…it’s the stuff our dreams are made of, and we know now more than ever – that dreams do come true!
Dear ONE BIG FAMILY,
I’m rarely speechless. I’m often impulsive in my reactions – yet after that OBH – a show of a lifetime, it took me much longer to compose myself. To “come back down” if you will. To be honest, I hope that I never return to life as it was. I’m feeling a new vibration, a new level of living. A solidification perhaps, of the way things CAN be. “I FEEL SO WONDERFUL!” – like Jim so beautifully sings. I mean, how many of you felt those lyrics so deeply into your souls while standing beside SO MUCH LOVE. It moved me. IT STILL MOVES me! See what I did there?! All of it moved me. So much that I am not even sure I can explain it in words, but I have to try.
Someone once said to me that “There is life before Jacket, and there’s life after Jacket.” I’m sure that resonates with so many of us. There’s no doubt that we are all truly blessed to be able to receive this beauty of a life together, as ONE BIG FAMILY. I certainly haven’t met even a third of this incredible party, but what I do know is that we all share something – we share LOVE. Isn’t that what it’s all about anyways? We get to share LOVE with absolute strangers. You can be a fan or a fanatic of any band, but I just don’t see that there could be such a community built on love quite like there is here and I wish it was easier to share this with the world.
That VIBE though?! OBH4 was a dynamic from another realm. I’m sure I am not alone when I reminisce about the beauty and true joy I experienced while watching the HRPC staff take it all in. Watching their smiles explode – so many high fives and hugs. One of them told me that the vibe we brought was the best ever. That we as fans are the best they’ve ever had there! I watched 2 of the staff members return to the stage after their shift was over without their white coats. They were simply amazed! Laughing, they responded, “How could you tell we worked here?!” when I welcomed them to the show.
Glow Sticks 101
Another staff member picked up a handful of glow sticks and looked a little nervous. He had his tray by his side and I felt like he might have been almost hiding from having to work…it was beautiful! He held onto those glow sticks…and he was watching the crowd throw them at just the right moment each time. He looked at me…and I guided him…”3……2……..1….NOW!” He tossed those sticks into the air so high and I swear his eyes flooded. THIS is what gives me life! I was so humbled. He was so happy. He was a part of it. I have a feeling he may remember that moment for years to come, I know I will. Such fun loving souls looking for a great time! WE ALL got one for sure!
“…the most famous rock band nobody’s heard of?”
Tell me I’m going overboard here, and I’ll simply say – if you haven’t, just wait until you do!! Is it just me, or do ya’ll feel chosen in a sense? Like how did we get so lucky? How is it that they have been able to remain the most famous rock band nobody’s heard of? They are just so casual about being ROCKSTARS!! How many times have you had to explain to someone what a “My Morning Jacket” is? LOL!
Some people just don’t get it, and I am so grateful that I am not one of them. I’m pretty sure the band name alone makes people chuckle or turn their heads, but take an open minded person, a soul seeker and a music lover and sit them Jim-side for one LIVE performance of Wordless Chorus or Touch Me Pt. 2 and they’re in. The band name becomes a way of life, not a bathrobe. (Was Devin even wearing his this year?!)
There are friendships, and their are bonds. We have both. Love ya, B!
There’s no doubt that each of us remembers how we got here. That one song, or that one friend who turned us onto the moment it became “Life after Jacket.” For me, it was my husband. Our mutual friend played Wordless Chorus for him, he shared it with me – and the rest is history in the making! When we got engaged, it only made sense to pick an MMJ song for our wedding song, THANK YOU TOO! The moment we realized that they were doing it…they were REALLY doing it and playing EVERY FREAKING ALBUM at OBH4, we lost it!
Thank You Too, Jim!
We had yet to hear our song LIVE and I pray for it before each show. The buildup was intense…and the tears were certainly flowing. It happened. All of it happened. We were there!! We got to experience that shit! We got to live it, we got to FEEL it! That feeling you get the moment your cool skin is kissed by the sun’s rays…that tantalizing goose bump feeling where you have to catch your breath – on steroids…times a million, with the best soundtrack to life there is – alongside the most beautiful of souls on earth.
“How vulnerable and humble a man.”
We got to travel through time together, throughout 20 years of the most amazing sounds and lyrics. We got to witness the evolvement of the band, and of Jim’s heart and soul – something so rare to be shared so deeply between humans. How vulnerable and humble a man. I have to say that I have a new respect for the Waterfall album. I am grateful for the bands ability to take us along for the ride of their lives.
As we continue to stroll (or scroll) down memory lane, searching for another share – to catch another angle, absorbing everything we can from another’s perspective…hold onto the love & share it every chance you get.
One BIG hug! (THANK YOU Patrick!)
One Big Dance Party w/ the DISCO HELMET!
LOVE ALWAYS WINS!
p.s. ERICA MOORE WAS REALLY ON THAT STAGE, WITH THEM, IN REAL LIFE. AMEN.
XO – jenni
Peace, Love & Jacket for all!
hot coffee 