. slung over his shoulder was a classical guitar held in place by a tattered red strap and secured by silver duct tape. with stiff Levi’s, unkempt bear and familiar voice he took the stage. that’s was it. the only thing more bare than the presentation may have been his soul.

he seemed transparent throughout the set. we sang, we laughed, we talked. there were songs we asked him to play (promise, lullaby) and he respectfully declined stating that he no longer had any connection to those tunes. fair enough. between songs he shared some thoughts on marriage, tv and drinking among other things. between the lines honesty prevailed. he spoke as one who had come to terms with who he was, the good and the bad. to me, that kind of authenticity is both inspiring and contagious.

concerts like this leave me in a contemplative mood. temporarily removed from the worries and routine of life, a space to think is created.

i nabbed a great tour poster off the wall. i think i’m going to have it plaked or at least framed.

he concluded with leonard cohen’s halleluja. what a fitting way to bookend the hour. the last refrain goes like this…

I did my best it wasn’t much.
I couldn’t feel so I learned to touch.
I’ve told the truth, I didn’t come to fool you.
And even though it all went wrong,
I’ll stand before the Lord of Song
with nothing on my tongue but Hallelujah
Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah

Filed by Joe at February 13th, 2007 under soundtrack of life