Last Saturday, my wife & I got to attend “Padod Uguni” (”Pass the Fire”), the premier Christian youth & music festival in Latvia. It wasn’t huge on the numbers scale, but it was VERY big on the spiritual scale. It was SOO much fun! It even made the headlines on the front page of the local newspaper.
I think my favorite part of the evening was when Valdis Indrisonoks played with his band. Dang, he can rock! Then, later was Xenos, a Latvian rock band that’s simply amazing. Both of these bands are lead by incredibly talented YWAM staff folks here. I’m excited at just getting to know them better, but also maybe I could get to jam with them sometime!
Cheers,
~t
Ironically, the most famous Latvian heavy metal band played last night at the Liepaja Metallurgy Stadium in Liepaja along with the Liepaja Symphony Orchestra. Livi (pronounced “LEE vee”) has been popular in Latvia for 25 years as the top heavy metal band. The fact that they played with an orchestra last night was a kind of artistic statement that resounded throughout the country. Violinists waved their bows and trombonists waved their trombones to the beat!
At one point in the concert, Livi played a song (in Latvian of course) that, when Kristina told us, is about the native language of Latvian. It was a song that’s been popular since 1988 because at that time when Latvia was in the Soviet Union, it was illegal to propagate anything that was specifically cultural (i.e. non-Russian). The fact that they sang a song in that time celebrating the Latvian language was a huge statement in the face of the Soviets. When they sang that song last night, the whole crowd was on their feet singing at the top of their lungs, waving lit lighters.
During another song, Livi gave the audience a chance to sing, and I leaned over to Lydia’s ear & yelled, “This is the best sounding crowd I’ve ever heard in my life.” 4-part harmony… everyone on key! It should be no wonder really that I should experience that. The motto of Latvia is “The land that sings” & they sing!!
It wasn’t my favorite style of music. It wasn’t the most comfortable seat (on the concrete steps in an aisle). But it was a privilege to have taken part in something so fun & so cultural with all the other Latvian missionary staff (By the way, we were the only non-Latvians in our group!).
Cheers,
~t
Last Saturday, my wife & I got to attend “Padod Uguni” (”Pass the Fire”), the premier Christian youth & music festival in Latvia. It wasn’t huge on the numbers scale, but it was VERY big on the spiritual scale. It was SOO much fun! It even made the headlines on the front page of the local newspaper.