Photo Challenge Day 5

Day 5 - A picture of your favorite memory.

Picking a favorite memory...what a ridiculous notion! Hmm....after some thought, I've picked a favorite memory to share:

February 16th, 2010--Ladies' Literary Club in Grand Rapids, MI --an evening with Eric Bibb in concert with my best buds Kim & Lindsay! :-)



I was SUPER exicted! :-)

 I was introduced to the wonder that is Eric Bibb's music a few years ago by my mentor, Linda. I've been able to collect a handful of his albums and love each one. This night was a first time seeing him live for both Linda and me, and I'll tell ya, he sounds even better in person! AND he sang some of my favorites--it was such a blissful evening. :-)



such an amazing, soulful voice!




he's also quite charming and witty--Nalini and I were crushing on him ;-)

He was going to do an album signing after the concert since he'd just released a new one but the shipment of his CDs was late and didn't make it in time so foolishly, it was decided that the album signing would be cancelled. I was so bummed! A certain someone from Calvin also said that there would not be a "meet and greet" after the Q & A session following the concert. Again, devestating. Kim knew how much I wanted to meet him, though, so she (literally) pushed me to go and talk to him. And I am forever grateful. He even signed my album for me! :-)



AND I got a picture with him! :-D



He even drew me a flower. :-) The next day I gifted it to my mentor, Linda (who is the one responsible for introducing me to Eric Bibb's gift)--even though I love Eric Bibb, his music and his message, I knew it would mean more to her and her husband than it could to me. I explained this to her and after thanking me she said, "Yes, that's probably true." lol :-) 



Such an amazing night with great friends--definitely a favorite memory. :-) Below is a review of the concert that I wrote for the school newspaper:

This past Tuesday, Grand Rapids experienced the privilege of sharing a night of music at the Ladies Literary Club with one of the world’s best acoustic blues singer-songwriters, Eric Bibb. Bibb walked out, wearing his “trademark hat,” toting one of his acoustic guitars with a big grin, ready to enchant his already enthusiastic audience.

He opened with “Goin’ Down Slow,” a song he learned from a man in St. Louis. Right from the start, Bibb’s vocals were smooth, crisp, and clear. His guitar fingering was amazing and received enthusiastic praise and cheer from the audience. Bibb’s set was a great combination of old songs and some new from his recently released album, “Booker’s Guitar.” He continued with “Walkin’ Blues Again,” “Shingle by Shingle,” “New Home,” “Tell Riley,” “Connected,” “Don’t Let Nobody Drag Your Spirit Down,” “Needed Time,” and “With My Maker I Am One,” to name a few. His fusion of folk-blues-soul-gospel immediately got audience members tapping their feet and clapping along to the beat. You could even hear his more devout fans singing along. Certain lyrics inspired some in the audience to shout: “Alright!” “Bring it!” “Amen!” “Glory!” “Hallelujah!” I turned to a friend, smiling, and told her that I felt like I was in church (well, at least my church!).  As someone who appreciates music that transcends rigid classification, Prof. Linda Naranjo-Huebl commented: “You can hear or sing his songs in churches, bars, and rescue missions—what other artist can you say that about?” –Talk about reformed! Some songs even garnered a standing ovation. And Bibb certainly appreciated our enthusiasm:  “I’m coming back to Grand Rapids!” he said. We all certainly hope he does.

As a longtime fan of his music, Naranjo-Huebl noted: “He’s a musician’s musician. And his live guitar work far exceeds anything that comes across in studio recordings.” As a devoted fan myself who had never before seen him live, I was thrilled to witness that Eric Bibb’s music is even better in person (not something you can say about many artists). At various points during many of his songs, Bibb closed his eyes and seemed to enter into a deeply spiritual zone as he walked along to the beat. The song “Connected” especially seemed to be a love song from his soul to ours: “I got my own road to travel, my own story to tell… Still, I'm connected, to you, and everyone and everything.” And certainly from songs like “Didn’t My Lord Deliver Daniel” and “I Heard the Angels Singing,” you could feel that his performance came from the depths of his soul. Bibb is a very dynamic and emotive performer who seems to exude the Holy Spirit whether he’s singing or just playing his guitar.

Bibb is also a performer whose stage presence invites audience participation. There were some songs during which he asked the audience to sing along with him, deepening the experience for everyone. During the discussion with Bibb after his performance, an audience member asked him whether he was intentional about engaging audience response and participation. Bibb responded: “Tonight, I must tell you, I really felt, in a very kind of obvious, exaggerated, positive way, really buoyed by your energy and enthusiasm and that is a real help in getting to that zone...tonight, I was definitely there. ...It has a lot to do with giving up a certain kind of professional vanity because if you’re too conscious about playing it right and not looking too foolish in the process then it’s harder to get to that place. I think you have to kind of just surrender. And an audience will give me permission almost, if you will. They’ll kind of let me know by their energy, their enthusiasm, and their encouragement...so, thank you.”

The entire concert was a wonderful exchange of energy throughout the concert hall. Naranjo-Huebl observed, “He’s a performer who feeds off of the energy level of the audience, and you could tell that he really hoped it to be a community experience.  And for everyone to make noise and enthusiastically show appreciation was evidence of a communal experience—it was a really neat dynamic.” I think both the genre of Bibb’s music and the people it draws in added to the slightly older age of most in the audience helped attribute to the success of the shared experience.

Bibb concluded, “Music is what’s supposed to actually remind us that we’re a community, a family. And when an audience doesn’t feel too reserved about expressing their joy at being part of a community, that’s when it really starts to happen, like tonight, for me.” I am sure that all in attendance felt it, too, Mr. Bibb. The evening was magical and deeply spiritual—certainly a once in a lifetime opportunity that my fellow concert-goers and I will cherish forever.