Family

Last night was my first Red Rocks show of the year: Michael Franti & Spearhead. I was going to write in length about it but my friend Kristen has an excellent post on her blog Walking Through Fire. Kristen is an amazing writer and she captures the evening in ways I could only conjure in my mind yet never commit to electronic Google driven paper.

Our Conifer family has been hit with an unusual amount of tragedy, challenges, and just plain life in 2012. Kristen and her her husband David have been chronicling their journey after losing their home during the North Fork Fire in March. Both blogs are worth your time.

Cancer, challenges with children, and the loss of beloved family members have also touched our Conifer community this year. Many of our family came together at Red Rocks last night. It's a stunningly strong and loving group of people who are still standing. And dancing. And jumping. And singing. And hugging loved ones. And laughing hysterically while being pelted with an insane amount of beachballs during The Sound of Sunshine.

 

I am blessed I got to do all that and more with my Conifer family at a very special place. Red Rocks is where I got my music back in 2008 (more on that another time). It's where I saw how music and dancing don't help us forget our troubles; it transcends them. It's where I watched the daughter of a friend become overwhelmed by the whole experience (the show was a bit loud from the second row). But I also later watched the same girl dancing on stage and stealing the entire night. It's where when Michael Franti said "put your arms around someone you love" I could reach out to my wife and son.

Yeah, I get it. Sappy. The cynical side of me would say it's just rock & roll. It's about selling some tickets and making some coin. And for the fans, it's about the party. Woo-hoo! 

I fall into the peace, love, and music category that says last night - and many other similar nights - was more than just entertainment processed for mass consumption. A Michael Franti & Spearhead show is a unique and spiritual event. Of the many times I've seen the band, this was the best. The crowd was off the charts from the start, Carl Young's booming bass threatened to tear the fabric of the universe itself, and Michael Franti's songs of love, hope, and community made a mountain jump. 

Last night featured first performance of a new song Do It For The Love. I can't remember all the lyrics but the message is clear. And there's no better way to express what music and dancing does for the soul and for the family.