There is nothing quite so awesome, Mary, as being only feet, nay inches, away from live music being performed. So glad you and Sean had the opportunity to experience such great moments!!
Thanks, Karl!
It was so fun and A VERY DIFFERENT experience being that close.... that's for sure.
We could see the sweat dripping off Matt's face and I never knew that Steve had the darn cutest dimples that he does!
The guys are really fun (and funNY!) live, so the show was very entertaining.
Some highlights:
* Dan (lead) told us before the song Frail that Steve earned a $350 music scholarship with that song years ago back in college... Interesting! It's one of their most popular songs and the crowd went wild when it started. Dan stood completely still for the last 2 or so minutes (it's a 7-minute song), looking down at the stage in a trance, it seemed, while the rest of the band finished the music. It was intense.
*Amazing Grace.... note: this is NOT the old hymn being sung, so don't let the title fool you. It's one of the BEST songs off their new album (which is all REALLY STELLAR!) and I don't think I'll EVER get tired of hearing it... certainly not live, either. It's truly Amazing and the song does exactly what Dan was hoping it would when they wrote it... it reaches deep inside you and 'switches on' that part of you that's linked the spiritual high you get when you listen to music.
He told the story about how when he was 5 years old, he went out the garage in his old house and turned on the radio and heard the song that changed his life forever:
Bicycle, by Queen. (lol, the crowd laughed)
He said he wasn't supposed to be out there turning on the radio and he looked to make sure nobody was around, then he listened to the song and heard:
"I want to ride my bicycle".. and he thought 'Now here's a song that I thought was speaking right to me as a 5 year old (laughs)'... then he said "When I heard the next line, 'I want to ride my bike.' I thought, could life be any simpler? This is what life is all about and this music is saying it!" It was really cute...
He said his Dad didn't really like him listening to the 'pop' music and would take him to bluegrass festivals and although at first he wasn't 'into' the music there, he said there was something about it that had a way of reaching inside him and switching on that feeling.... in the same way the Queen music had for him as a 5 yr old.
The crowd LOVED Amazing Grace, too.. everybody was singing.
*The Valley Song... this is one of my most favorites... it's a meaningful song for me. There's a wonderful pause in the song at the climax of the final chorus before Dan says "Yeah". It's several seconds long... When they did this live everyone and everything in the room was quiet and obeyed the pause... Awesome.
*Show You Love.... a favorite from the new album and well-known since it's a single. When they sang "You're BEEEEEAUTIFUUUUUL...." I thought the roof was gonna blow off... it was EXTRA strong and loud. Really cool.
*All I Want Is You.... they were in Boston for St. Patty's day and played this with huge applause... so they thought it would go over well at the Roxy (bar) because Irish music is always welcome, right? (I KNEW they were gonna play this b/c they did it at our last show, too)
When the opening lines started I heard numerous "OH. MY. GOD.s" being said in the crowd...
Sean and I were dating when this U2 song was popular and we both have always loved it, so hearing this (again) was wonderful. They have a way of taking songs and making them instantly their own and making them very moving, spiritually. This song is no exception.
*I didn't get my piano-favorite, 'Jealous Kind', but I have to say that being so close gave us a really good chance to hear Charlie on the piano throughout the entire set... At the larger venues the bass and drums overpower the 88s a bit, but not here. The sound was perfect.
*I'm Alright.... I already mentioned how this song with the 2 following were a power-packed set in themselves, but this song alone is SO fun live. They get the crowd involved at the end doing the 'Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah's...
We have the live 'from the stage' Furthermore disc and on it, the song Revolution follows this one, so I "automatically" hear it now when I'm Alright ends, after listening to that disc so much. I was HOPING they'd do Revolution (it's my daughter's favorite and she crossed her fingers for it...) so when they DID, I was all happy-like, lol. And since we
know the words, we tried to sing along... 
*Worlds Apart.... Sean's most favorite JoC 'old' song (from their first album). I don't think they've EVER put on a show without putting this song at the end of the set or in the encore, so we were pretty sure it was going to be played. It's VERY powerful live. Again, they get the audience involved in singing the lines of the chorus. I got teary on this song... I love it, too.
Ok, other than the fact that I was standing next to a 7 foot woman with a LONG blonde ponytail that kept whipping me in the face while she danced (lol, she apologized each time, at least) the crowd was quite well behaved (somewhat expected seeing it's mostly a Christian fan base that they have... but you NEVER know!). And the venue was small, but not that annoying I'm-way-too-crammed-in-here Hollywood small... it was great.
Oh, at the very end, after the encore, Dan held up a fake 'star' (like a walk of fame star) with "Jars of Clay" on it... someone made it for them, I guess. He was really funny saying he'd like to thank so and so and so and so... for this incredible honor of being given their very own star... He's cute.
If you want to sample their music, you can go to their site:
www.jarsofclay.com/flashindex.htmlThere are live MP3s there, too, under the 'on tour' section.
(the Show You Love is a great one...
the Amazing Grace isn't as powerful as the version at our show, but still good.)
)
(We are leaving soon. Have a GREAT day, honeybee!