You might have caught the Instagram from Monday but it has been one of those weeks.
I’m going to side-step the details because I want to focus on the positive. I want to focus on tomorrow. I want to focus on a lesson I got from someone who hit a few brick walls in her time (and she’s all of 26, you know…) and now she’s pwning the world one sold out venue at a time.
This week, I got served by Lindsey Stirling.
Before the events of the week hit, I paid for a V.I.P. evening with Lindsey Stirling. Now if you don’t know this performer, you really should take a look at her videos on YouTube. Here’s a favorite of mine…
When she went on tour and offered V.I.P. tickets which included a meet-and-greet, I immediately whipped out the credit card. A chance to meet Lindsey Stirling and maybe enjoy a little bit of V.I.P. treatment? Absolutely! Little did I know how well-timed this indulgence would be.
When our evening at the 9:30 Club arrived, I was getting nervous. I was a tad concerned about my Monday putting me off for the concert, but I was growing more anxious about meeting Lindsey Stirling. Why?
The last time I took part in a “V.I.P. Meet and Greet†I was meeting Nancy Kerrigan before a “who’s who†of Olympic figure skaters. To give you a point in time, this was after all those Tonya Harding shenanigans. This performance, though, was also after a few less than flattering gaffes she made following her Silver medal performance in Lillehammer. At this V.I.P. event, I met Kerrigan; and to this day, I feel like I owe her an apology for taking up two minutes of her time. Nearly twenty years ago.
And here I was, bringing up the rear of a V.I.P. receiving line. Again.
When it was our turn, I said “Are we good?†Lindsey gave me a smile and a nod. I turned to Pip and said “We’re going in!†Lindsey’s smile only got wider as she said “Come on in.â€
I can say, without doubt, that Lindsey Stirling is nothing like Nancy Kerrigan.
With so many people who had already taken photos and talked with her, Lindsey was gracious, kind, and appreciative of the two of us. When we presented her with a copy of Phoenix Rising: A Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences Novel, we talked a bit about steampunk and shared with Lindsey how her music made writing fight scenes easy. â€That’s truly a high compliment,†she said, “knowing my art is inspiring art from others.†We took pictures, got a poster autographed for Sonic Boom, and joined the rest of the V.I.P.s where, after a few more questions from the audience, Lindsey performed a song exclusively for us.
This set the tone for one incredible evening of music, dance, and high energy. Her opening act, The Vibrant Sound, kicked things off and sent the crowd into orbit with an incredible cover of the Marvin Gaye make-out classic, “Let’s Get It On.†When Lindsey took the stage with her drummer and keyboardist, the pace set by The Vibrant Sound only picked up. This was an amazing show with a bass line that you felt in your chest. It was hard to tell who was having more fun, Lindsey, Drew, and Gavi or the thousand people at the 9:30 Club.
So when, during the evening, did I get served by Lindsey Stirling?
Lindsey started talking about one of her songs — “Transcendence†— as being her own musical testament of her journey to that night in Washington D.C. She talked about some of the obstacles she faced (which, I found out recently, included “Americas Got Talentâ€) where her “approach†just wasn’t considered smart. Had she given up when told giving up was “the right thing to do†we would have been denied the evening we had this week.
This was a swift kick I needed. I’ve been struggling to make sense of the week being what it has been. When Lindsey shared her story, I was reminded of my own words from another blogpost. I already knew that I needed to stay the course, that I needed to persevere. Lindsey reminded me that there was something better just ahead. It may not seem that there is, but it’s there. I’ve faced worse odds and darker places than this; and had I given up then, I wouldn’t have been able to give Lindsey a copy of Phoenix Rising. It simply would have never happened.
I didn’t know it at the time, but there was something truly significant in giving her that steampunk romp of ours. At the time, I didn’t know; but now… yeah… mind blown.
I still have my V.I.P. pass from the evening. Lindsey Stirling has got an incredible schedule ahead of her, but I’m hoping — in between performance stops, power naps, and gaming sessions — Lindsey cracks the cover and meets Wellington and Eliza. Maybe she’ll take a ride with us like we did with her Wednesday night.
And maybe, just maybe, we can return the favor and inspire something from her.
(A special thank you to Drew and Gavi for not only being nothing short of awesome; but for also being gracious and taking these incredible ninja shots of us presenting Lindsey with the book. We had no clue you did that until we got home! Thanks!)