The last significant live performance that I saw was Paul Weller, in an outdoor concert in the grounds of King John’s Castle Limerick in 2024. I went along with some of my family. It was impressive that such an artist would perform in such an intimate venue. Nowadays most concerts in Limerick are tribute acts. We were right up at the front. I saw Paul Weller on two previous occasions, at Live Aid in London at 1985, and at the Marquee, Cork in 2010. This performance was by far the best. It’s heartening to think that he can do such a wonderful job at 66, which incidentally is the name of his latest album. Someone uploaded clips from the concert to YouTube. And here’s the setlist.
I first came across Paul Weller when I was into punk rock as a teenager way back in 1977. I liked his work in the Style Council in the 1980s. Then in the early 1990s, I thought we’d seen the last of him, but soon I heard Wild Wood. And Stanley Road, released in 1995, is one of my favourite albums of all time. And I’ve liked his stuff ever since.
As a Christian, I believe that music is part of God’s common grace. Some Christians see secular music as the devil’s music. The devil never creates anything. He just taints things. So God gets the credit for anything great in the world. Music will be perfect in heaven, but on earth it falls short. But you can get beautiful Christian music and you can get cringe-worthy Christian music. And you can get secular music that might not be about God, but somehow, it lifts your spirits more than weaker Christian songs would.
So, this being a Christian blog, I like to get some little bit of a Christian message in. Weller’s third song in the setlist was Soul Wandering. Much of his music over the years has touched on moral and spiritual themes. Soul Wandering is from his latest album, 66.
Each day I wake and try to shake these chains from me
They weigh me down in mental quicksand, shimmering
Soul wandering
Still searching
And I want to believe
In something greater than me
And I'm humbled by the majesty of the sea
And the stars and your love
I suppose I spent about five years soul wandering, trying to make up my mind about committing my life to Christ. When I did, in August 1980, Start by the Jam (Paul Weller’s first group) was creeping up the charts. I was heavily influenced by music papers such as Melody Maker and NME, which wouldn’t have been very warm towards anything Christian. So I saw the whole music industry as a sinister influence. But then, as I grew as a Christian, I could like rock music without treating musicians as heroes. They’re just like me really, but much more talented 😀.
I should mention that I also saw Martin McAloon of Prefab Sprout last year, in Dolan’s Limerick. His brother, Paddy was the main songwriter in Prefab Sprout, and again, his songs often explore spiritual themes and how music can point us to God. This is particularly evident in his 2009 album, Let’s Change the World with Music.
And, if you could classify the worship group at church as a performance, then that would technically be the last performance that I’ve seen, last Sunday. Many of us older Christians tend to point out that worship is not about a performance, it should be about worship. But when I played the organ in church, years ago, I was careful to do a good job. And even preaching can be regarded as a performance. A performance is when someone presents an act, skill, or piece of work for an audience. What’s wrong will feeling engaged and enjoying a church service? Surely that can lead to more worship, if you are there to worship rather than to be merely entertained.
Years ago, I used to see anything trendy in churches as a feeble attempt by Christians to seem hip. I preferred to stick with the old stuff. But these days, contemporary Christian music has become the norm, and it seems to me to be as good, if not better, than contemporary secular music. Even secular artists seem to be wanting to jump on the bandwagon. Rockn’roll originally developed from gospel music. I still prefer the older church music, but I suppose I also prefer the older secular music and the older cars and buses. That’s what happens when you get old 😀.
Hibernia Gospel 