surreal

Where to start? I guess I'll just say it as plainly as possible: Last night I went to a performance by crooner Engelbert Humperdinck. It was, without a doubt, one of the strangest concert experiences I've had. On stage you've got a 72 year-old man who, frankly, looks pretty good and has tons of energy for his age. In the audience you've got mostly older women whose antics were incredible. These are adults behaving like teenagers, literally hurting each other to get one of his red handkerchiefs (I guess throwing them to the crowd is his signature move), going crazy when he made obscene jokes about himself. I spent most of the evening watching the audience, not the performer.

So, why did I find myself with not only a free ticket to this concert, but a backstage pass as well? (A pass I probably could have sold for a great deal of money.) Marianne's best friend Emily has a friend she met while doing mission work in Macedonia. Dave's a professional musician, and currently the keyboardist in Enge's band. He got the tickets for the three of us, and then we met him after and went out for a drink. (Sadly, we didn't get to meet Enge himself.)

It was really interesting to talk to Dave about his life, and especially how he tries to live as a Christian in that world. He interacts with people like Enge, stars who have more money than they know how to spend(he's sold over 150 million records), travel and perform anywhere they want, have women literally throwing themselves at them, but are still incredibly unhappy. It's evidenced by Enge's continued drinking problem (which he joked about on stage). I'm inspired by Dave's commitment to the lost people in this world. Of course, he's just starting his professional music career and will take whatever work he can get, but he has visions of doing great things for Christ.

In short, last night was a glimpse into another world. It's good to be reminded that God is just as active there as in other places.