Day of Fire and the VFW Experience

I really couldn't believe Katie and I planned on going to this show. The show was at the VFW in Jackson, which I knew was a bar and a venue that was going to be "rough". We knew we were going to be "out of our element", but we were determined to use this opportunity to see Josh Brown and Dove Award Winner for Rock Album of the Year, Day of Fire. The band is also performing at the Casey Jones Amphitheater later in the month, but it will be when Katie and I are in St. Louis for the Women of Faith Conference. This was our chance to see Day of Fire live and we were going to do it!

Josh stopped in my store last week and thanked me for supporting him and promoting the Day of Fire CD like I have. He gave me his phone number to contact him about tickets for the VFW event, so I did and had a few set aside for the show tonight. We were set to go, but even after calling the VFW, I wasn't able to find out about the performance order of the bands. I can honestly say I really didn't have an interest in hearing any of the other bands; Bleak Reality, Faktion, and One Less Reason. I was going to hear Day of Fire!

When Katie and I arrived and pulled up in the driveway of the VFW, we saw many young people in black standing around. It was kind of scary because we knew we were going to stand out like sore thumbs at this show. People were drinking and smoking and I hadn't been around an environment like that since college fifteen plus years ago. We managed to drum up the courage to park and approach the entrance to the hall, and once I told them my name and that Josh had tickets here for me, we were let in. After about being knocked over by great clouds of cigarette smoke as we walked into the performance hall, we looked around for a friend who was supposed to meet us there. (That person never showed up, even though I did keep an eye out for her throughout the night.) Oh, I felt so much like a misfit, but then again, I really didn't want to fit in with this group! LOL This was a hard rock show...HARD rock, and it was obvious by the "prelude" music! Whoa! My eyes were burning from all the smoke, I just know a spot started developing on my lungs, beer bottles were everywhere and we just tried to find a place to sit that was out of the way.

We found some folding chairs off in a corner and noted that we weren't the only "old" people there which we found some comfort in that. I started laughing because it seemed so ridiculous that we were even there! I said "we're making another memory!" and the music was so loud we had to yell to each other to just talk. LOL At one point, we turned to each other at the same time and bonked our heads together. Katie said "Now we can say 'we got smashed'!" LOL I stood and was just looking around and then got some drinks for us. I got a water and Katie a Sprite. We had about a half hour to kill and just basically sat there trying to breathe, which wasn't easy when you are trying not to inhale. I could tell that already at this point, we didn't smell too good! LOL I yelled to Katie "I NEED TO USE THE RESTROOM!"

"what?"

"I NEED TO USE THE RESTROOM! BUT I'M AFRAID I'LL GET A DISEASE!"

"what?"

"I'M GOING TO USE THE RESTROOM!"

"you?" (she finally heard me and was surprised because I try very hard to avoid using public restrooms at all costs. It was quite unusual that I decided of all places to submit to a public restroom was this place!)

So, I cut through the fog of smoke and made my way over to the restroom and entered. When I opened the door I immediately noticed two young girls there. I almost started laughing out loud because it was so typical! LOL Two young girls, one in tears, one doing the "best friend" thing and "consoling". It's really rather pathetic. These things make me wonder if humanity will ever get a clue. The whole smoking bar thing is exactly the same today as it was in college, and probably the way it has been since the beginning. Smoking, drinking, cussing, drama, girl crying in the bathroom...unsafe people. Lost people. In an environment like this, Katie and I think to "shine" and "let 'em know what we've got!"

At one point early in the evening, I was near the entrance and Josh Brown grabbed my arm and thanked me for coming. I thought that was cool, and I told him that I'm excited to hear his band play and that I've been looking forward to it! I went back over to Katie and told her and she said "I'm jealous!", so I took her over and introduced her to Josh. (She's star struck or something! LOL) Then I purchased a Day of Fire t-shirt for Justin, Katie's kid, because he sings Cornerstone at the top of his lungs anytime it comes on and loves my Day of Fire CD. I was bummed because Justin was missing this show due to a field trip with his high school band.

I was pretty sure that either One Less Reason or Day of Fire would be the last to play. One Less Reason has a huge following in Jackson and at times I couldn't figure out which band had top billing. Even after we got the the VFW it was hard to tell who would perform last. At 8:00 Bleak Reality started their set. I know that band was founded on Christian principles, but I wasn't positive about that. Hearing them play verified that they have a positive message to share and from the Bleak Reality website: "Are you asking yourself 'How can a band named "Bleak Reality" be positive?' We hope to convey through our lyrics and music that without God life truly is a bleak reality!" Their music? I little bit too thrashy for me at times, but people seemed to like it and they didn't sound too bad. After they finished, it took about 40-45 minutes to switch the stage out for Faktion. I couldn't stand the band Faktion. At first I didn't think it would be too bad because the lead singer had a vocal sound similar to Geddy Lee of Rush, a band I like a lot, but then it became apparent that this band was no Rush. Oh boy, the lead singer would have no vocabulary if it weren't for the f-word and a few other favorite cuss words of his. I thought they sounded horrible, and their stage presence/show left a lot to be desired. This band just proved how out of our element we were!

Katie and I had enough of Faktion, it was pretty bad, so we decided to go outside for a bit. When we went outside I noticed some people wearing Faktion shirts were also outside...NOT listening to the band. What a way to support them! Then again, maybe they thought it was bad too and were embarrassed for the band? It was taking them forever to finish their set, or at least what seemed like forever! I noticed that after Bleak Reality it took the stage hands about 40-45 minutes to change sets. Faktion finished at close to 10 pm, so I started to do some figuring. We didn't know what band was slated to go next, but we were beginning to see a dilemma, Katie's son was returning from a field trip at 11:00 pm and we needed to pick him up at school, which was across town. If Day of Fire was going to be after Faktion, we'd have to miss it because we had to go pick up Justin, if Day of Fire was after One Less Reason, they probably wouldn't take the stage until around midnight! Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay past our bedtime!

Katie and I both went back into the hall after Faktion finished performing (thank goodness that was over!) and as Josh Brown walked by. Katie grabbed his arm and asked "are you playing next?" and he said "no, we're after the next band", which meant that Day of Fire wouldn't take the stage until around midnight. Ugh! Oh well, I was determined to see them, so now I thought, "hey, this might work out! We can leave and go get Justin, then come back and see DOF, and bring Justin too! He'll love it!"

So Katie and I left the venue around 10:30 pm and headed to Starbucks to kill a bit of time until Justin came back from his field trip. I stopped by Baskin Robbins for an ice-cream cone, then we headed to the school. We got to the school at around 10:50 and sat in the parking lot playing DOF and chatting. Soon it was 11 pm and no sign of the bus returning with the band members. My leg starting bouncing that nervous bounce when I am being impatient. Katie complained that I was shaking the car! LOL Then it was 11:15 pm...11:30 now! The CD had completed and started over! Ugh! 11:45...I was NOT happy! I was going to be ticked if I was going to miss Day of Fire's show! I couldn't believe this was happening! It was going on midnight and we were stuck across town! I was hoping to be able to get Justin and take him back to the VFW so he too could hear Day of Fire, even though it is NOT the venue of choice!

At midnight, an HOUR late, Justin's band bus rolled up. Katie went and got him and quickly returned to Jeepers and we headed back over to the VFW. Justin was exhausted from his trip to Six Flags of America in St. Louis, but I thought it too important to miss this opportunity to see Day of Fire up close and personal. Heck, it might be cool to introduce Justin to Josh Brown too! Justin's first brush with "greatness"! I was excited about this possibility which was another reason I was getting so frustrated when that bus was so late!

We arrived at the VFW with Justin shortly after midnight. I heard DOF playing as we hurried to the entrance, and I was bumming that we were missing it! The man taking tickets just let us pass through and not pay for Justin which was cool. Katie and I were in on complimentary tickets as a "special guest" of Josh Brown, but since it was so late the door guy just let Justin in as well. That was a blessing!

So we went in and made our way close to the stage. It was awesome! They rocked! We had missed their first two songs and came in as they started tune three. It was so exciting. I couldn't imagine what was going through Justin's head when he heard the LOUD music, saw the band LIVE, rubbed his burning eyes from all the smoke, saw all the beer being consumed and bottles everywhere, watched the tattooed bodies of people thrashing and head banging...I said to Justin "bars are bad" and he said "I knew that before I came in here!" Good boy! :-)

The interesting thing that Katie noted in her post about this experience was that there was more freedom to worship God to this music in a bar surrounded by a large crowd of lost people, than it is sometimes to feel that same freedom in a church filled with believers. There is something inherently wrong with that!

Justin was ecstatic to hear Josh sing "Cornerstone" and he rocked out to the other tunes Day of Fire performed. It was so fun! People were clapping, shouting, singing, woohoooing, whistling, and I even spotted many worshipers! Oh wow, what an experience!

After the band finished their set Josh announced "that's it". Someone yelled questioningly "that's it?" and sure enough, the lights came on and the stage cleared. All but Josh, who did hang around chatting with some fans. We tried to get Justin up there, but Josh turned to leave before we had a chance so we went around the right side of the stage. Josh wasn't to be found, and I asked Justin "do you want to meet Josh? how bad?" and Justin said to his mom "as bad as you did", which told us that we couldn't blow this opportunity!

We went out the side door to hopefully see if Josh went out there, and what we saw was God at work. We couldn't leave yet because leaning on my jeep was Josh as he was SHARING THE GOSPEL with a young man! THAT'S WHAT THIS IS ABOUT! So, Justin, Katie and I moved around to the back of the jeep and waited. There were many people outside by this point. Many were getting in cars to go home, some were hanging around hoping to meet Josh, but keeping a respectful distance. Some were in other conversations. Many were off doing their own thing, smoking, drinking, just partying it up without another care in the world. Katie kept trying to hear, but I felt awkward about that, but Katie said "they don't care, they are in 'the bubble'". She means that at those moments of desperation and inviting Christ to take over your life, nothing else matters. This I can testify to! She heard Josh explaining the Christ died for sin and Katie then came over to me and Justin and we all three prayed there in the parking lot littered with beer bottles, cigarette butts, and trash, as one lost soul was searching! I LOVE IT WHEN THAT HAPPENS!

After maybe fifteen minutes went by Josh and the young man he was sharing with parted ways, but not before Josh reassured him that he would help him. Katie took Justin up to meet Josh and then we were able to leave the VFW.

What an amazing way to top off the night, or rather morning, with possibly a new brother in Christ added to the family! Woohooo!

Day of Fire is not just a band, they are ministers who aren't afraid to join Jesus when He visits the houses of sinners. It's not about Day of Fire, and they know it.