A very special anniversary

Ok... so I'm guessing most people at the Tea House went along their normal routines last Friday without any recollection as to what significance that day held....


How about I give you a clue....



.....It was the 9th of November....

...still not getting it?!?


The 9th of November!

Okay, if you haven't got it by now I'm appalled!!! It was the day we went to see the best band EVER!!! It was the day we went to see Switchfoot, our heroes, perform live at Birmingham!!!

So to commemorate that oh-so-special day, I thought I would do a post on all the wonderful snippets of memories that evening has imprinted into my mind, warning this blog may turn into a stream of consciousness as I relive the thing, please bear-with!!!

Excitement and adrenaline pulsating through our veins as we rush to school, knowing that TODAY IS THE DAY. Hysterical laughter at lunch accompanied by a sense of disbelief and jittery glee at the thought of what's to come. A coach journey filled with singing and frantic gasps of 'only an hour to go!!!!'

 Standing in the dark, a line full of dedicated fans, soaking in the electrifying atmosphere. Being shepherded into the arena, seeing the very stage that they will play on, clinging on to the desperation for a good view as we worm our way through the crowds.

The painful experience of the warm up band, longing for the real-deal! Hearts beating faster, screams pierce the air, emotions rising higher and higher and higher, until THEY COME ON! And is this even happening? The ecstasy of hearing the opening chords of 'Mess of Me' and the lights fall on Jon's face as he begins to sing.

We're singing, screaming, laughing all at once, suddenly the depth of the lyrics and the beauty of the music pierce me like never before, I am aware of so many things, but above all the blessings of a mighty God who lavishes his grace upon his undeserving children.

Wisdom pours from Jon's mouth as he explains that 'Hope is a pregnancy of sorts.' Whilst the introduction of 'Dark Horses' give me goose bumps and the bridge of 'Thrive' brings tears to my eyes, the feeling of unity is mindblowing as the crowd all whisper 'like make believe' in 'War Inside'. The rush of emotion as I realise Jon himself just pointed at my banner! The spine-tingling drum beats at the end of 'Where I Belong'. Then finally it's over. It can't be over. But it really is. There is a bittersweet feeling of longing for more mingled with the contentment of have a treasure chest full of memories.


I'm so sorry if you have never heard of Switchfoot, and you feel that reading this post has been a waste of your time, but please, give them a listen!!!!