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David Crowder wants to be Kanye West

Saw this over at my friend Markos blog this morning and thought I'd pass it on.

Bono says it in a great way.

What I did tonight

Ok I feel like I have to admit something here. I like music a lot but I'm not that into live shows.  I think I tend to revert back to my high school insecurity days at most shows.  Tonight we hosted a show for Club Smack at the Bell Center at Highland Park Presbyterian Church.  It was a lot of fun although like most shows we were wondering how many kids would show up.  The bands tonight were a lot of fun,  They were Playdough, Eric Jenkins, and ManaFest.  The last guy was the big draw and I was pretty impressed with his heart.  He did some pretty amazing preaching/teaching in between songs.  His music is phenomenal and clearly he's got a ton of talent.  I'd recommend him to anyone if he comes through your town.

It's still me

Sometimes it seems to me that part of the goal of this blog is to convince people who read it how smart I really am. The problem with that is that eventually we all come to the realization that no one is as smart as they'd like people to believe. Some are just better at faking it.

So here's a bit more about me. 18 years ago my friend Roger asked me if I wanted to go to a free concert in Seattle for this band called Pearl Jam at the time I said no because there was something going on at my college that night and I didn't want to venture to far outside of the bubble.

I lived in Seattle during the height of the grunge rock movement. But, I attended a Christian college that really isolated me from much of what was happening. This is probably one of the things in my life that I regret the most.

Three years ago Pearl Jam played a concert in San Diego. I bought a ridiculously expensive ticket off of Ebay and went to the show. Right after that concert I bought a membership to the Pearl Jam Fan Club (called the 10 Club) so that I would be guaranteed exclusive tickets when they came back into town.

I bought that membership on the day before my birthday in 2006. Since it's a yearly membership I just realized tonight I needed to renew it because my birthday is in a couple of days. So I am a loyal fan again and am part of the fan club. If they every come to Dallas I'm in.

Listening to Yellow Ledbetter while I type this.

April 4th

John Legend performs PRIDE (In The Name of Love)
Uploaded by ElectricArtists

Switchfoot too soon

Last night Danielle and I saw Switchfoot play in Dallas.

The night started out with us lost driving through Deep Elum looking for a place to eat. Randomly we saw Tim Foreman walking the streets. We talked to Tim for a bit and then went to eat. Apparently it was a popular spot because more of the band was in there.

I should point out at the start of this that I have been a Switchfoot fan for a long time but that I'm not one of the obsessive ones. I just happen to have worked for Jon and Tim's dad and with Chad's dad at my last church. The first time I saw them play was probably 12 years ago at a Youth Specialties convention.

Ok back to the story.

The last time we saw Switchfoot was at the House of Blues in San Diego. We'd taken a bunch of kids from our youth group and it seemed like we knew about 1/2 of the people there. It was a good vibe and felt like we were a part of something positive. A couple months later we went to the BroAm surf comp and they played on the beach. Those two events pretty much summed up life in San Diego. Beach, surf, friends and Jesus all rolled into one.

This last fall when it looked like God was saying that he had a different plan for our lives it was really tough. We were very open to wherever God wanted to send us and I am convinced that Dallas is that place. Everything here is so good for my family and for my ministry. It's a great fit. But, we really miss San Diego. This weekend was already hard as I was feeling depressed. I miss the feeling of being home. I miss knowing where the great coffee shops are and I really miss the beach. The show last night brought those feelings to a head. John was singing a song called Yesterdays and at one point Danielle turned around to me with tears in her eyes.

I think what it is really is that in San Diego we just fit in. My lifestyle of youth ministry, flipflops and coffee was normal there and I felt a part of the community. As much as I like Dallas right now we definetely don't fit it. It's hard to describe but I know that it is going to take a while to feel a part of this community. The hard/good part is knowing that we are committed to being here for a long time. I honestly feel like God was saying that this is where he wants us to be for the long haul.

Ok enough sappy Lars time.

Toad Times Two

Tonight we went and saw Toad the Wet Sprocket play at Humphries by the Bay in San Diego. Our friends Matt and Tammy saw Toad play with us 11 years ago in Orange County. Tonight was sort of bitter sweet. We got there early but hadn't eaten so went to eat thinking Toad was playing second. Well they weren't. We got back from dinner and only got to hear 7 songs. Fortunately they were a good 7. Funny though that most people sat down during the show and their wasn't much energy even from the stage. My generation is interesting to watch. Guaranteed there were few people there under the age of 30. Most people were trying to hold onto the good old days. We have nicer close, less hair, more money and bigger waists than 10 years ago but we're still pretty much the same.

My Parents amaze me

Every once in a while I am shocked at the thoughtfulness and love that my parents show. Yesterday I received a huge package in the mail that brought me to tears. Here's a little background: When I was in 6th grade I started playing clarinet in band. After three years of that I graduated to an alto saxophone. In high school a huge part of my identity was being in band. I was in wind ensemble and jazz band for all 4 years. I also played in the pep band for football and basketball games. My sisters were all big sports nuts but for me it was all about music. When I graduated I ended up with all of the music awards that my high school gave out and a couple of music scholarships (small ones) to play in college. At SPU I played in the wind ensemble and also in the pep band. During my sophomore year of college I realized I was tired of playing and shelved my sax. It sat on the shelf for a couple of years and then I sold it and used the money to buy an engagment ring for a girl I didn't end up marrying (she gave the ring back so not a total loss). Anyways I never told my parents I sold my saxaphone. Yesterday's box was a saxophone exactly like the one I sold. I'm not sure how my parents found out I didn't have one anymore. My mom's note said she just wants to hear me play again. Wow that feels like pressure but in a good way. I'm going to start playing again. Hooray for ebay and parents who care.

Glen Phillips

Maybe its my nostaglic feelings for the early 90's. But, it could also be that I just needed to get outside the Christian bubble and be a part of the "real" world. I saw Glen Phillips (formerly of Toad the Wet Sprocket) play at a small club in Solana beach tonight. Danielle went with and the baby stayed home for the first time. A great show and I really enjoyed my time. What I appreciate about Glen the most is that he is obviously intelligent, well read and up to date on what is happening in the world. I don't necessarily agree with his political views but I like that he has them. I also heard he now lives in Washington. You can't go wrong moving there in my opinion. So, I'm feeling good now.