I had the opportunity to spend Saturday evening with my good friend, Donovan, and my new friend, Chelsea. Family Force 5, which happens to be Donovan’s and Chelsea’s favorite band, was playing in Dover, and they invited me to come along. Now, to be quite honest, my glory days of concert-going where I would drop some change, weasel my way through shoulder-to-shoulder sweaty people, and stand for several hours listening to loud music have mostly passed. Well, unless you’re talking about Trevor McNevan and Thousand Foot Krutch…that’s another story altogether. 🙂

When the show was announced a while back, I knew Donovan was excited:
Upon hearing this news, I went into my logistical planning.

“So, I could get the regular ticket and still experience the show, but I will be separated from my friends, so what fun is that?”

VIP ticket it is. But what about this dinner stuff?

“I could forego the dinner and save the money, but a) I still have to eat something, and b) what am I going to do, sit in the car and eat Taco Bell for an hour while they go in early?”

I decided it was silly of me to do anything other than get the same set of tickets they purchased. I don’t get many opportunities to hang out with both Donovan and Chelsea, and I was blessed with some extra cash at that time.

We got to the venue early, and we got a kick watching people try the doors only to find out they were not allowed in yet. There were a few that experienced this before we became the ones looking foolish by still sitting in our cars while others gained access to the building.

We went in and were directed to where the dinner was being held. Just after we were seated, a family of 4 was seated at the table with us. Please allow me to introduce Alyssa, Dawn, Gary, and Kayla:

We became fast friends with this family from the Cleveland area. Dawn informed us that Alyssa was a big fan of Family Force 5, and she was excited to be able to meet the band at this dinner. All of a sudden, Alyssa sat straight up and said excitedly, “Mom! Look!”

The band had arrived.

She started to bounce ever so slightly in her chair nervously, her eyes never leaving the group that had just entered the room. After a few minutes,  Solomon “Soul Glow Activatur” Olds came up to our table and started chatting with us. Alyssa had already begun to tear up because of the excitement. She asked, “Is it okay if I hug you?” He said, “Oh, of course!” I don’t think I’ve ever seen a 10-year-old girl run so fast. It was sweet.
Some of the other guys came over to our table a bit later. I think Alyssa was a little overwhelmed 🙂

After the FF5 guys had made their rounds, another fella had come up to our table. I could tell he was in one of the groups playing that night, but I didn’t know who he was. He saw our one empty chair, and asked if he could sit with us. As we chatted with him, we learned his name was Jon, and he was half of the duo that makes up Capital Kings. As we talked, we found out this was their first major tour, and they were getting ready to release their first album. He was very nice, and he answered questions that we had. I asked him what it was like firing up a Pandora list and hearing one of his songs start playing. I’d have to imagine it would be like The Wonders (Oneders) in “That Thing You Do” when they were jumping around and screaming when their song came on the radio. 🙂

One random thought: Capital Kings is made up of Jon and Cole. My name is Jon Cole.

Rock stardom, here I come.

As a part of the dinner, group photos were taken with the Family Force 5 on stage. I’ll bet Alyssa watched every photo get taken.

Here is their family’s group shot. And here is our group shot. So much fun. 🙂

When I was first was presented with the opportunity to attend this show in the capacity that I was able to, I didn’t really think much of it. But now I realize I was so blessed to be able to share in a little girl’s excitement of meeting her heroes. And it reminds me (yet again) that I have to be sure I am living my life in a way that is glorifying to God because I don’t always know who’s watching me. The choices I make can have a profound impact on those who look up to me.

And now…some random shots from the show:

Thanks for reading,
Jon Cole