Considering Lily and Bleach Howl on Halloween Night

Halloween night, a group of Wiccan (witches) gathered at Mount Trashmore. Candles lit under the trees, they bemoaned the persecution they must endure. ["Marion, have you ever persecuted a witch?" "No, not that I'm aware of. You?" "Nope, and I even know a couple of them."]

Yet not far from that Virginia Beach landmark, All Hallow's Eve took on it's true meaning as an excited buzz filled the auditorium at the Virginia Beach Pavilion.

Occasional cheers sounded out as a Blue Lizard Productions crew member crossed the stage on some pre-show errand. Pearl Barrett of Considering Lily walks onstage, wearing a crown of flowers, to tune up. Soon, she was sitting on the edge of the stage, talking with fans and signing autographs. After she disappeared, her sister Serene Campbell, came out to meet fans, sign autographs and have her picture taken. (It was hard to believe she was eight months pregnant; she only looked to be three or four.)

Meanwhile, members of Bleach -- Dave, Sam, Brad, Matt and Todd -- were in the lobby, clowning around, talking with fans and signing CD covers, posters and photographs. Dave was even asking fans to autograph his arm. The entire pavilion was filling up with the kind of magic that you could actually feel in the air.

Chris Carpenter of Blue Lizard announced the start of the concert, and the audience cheered. Although it was the group's first production, his professionalism and the crowd's enthusiasm would have made you think it was their 100th. Amid a surging wave of cheering, Considering Lily stepped on stage.

While I like the music from both groups, Considering Lily was my favorite of the two. And they did not disappoint, opening their set with "Consequences" and continuing through the other songs of their single CD -- "Peaceman," "Beautiful You," "I Don't Need A Picture" and "Real." Their haunting rendition of "Come Rest," sung a capella, moved me close to tears as I closed my eyes and listened to it reverberate through the hall.

Between songs, they talked, with soft Australian accents coming through, about their relationship with Christ and emphasized they found no differences between themselves and the audience concerning past mistakes. They also stressed the need to wait for marriage before engaging sex.

Later in the set, Serene feigned a "you-better-watch-out" temperament of a pregnant woman and led the audience in singing "Get Together." When they ended the set with their hit "Cup," I was left wanting more.

An intermission and lifetime later, Bleach hit the stage and opened with their song "Space." Most of the people with me had seen Bleach at Recreation '97, so they knew what we were in for . . . but no one warned me. Before experiencing Bleach, I had thought my hard rock days were over, but I was wrong.

Perhaps it was the excitement of being there, or some infectious enthusiasm from my friends, but this concert ranked among the best I ever attended, including both Christian and secular since 1973. One of the Pavilion workers, who also worked the Virginia Beach amphitheater, agreed, confirming my opinion.

Dave, the lead singer, announced that while the band was not there to ram their religion down anyone's throat, they also were unashamed of being a Christian band who loved and called upon the name of Jesus. With that said, the band rocked into their set with songs from their CD, including "Cannonball," "Tea For Two," "Child Of Sod" and "Perfect Family." The band also echoed Considering Lily concerning sex and called upon members of the audience to embrace abstinence until marriage.

The crowd roared more and more as the set progressed. Dave added to the excitement by showering the crowd with ice-cold water from time to time as he sipped between vocals. They closed with their hit "Epidermis Girl," then announced they would be available in the lobby to talk with anyone about a relationship with Christ.

This is the big difference between Christian and secular bands. Christian musicians are available to their audience before or after a concert to talk with fans, sign autographs and pose for pictures. It is God whom they sing about and worship. They know that the audience is their mission field and that the fans are not there to glorify the band.

It all made the "Eve" pretty "Hallowed."

--Glen Braden