Noah, His Whale, and the Theology of Concert-Going

Tonight I met a young articulate and talented musician by the name of Charlie Fink. Charlie is the lead singer and guitarist for an indie English band called "Noah and the Whale." Noah and the Whale have seen quite a surge in its success with their often televised soundtrack-friendly music as well as the release of their junior album "Last Night on Earth" which hit no. 14 in the UK Singles chart. Besides his propensity towards a dapper attire and an English accent that make women swoon, he also has a knack for writing highly contagious tunes- sometimes haunting yet eerily beautiful, other times unapologetically upbeat, but usually never overbearing. Furthermore with lyrics like this from their song "Peaceful, the World Lays Me Down," it's hard not to be a convert to the rhythm and rhyme of this band:

"Oh, there is no endless devotion,
that is free from the force of erosion.
Oh, and if you don't believe in God,
how can you believe in love?
When we're all just matter that will one day scatter,
when peaceful the world lays us down.
Oh and finding love is a matter of luck,
and unsettled lovers move from f#@& to f#@&.
Oh, and compare their achievements like discussing bereavements
And compare their abrasions with romantic quotations,
Oh, as peaceful, the world watches down."

But with all the talent, lights, and sounds of the night, it has come to my attention that I, just like many in my generation have been inoculated with a culture of concert-going that often times bring glory to the wrong people, place pride in the wrong places, and sing praises where praise is not truly due. I pray that as you read this, that we not be quick to conclusions or but that we be careful to consider what we as makers, shapers, consumers, and breakers of our culture and society all bring to the table especially in light of our maker, breaker, shaper, sustainer, and redeemer.

With this in mind, I wanted to bring attention to a few things I noticed tonight at the concert that I never noticed in concerts past. To begin, consider the bodily position of the concert goer. While some like my friends and I usually just bob heads to the music or sing along to lyrics we know so well, others have their hands raised, voices screaming, and camera phones clicking for a chance at preserving moments of that 2 hours their $21 bought them. Seeing people's hands raised, strobe lights going, eyes closed, and voices in unison reminded me of a Hillsong concert on crack. What I realized people were doing tonight was something I had failed to observe in many concerts before: people were worshiping. The only problem is- who was getting worshiped?

Although the ideal response should always be God, I've come to realize that as social creatures that God has made us to be- we are also creatures of worship. My training in philosophy and my proclivity towards Latin words would have me call it creaturae cultus. Scripture indicates that everything on earth worships something (Psalms 66:4). We are all creaturae cultus. The problem is not a lack of worship or even a lack of worshipers- but an abundance of idols in our hearts that do not deserve worship and even more... a failure to worship the One due all worship.

Scripture would have us guard against such false worship by understanding the character of the One who is due true worship (Psalm 97:7, 86:9). As the Psalmist writes, "Ascribe to the LORD glory due his name; worship the LORD in the splendor of holiness. The voice of the LORD is powerful... [it] breaks the cedars... [it] flashes forth flames of fire" (Psalm 29:3-5). The fact that the Psalmist arranges his worship to God in this manner is no accident. He begins with a call to praise and then backs it up with a rationale behind it. If we were to rephrase Psalm 29, it would go something like,

"Give God glory because He is powerful, He is holy, He is immense..."

So how do we guard our hearts against idolatry in our culture of concert-going? Here are a few suggestions:

1) Pay attention to your heart's motivations behind your hand's decisions

Ask, "Why am I going to see this band in the first place?" If it's because the band you're going to go see plays compelling live shows and their rhyme and rhythm can cultivate a deeper and more profound appreciation for life and it's sustainer in God? Then I think that God can be honored by that decision if your heart is in the right place.

2) Listen to the lyrics and pay attention to the actions of the band and its members and see how they line up with the gospel.

Sad to say, I have often heard more thought-provoking and biblically sound lyrics from artists who don't explicitly claim to be under the "Christian" genre. Folks like Mumford & Sons, William Fitzsimmons, Noah & the Whale, and the like seem to ask much better questions about the Christian doctrine, our existence, the nuanced complexities behind pleasure and pain, and the reality and validity of metaphysical truths such as love and morality. Although these dudes ask great questions, most songs don't provide an answer. And answers at least one of many things that Scripture is useful for (2 Tim 3:16).

3) Take time to blog/journal about it.

Trust me. Recalling being able to go to a show is much more fruitful when you actually consider how blessed you are to spend a night of leisure, pay good money for a show, and maybe even meet the band after. You'll be far more grateful for the experience in the future than just the few hours or days after the lights and the stage go down.

Lastly, I pray that you don't see this as a puritanic rant against having fun at concerts but as a biblically-motivated guideline as to how to guide our emotions and thoughts to the cross- the lovely source of true delight.

Although I thoroughly enjoy a good time out at a concert, our hearts and our heads must always act in light of infinity- a time I know is a mere quarter past a freckle on God's imaginary watch. Only now that I have started straining this part of my life through God's eyes do I realize that He continually asks, "So who's getting the glory?" Although concert-going experiences like these are often emotionally rewarding, I hope we can respond to that question like the Psalmist did in Psalm 95:6, "Oh come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the LORD, our Maker! For he is our God, and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand."