For Those About To Rock - We Present Handel's "Messiah"

The week of December 15, 2008, will go down in Pippen history as one of the oddest in recent memory.

It started in 1981 or thereabouts.

My friends and I had tickets to see my favorite rock band. We were headbangers and we had already seen Quiet Riot, KISS, and others. Now it was time for the coup de grace, the piece de resistance.

The concert was slated for Boutwell Auditorium in good old Birmingham, Alabama – only a short road trip from our stomping grounds of Decatur. We were ready. AC/DC was coming to a city near us and we would be there.

They were fresh off the release of “Back in Black” and “For Those About to Rock.” Easily two of the best albums they have ever made with “Back in Black” being one of the best hard rock albums ever made.

Then the unthinkable happened – they cancelled. My memory on this point is fuzzy but it seems that there was some strong local religious resistance. No matter. The opportunity was gone and would never come again until. . .

I couldn’t believe it. I heard AC/DC lead singer Brian Johnson interviewed on XM Radio’s “The Boneyard” and he said that lead guitarist Angus Young and his brother, Malcolm, were in the studio working on new stuff.

Seriously?

Yes. The announcement was made. AC/DC’s new album, “Black Ice,” would be released in October 2008. I pre-ordered it. I immediately began pulling strings to get tickets to the inevitable tour. Sure enough. Philips Arena. Atlanta. December 16.

I know. It’s hard to imagine a 40+ year old getting excited about seeing a band whose members average around 50 years of age. But you have to understand. . .I had those tickets in the early ‘80s. I had my shot.

Did I mention I have two young daughters? That I live in “sugar pop” hell? Jonas Brothers. Demi Lovato. Hannah Montana. Miley Cyrus. Chris Brown. Ne-Yo. Rihanna. Did I mention the Jonas Brothers?

When they are in the car, my XM radio is tuned to the same stations so we can listen to the same crap over and over and over. Everyday. Every week. Every month.

That is. . .until “Black Ice.”

Dad tuned the XM to the AC/DC channel. It was a breath of hard rock fresh air. I had forgotten the driving force behind Angus’ guitar. I had forgotten what a true hard rock vocal sounds like when growled by Brian Johnson.

Every time my kids would get in the car, they wept with anguish over having to listen yet again to those “old men.” And every time, I would smile satisfied with the knowledge that my old men could crush the Jonas Brothers with their bare hands. I rolled the window down, turned the volume up and enjoyed the added benefit of being a total embarrassment to my children.

Then it was time. My day had arrived.

I bargained with the wife. Let’s go to Atlanta. We’ll shop. We’ll stay overnight in the Omni. We’ll walk over to see AC/DC at Philip’s. It’ll be awesome.

And it was awesome. Sold out crowd. Massive stage show. They took the stage at 9 p.m. and didn’t stop playing until 11 p.m. It was one hit after another. We never sat down. We never stopped singing. My ears didn’t stop ringing for a week. It was thoroughly magnificent and worth every single penny.

Now, it’s Friday, December 19. My mom and dad are in town because my mom, my oldest daughter and I are headed to Birmingham’s Alys Stephens Center for our annual visit with the Alabama Symphony Orchestra and Handel’s “Messiah.”

The “Messiah.” A masterpiece of sacred classical music written by a not particularly religious man that proves the existence of God. Why, you ask? Why does this particular piece of music prove the existence of the Almighty? How is it that Handel can write a piece of music like the “Messiah” in three weeks? Three weeks. It defies the imagination.

Yes, he had good material to work with. I will grant you that. But the genius and the inspiration it must have taken to pull all of the disparate parts together to produce this majestic piece of music is beyond the pale. It had to have been inspired by the Holy Spirit.

And the Alabama Symphony was wonderful with it. The four soloists were fantastic. The Birmingham Concert Chorale was phenomenal. We were blown away.

Tears come to my eyes every time I hear certain parts of the “Messiah.” I’m not sure why. I think it is because it is my instinctive reaction when confronted with such overwhelming beauty. I close my eyes and let the music wash over me. I imagine each note in color and like a wave the spectrum of color envelopes my body. Then, when I open my eyes the vision is blurred with tears. I was not even fully aware that the tears were there.

When done correctly, the “Messiah” can be rapturous.

And on December 19, 2008, the Alabama Symphony Orchestra did it right.

My goodness, it was a beautiful week.