Michael W. Smith Concert

Last weekend was one we won’t forget for some time to come.  I constantly have my ears open for new and exciting family outings here in Lusaka.  So, when a teammate called and said that Michael W. Smith was going to be in town I jumped at the chance to purchase tickets for our family.  Although he’s not our favorite Christian artist, the opportunity to go to a concert is rarely afforded us.  We have such fond memories of concerts in the States from the Artist Series at Wheaton to the Mountain Opry in Chattanooga, not to mention bluegrass festivals, Riverbend, and Night Fall.  In fact one Sunday morning worship at New City Fellowship would do our souls and ears good!

The concert was to take place from 2pm to 8pm last Sunday.  Since things rarely start on time, we weren’t worried about arriving too early but did arrive around 2pm.  There were already hundreds of fans lined up outside the stadium.  We had eaten a large breakfast so for lunch I just packed a soft cooler full of drinks, crackers & peanut butter, snacks, and fruit.  We took our place in line perhaps 200 yards away from the entrance.  There was no shade from the hot sun, no barrier between us and the busy road just feet from us and no clean spot to sit.

At 2:40 they began the sound check…at least that’s what it sounded like from our spot in line (which had not changed since 2:00).  By this time I was tired of keeping the kids in line – literally – and carrying the cooler.  I was also worried about sunburn since I hadn’t thought to bring sunscreen.  Somewhere around this time new lines began to form at other entrances…so those just arriving were ahead of us in line.  At 3:00 we decided we’d give it another 45min before we left.

At 3:30 a gentleman behind us in line received a call from someone on “the inside”.  They hadn’t finished setting the stage up.  We still hadn’t eaten, Ian needed a diaper change and we were in the same spot in line we had been in for an hour and a half.  We decided to leave around 4:00.  Our tickets were burning holes in our pockets.

We went to a Korean restaurant and had a leisurely meal.  The children played outside in the grass as we enjoyed our food.  The Korean Paparazzi fresh from S. Korea came pouring out of the kitchen with digital cameras and cell phones all wanting a picture of the little muzungu, Ian.  We finished our meal and then I called a teammate who was at the concert around 5:45.  She was in the stadium and they had just announced that MWS was on his way.  Tim and I decided to give it another try.

We arrived at the stadium a little after 6pm and sure enough, there was MWS and band performing on stage.  The crowd was excited and seemed to have forgotten their long wait in line to get into this concert.  Midway through the concert someone decided to let the crowd advance toward the stage.  Unfortunately, our friends and their children were at what used to be the front.  As the mob advanced, a couple of their children were caught underfoot.  That family left as their children were very upset!  Just after 7pm MWS started wrapping things up.  Not wanting to get stuck in traffic, we opted to leave before he performed his concluding songs.

As we drove home, we couldn’t help feeling severely disappointed and exhausted.  To top things off, as we were driving along, a line of 4 unmarked vehicles with their hazards flashing drove by pointing guns at us.  The last vehicle (a flatbed truck) ran us off the road without the slightest provocation.  When we did get home, Ireen was crying and Ian was repeating…”guns scare me, Papa”.  We gathered in the living room and thanked God for protecting us.

Let it never be said that we didn’t try to participate and do fun things with our family.  I just hope this doesn’t make us too cynical.