Wednesday, September 16, 2009


HEAVY METAL, HEAVY THOUGHTS

So a few weeks ago, my neighbor approached me and asked, "hey, are pastors like you ALLOWED to go to rock concerts?" I chuckled and said yes. He said "good, because me and you are going on a road trip! I bought tickets for us to see a rock concert in Nashville."

I was fired up...this was going to be out of the normal routine for me as an Associate Pastor, it’s been a really long time since I’ve been to a concert. And besides that, I really like this neighbor! He’s a great guy and we’ve been building a friendship! He is a believer, but young in his faith. This trip was a big deal to him and I knew that coming and going, we'd have over five hours in the car together for quality conversations about faith and life and whatever else, so I said sure...before I asked who we were going to see.

It turns out that Metallica was on the docket for that night! At that point, I was hesitant to say the least. Don’t get me wrong, I love most all kinds of music and even listened to Metallica “back in the day”...but the “day” was a long time ago and in a galaxy far, far away from my life now!

I knew that it would be a rough and rowdy environment. I knew that I would see, hear, and smell things that were not in line with my faith walk. I also knew that it would be loud! Very loud! (well, I thought I knew that, BUT HAD NO IDEA WHAT LOUD REALLY MEANT!) But what I didn’t know was how deeply impacted I would be from the event, and on so many different levels.

Here are a few casual observations from Monday night's Metallica concert (some are a little tongue in cheek...but all seasoned with truth)

1) Theological take-away...I’m not saying that I’ve become a Calvinist just because of a Metallica concert, but I am convinced that TOTAL DEPRAVITY IS REAL (there are pretty freaky people in this world and most of them were all huddled up in the Sommet Center in Nashville last Monday night) More about this one later... But for now, suffice it to say that I was pretty shocked and amazed by some of the tattoos, piercings, mohawks, make up, and behavior that I saw... All of that leads to #2

2) Curiosity take-away...WHERE DO THESE PEOPLE WORK? AND LIVE? AND DO THEY COME OUT DURING THE DAYTIME?

3) The "People will overstate the obvious" take-away... "I BET THIS WILL PROBABLY BE PRETTY LOUD", I overheard that from a mom who brought her young teens. She said it just before the opening act came on...

A) There are 10 STACKS OF 17 SPEAKERS EACH HANGING AT EYE LEVEL and a wall of speakers on the stage and

B) ITS A METALLICA concert! duh...

4) Reality check take-away... Me and the balding guy in the polo shirt and khaki dockers behind me are probably too old for Metallica concerts!

5) Parental instinct take-away... At some point in our lives, we shift into parent mode and I am so there because I kept hearing myself say, "someone's gonna get hurt in that mosh pit."

6) Application take-away...I’m thinking of locking my kids up and never letting them out of my sight! :-) Mark Twain was right!!!!! "When a child turns 12 you should put him in a barrel, nail the lid down and feed him through a knot hole. When he turns 16, plug the hole!"

Now to the real lessons:

1) People are starving for a sense of community! The fan base for this band is intensely loyal and cemented together by a common love for the band's music. The culture of the concert was electric and fans were amped up with a common anticipation! I watched 20,000 people, with voices and arms raised, join in a collective effort of connecting...and for those two hours, there was a deep, unbreakable bond. They were family, the Metallica family. In fact, lead singer, James Hetfield dedicated a song to the fans and said, “I know that many of you have been through hard times and you made it through with friends, with family, and (screamed) WITH METALLICA! At those words, the family roared! The room was filled with people in black Metallica t-shirts (some of which were from concert tours of 20 years ago) and the lines were long to buy new t-shirts...for thirty-two bucks, I might add! People want to belong! It’s a need that is implanted into the human heart by God!

2) We could learn some things about worship from Metallica fans! There was a tremendous anticipation...people wanted to be there and were excited about what was coming. (often lacking in our churches) There was great participation - singing, waving arms, fists pumped into the air in unison, shouting and more. (I have seen shouting and fists pumping in churches, but it was usually in a business meeting and not in a spirit of worship) There was a strong sense of unity around a higher purpose. People giving high fives to others they didn’t know, simply because a song they loved was starting. (worship has become such an individual search for “what’s in it for me” and not an emphasis on a higher purpose that serves as a unifying factor)


3) People ARE depraved but are created with a need to worship God...and everyone will worship something! Deep in the heart of every person is a need to worship Him...most often, that worship is misguided and placed upon some other object. During one song (interestingly titled “Sad, But True” ) My eyes welled up with tears as I looked out over a sea of lostness. I saw so many people putting their hearts and souls into that concert. Whether trying to escape pain or seek pleasure or just get lost in the music, they offered up empty acts of worship venerating the band they love. Many sang or danced and some turned to drugs and alcohol.


Ultimately, I would sum up that part of the concert by saying:

great worship...terrible god!

4) I am insulated! My friends are Christians, they go to church with me, they believe like me... I need to get out more...and so do you! I’m not proposing that you run out and start following the concert tour series or go clubbing and some local night spot...but I am saying open your eyes to those that are around you and pray for opportunities to be the hands and feet of Jesus.

Now that the concert has come and gone, it really has evoked an amazing mixed bag of emotions for me. I really enjoyed the time with my friend, I enjoyed our conversations and I really enjoyed the skillful guitar and drum playing of the band. The music was good... LOUD, but good! In the next several days, I imagine that the ringing in my ears will stop, but I hope that the lessons learned will linger!

Rock on! ~Scott

4 comments:

Dad said...

First, on your casual observation. What is it about tattoos, piercings, mohawks, and make up that signifies depravity? Isn't that simply a cultural tribalism that is neither, in itself, bad nor good? I mean, I think the same way. When I see tats and piercings I think "meth" and "domestic abuse". But that doesn't necessarily hold true. We in Christian culture have some prejudices that are a hindrance to the Gospel (as you point out later in the post).

On the "real lessons"
Great insights! I'm learning about relationships and how there is no such thing as a perfect relationship. Nothing can fulfill the relationship we are designed for, other than God. Since we're separated from God we chase after all sorts of other relationships to see if they can "fit". Metallica and the whole metal family seems like a place where people can chase for a long time before figuring out it won't fit. "Maybe at the next concert I'll find a lasting sense of connection. Maybe the next album will give me meaning. Maybe this tshirt will gain me acceptance."

This makes me think about the way we worship in church. Are we really seeking after Christ or are we just trying to distract ourselves with music, tribalism, philosophy, works, theology, etc.? It's really hard to tell, because I think both types of seeking might look very similar. I'm thinking there's a really good book idea in there somewhere.

Anyway, thanks for sharing this experience with us. By the way, what did you do at the concert? Did you dance? Stand? Sit? Were you offered anything? Did you scream like a 7th grade girl at a Taylor Swift concert? Did you dress differently? Be honest. Its important that we know!

Nicole said...

Chris and I are just floored at the idea that you went to a Metallica concert! So funny!! Great perspective on the situation!

Scott Hanberry said...

Bennett,

Just a quick followup... I certainly try to be open minded about appearances, and hope that I didn’t make an inference that someone is depraved just because of the way they look! I have lots of friends with tattoos (even some with Christian messages). I'm certainly not suggesting that tattoos are necessarily a sign of depravity. (i.e. just because I see a tattoo, I don't immediately think "meth" or "abuse".
However, there was a pretty strong correlation between those who looked a certain way and acted a certain way. There was illegal activity en masse! And more often than not, the look and the behavior arrived on parallel tracks! I do believe that, at times, body modifications are sign of anti-social behavior, and often linked to a deeper spiritual void.
While tattoos, piercings, and other modifications are becoming more widespread and culturally accepted, even celebrated, historically, they have been associated with gangs, rebellion against authority, and anti-social behavior. I know that’s a broad stroke to paint with, yet there are undeniable associations with certain dress, body adornment, and behavior.
My heart aches for the emptiness I saw in the eyes of so many young people searching for a sense of belonging & reality.

Dad said...

Well, you can tell I was really moved by the fact that I commented twice.

But I agree. Culture doesn't define morality. I mean, it does, but its not supposed to. It hasn't been a mark of any Christian culture I know of to mutilate the body. Except for the monks and stuff. But they were, lets face it, a little bit crazy.

I think I heard Louie G pointing out the fact that there are very few situations where tattoos and crazy peircings aren't self-glorifying in some way. A grab for attention or something.

Tattoos do show a couple of positive things. Commitment. And the ability to take pain willingly. I can figure out some other ways to build those characteristics.