Can a live show make a difference to people’s lives?
Research says yes, it can. A study showed that 21% of the people had a mood boost after seeing a concert compared to 10% from yoga and 7% from walking their dog.
“So what?” you ask.
I just think it’s interesting. I mean, for me – a concert is work. You would think I’d prefer yoga or walking the dog. But even I, after a concert, am more mood-boosted than after walking my hooligan dog.
I played a show at Lion’s River Craft Brewery the other weekend. A daytime gig with a mix of ages on the outdoor green lawns of the beer garden. Everyone was enjoying the first rays of Spring sunshine, and I chose suitably upbeat happy songs for the occasion. In-between, I told jokes. A mix of dad jokes and real jokes. Lots of smiles and fun.
And then, some kids arrived on the lawn and started dancing. And everything changed.
The afternoon went from a daydream to a concert-type show. People started singing along. The kids carried on dancing. And I felt the wind at my back for the first time in 18 months. I was performing again. And it felt like I was doing what I was meant to be doing. And the audience was doing what an audience should be doing in that setting: enjoying it. The entire experience amounted to way more than 21%.
It was the kids. They instinctively started dancing, and the suddenly there was no ceiling.
I think the way we see, hear and feel the world around us needs to be constantly readjusted to be – as Jesus said – like that of little children.
On this note, if you haven’t checked out the Colourful World Lyric video, I asked as many kids as I could to submit written lyrics as well as art to go with it. They all submitted some fantastic pieces, and I think it underlines the idea in the lyrics of this upbeat song.
