Shocked?
Honestly, how many of you were drawn to this post simply because of the title? How many of you are shocked to read that this Baptist preacher, the one who rarely listens to anything but Christian music, went to a “rock concert?”
Here’s a question… Which one is being more legalistic, the one who would judge my spirituality by reading that I went to a rock concert, or the one who would be afraid to admit going for fear of offending? Just food for thought.
Be honest, I bet there are some of you, without even knowing the whole story, who have lost a little respect for me. You have already had your suspicions – now you know I am a liberal, correct? I can think of a couple, but I won’t give their names; the comments which will show up later on Facebook will identify them.
The Story
So, here’s what happened…
Saturday evening I was scrolling through Facebook on my telephone, and that is when I noticed the advertisement. Sunday night, at 9 p.m., Kiefer Sutherland and his band was to be performing at a place called the Revelry Room in the Chattanooga Choo Choo complex.
At first I sorta thought it was a joke, a scam, or something. Then, after a click or two, I was amazed to learn that Kiefer Sutherland (a.k.a. Jack Bauer from 24) was a songwriter and musician – and he had a band! Who knew??
Do you have any idea how big of a 24 fan I am? BIG. If for no other reason than to see Jack Bauer in the flesh, I had to buy a ticket to the concert, heathenistic rock-n-roll or not. The ticket was only $15, and I didn’t even ask my wife’s permission – I just bought it.
Sunday Night
Before I go any further, let me explain something. Sunday was our “Homecoming” at our church, which meant we did not have a scheduled church service that night. Even though I had tried to schedule preaching engagements for that evening, nothing came through. Therefore, I did not feel in the least guilty for going to a concert on Sunday night.
And, even if we had had church services Sunday night, our services rarely go past 7:30 p.m.. The concert didn’t even start till 9 p.m. So, there ya’ go.
The Concert
Anyway, back to the point.
So, I went to hear Keifer Sutherland (Jack Bauer) and his band play some original southern/country Americana rock. I had no idea what to expect.
To be honest, the band was awesome. They were some of the best musicians I’ve ever heard. On the other hand, Kiefer Sutherland was so-so. But then again, who cares? It was Jack Bauer, so his band had to make him look and sound good…else he might have killed them.
Seriously, Kiefer’s musicianship and songwriting is at best mediocre, but he had with him a band that made even the so-so sound fantastic. But, to be fair, maybe it’s just the Jack Bauer fan talking…it’s just hard to watch the man who has saved our nation so many times, and killed so many bad guys, play a Telecaster and sing about lost love.
The vintage Guild, on the other hand, well…
The Reality
Let me just tell you, I was so close to the stage that at two different times I could have literally reached out my hand and grabbed Kiefer Sutherland’s leg. But I didn’t, because I’m not a crazed teen or drooling woman – like a couple I saw. Would you believe one woman beside me had actually named her two children after him? Her son she named Kiefer; her daughter, Jacklyn.
But as I stood there and listened to the songs Kiefer Sutherland sang, along with the works that he spoke, the sad reality of it all began to sink in – like I knew it would. Here was a man who has lived a hard, broken, self-abusing life. As he admitted, he was fortunate to have survived much of what many of his friends have not. He called it “lucky”; I call it “blessed.”
Without getting into all the lyrics, nearly half of Sutherland’s set was “drinking songs.” As a matter of fact, the title track of his CD is a sort of a self-admitted autobiographical tune called “Down In a Hole,” which touches on the horrors of alcohol abuse. And considering this is the “Not Enough Whiskey” tour, what else could one expect?
Kiefer Sutherland’s story is that of one tragedy after another, followed each time by another blessed opportunity to redeem himself. The worst part, however, is that ultimate redemption can only come from Jesus Christ, not drugs…not music…not acting…and not J&B Scotch.
As much as I enjoyed the rare opportunity to be up close and personal to a living legend, I left the concert with an empathetic emptiness, which was to be expected. If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable (1 Cor. 15:19). Is it any wonder those with no hope can’t get enough whiskey?
Just pray for Kiefer Sutherland.
The Recovering Legalist 