Playing at Riverbend Church in Austin, TX
I played at Riverbend Church in Austin, TX this Sunday and it was AWESOME!! Everything there is huge, the church, the stage, the band, the sound, the screen, backstage, the message; it was all wonderful to be a part of. And the best part: I wasn’t nervous at all. I felt like I belonged there.
When I first arrived the band, which consists of more players and singers than I can count, were practicing another number. I was met backstage by the stage manager, who had a stage hand bring me a wireless set up for my guitar. They placed a wireless mike in the center of a stage that was bigger than the first floor of my house.
When it was my turn, they listened to my song, “Divine Guidance”, once, Carlton, the music director, counted off and we played through it like they’ve been playing and singing it as long as I have. The lyrics popped up on six different screens around the church, including one pointing back at me and one that was at least 2 stories tall and wide behind the band. Exhilarating is an understatement, but also doesn’t come close to when we performed during the service.
The energy soared 10-fold. 1,300 folks leaped to their feet. I was awestruck by my performance, the band and the audience reaction. Certainly what one might call a peak experience.
My brother and his family, who were integral in setting up this date for me, said it was rare to see a standing O happen with that level of energy there. Man, oh, man. A guy could get spoiled playing gigs like that.