In the days leading up to the concert, Austin and I excitedly counted down the days every time we passed each other in the halls at the (now demolished) landscape building, where we both worked. I had never before met Carrie at the time, and Austin just said he had a friend that wanted to come along. When I pulled up at Wright Hall to pick them up, I got to meet Carrie for the first time. It was a very big milestone indeed because Austin and Carrie (who are now dating) have been some of my best friends at Southern ever since.
Why would we be so excited to see Matthew West of all people? I have been to many concerts, but why would Matthew West stand out as a favorite? Well for one thing, he is probably my favorite Christian recording artist of them all. His has catchy music and lyrics which is a lot of fun to listen to, and the performances I have seen of him on YouTube have appeared to be fun as well. Beyond the fun music and entertainment is something much more special about West's life. See, he has had an obvious passion for serving the Lord through music ever since his debut single, "More", released in 2003. It wasn't until the tragic news that West had a very serious vocal cord injury that things took a major turn. So serious, in fact, it threatened to end his career.
In May 2007, West went in for a major surgery on his vocal cords. It was a very tense time as the thoughts of "what if I never sing again" swarmed through his head. Concerts already scheduled had to be canceled, and by the end of the surgery, he was instructed not to use his vocal cords for the next eight weeks while they healed. During this time of silence, West struggled with many thoughts and questions. He feared he would sound different, and that he would never be able to perform again. He was forced to trust in God more than he had ever done before. He had to trust that God would provide for his family, and that his life would recover.
Through this trial in the West family, I can't help but think of Saul in Acts 9 who was struck blind for three days for threatening to kill the Lords disciples. God caused Saul to go blind because He saw potential in someone who was persecuting Him. This transforming time in Saul's life over the three days of darkness was just what he needed to rethink his motives in life. When his sight was restored, so was his soul. For the rest of his life, Saul served the Lord and spread the good news about His love.
I'm not suggesting that Matthew West was headed down the wrong path in his career in whatever way. I'll leave that one up to God. I think God probably called a brief time-out in West's life because He saw tremendous potential in his ministry. God needed to have some personal talks with West, and nothing is better than to hear God in the silence. Psalms 46:10 says "Be still and know that I am God." God may have seen some things in Matthews future which could have hindered his music ministry....and it is possible that Matthew does not even know to this day what God saved him from. Regardless, the testimony Matthew West is sharing on the other side of this major surgery is changing peoples lives. The opening words on the music video for the hit single "The Motions" spells it out perfectly. "Matthews story is proof that God is at work even in our weakest moments."
Once in Chattanooga, the show was about to begin. The concert opened with Texas native Josh Wilson singing a few of his hit singles such as "Three Minute Song" and "Savior Please." Wilson was new to the Christian music scene at the time, and he shared a brief account of how he got started.
After Wilson left, Matthew West came out on stage with his guitar.
"Hello Chattanooga, my name is Matthew East....I am hear to entertain you until Matthew West is ready to come out."
The crowd erupted with laughter. It was evident that he still had not lost his sense of humor. Of course not, because he was on the other side of a life-transforming event in which he was bursting at the seams to share with everyone in attendance. For the next half hour or so, West casually played an assortment of radio favorites on his gutair. He took requests from the crowd, and even included the popular "Jingle Bells" song because he said his kids dared him to play a Christmas song at a concert when it wasn't even Christmas season.
After a few more acoustic songs, West began his appeal for World Vision, the sponsoring organization on the "Something to Say" tour. World Vision is a Christian humanitarian organization which reaches out to children and familie struggling with poverty and injustice around the world. West challenged attendees to sponsor one of these children in need. After a powerful video about World Vision and a personal testimony about the children he has sponsored, the concert went into a 15-minute intermission to give us an opportunity to pick up a card and sponsor a child.
When the intermission was over, the lights dimmed, and it was time for the REAL Matthew West concert to begin. The intro music began, and the excitement level was rising. After a few seconds, the lights came on and Matthew West was on stage with the rest of his band. "Hello Chattanooga" {the crowd roared} "My name is Matthew West. I hope you enjoyed the music from my friends Josh Wilson and Matthew East. Tonight I am here because I have Something to Say about the incredible love of Jesus Christ, and I want to share that with you tonight." He then joined his band with the song that the entire tour is named around.
If I didn't know West had gone through a major vocal cord surgery a little over a year prior to this show, I would have never been able to tell. He sang so well, and he displayed such a vibrant energy directed toward Jesus and His incredible love the entire time.
Their was one part of the show I was especially anticipating and hoping would take place in Chattanooga. It is when West sings a song he writes specifically for the city he is performing at. I saw a YouTube video of West singing a song he wrote for Decatur, Illinois and it was very funny. Sure enough, Matthew West announced he had a song for Chattanooga. His clever arraignment of lyrics he made up about Chattanooga which included the Tennessee Aquarium, Ruby Falls and the Incline Railway put the icing on the cake for me.All in all it was an outstanding show. Of course we were able to meet Matthew and Josh afterwards and they both signed our ticket stubs and was part of a group picture with Austin, Carrie and I.
Matthew West is a very down-to-earth and nice guy. I definitely cannot wait until the next time I get to see him in concert.
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