New Years

A new year is upon us and so we begin 2014 with a fresh emphasis on posting here at the ID! I hope to post 2-3 times a week and focus on integration and finding God at work in all kinds of interesting places.

We begin with the Boss. I’m almost done reading Bruce, a biography of Bruce Springsteen, and there are all sorts of gems throughout the book.

If Bruce is known for anything it’s his legendary live performances. Bruce and his band(s) have been known for three-plus hour shows with several encores and lots of surprises.

As Bruce made the transition from clubs and small venues to arenas and stadiums he obsessively worked on making sure that everyone, even the folks in the cheap seats had a great time and felt included in the festivities. During sound checks he’d walk the whole arena listening to the mix and sound, and fixing problems until things sounded great everywhere.

“Such were the dimensions of Bruce’s expectations, and his overwhelming need to fix every problem and right every wrong that might stand between himself and his audience. He owed them his best…especially the fans who came out every night in search of something more perfect than they could find in their daily lives.”

Bruce’s life and band were also relatively free of the excessive rock ‘n roll lifestyle and partying that typically fill the pages of these biographies. Bruce’s legendary saxophone player, the late Clarence Clemons, gives some insight:

 “Man, the other bands back then, they always wanted to get back to the party…but for us, the party was onstage. That was our joy. Not what might happen afterward. We left it all onstage, all the time.”

Two questions: First, whatever you do you have an audience (might be your kids, might be the people you lead, might be the people you work with), do you care enough about your audience to “fix every problem and right every wrong” that might stand between you and your audience?

Second: whatever you do (work, hobbies, parenting, etc), do you leave it all onstage, all the time?