I went to a gospel concert last night, and I rarely get a chance to have my face rubbed in my prejudices quite so roughly.
1. Lead chorister / choirmaster was the very parody of a jump up to Jesus gospel singer. He also sang flat until he warmed up. FRICKIN AWESOME ON KEYS THOUGH. no SRSLY.
2. For the love of GOD people, Jesus was NOT BORN IN A MANGER. He was born in a stable and LAID IN A MANGER. If I hear another person sing born in a manger as lyrics I’ma lose my mind.
3. Gospel should have a live band or a keyboard player as accompanist OR NOTHING. This group had a very sophisticated set of keys that did everything a band in a box could be expected to do, including sliding up half a tone, and providing ludicrous amounts of bass and percussion, but no soul whatever. That was candidly the most disturbing part of it.
4. Excellent use of soloists, although I’m not a fan of the sliding up into Minnie Riperton high notes.
5. I’ve heard every Christmas song a lot over the course of half a century; you’d think I’d be happy to hear different arrangements. As well as they were sung, and the choir sang their faces off, believe me, the arrangements did unspeakable things for long dead bears.
6. My cognitive biases had me saying to myself, “And how much more I love my dear little Beacon choir, even if I’d rather hack my feet off and eat them than submit to our current choirmaster by joining.” Don’t play well in the sandbox, me.
7. I got to sit next to Tammy, win, and walk to and from the theatre, win.
8. And I wrote an air walking home.
