Last night Con and I got FREE tix to the John Mayer/Sheryl Crow concert. It was a breezy, evening - the kind that teases of autumn temperatures on the way. The concert was at an outdoor amphitheater so we rented some chairs and kicked back on the lawn. Talk about a people watching fest!

The eclectic mix of various ages in the crowd captured my attention. I’m 33, single and have no children. So I forget there are people my age that have teenagers! It was cool to watch 30&40 something parents with their 14-16 year olds sharing a blanket, sharing the magic of the music, and the experience that is a live show.

I was knocked out by the opening act, Mat Kearney. Dare I say I think I have a new musical crush? (Shhh, don’t tell Jason Mraz, he might get pissed!) He’s a Chris Martin (Coldplay)/Dave Matthews sandwich, with a little dash of (as Connie pointed out - the way he holds/plays the guitar and way of speaking in some of his songs) a young Bruce Springsteen. Good call! I should have nailed that one, as my mom raised me on a healthy musical diet of The Boss, Fleetwood Mac, and The Eagles.

What struck me about all three performances was the absolute PASSION that flowed through them. All the musicians were syncing up and flowing with one another. It was like they were linked and connected through their hearts and minds. An energetic thread flowed through them as they performed. I was also fascinated with the stage coordination.

The lights, the roadies swapping our guitars the second the artist was finished with one. The background and multi-media displays that reflected a visual version of what they were singing. I was in awe as I thought about how many people and how much time and energy must go into coordinating not just one show, but an entire tour! How many hours does it take to tear it all down, pack it up on trucks and get it to the next city ASAP? Only to turn around and do it again the 24-48 hours? Talk about a well choreographed routine!

What must it be like to live that life? To go inward and spend however long it takes to write the next album? How must that feel to put your heart and soul on the page? Then to set those words to music? Spend grueling hours in a tiny secluded recording studio? All for the love of performing in front of an audience that connects to the words, the music, and the delicious combination that one doesn’t have without the other?

What must that feel like to live on the road? Travel by bus watching city by city pass you by? To leave family and friends, husbands, wives, new loves. Leaving all that behind to hit the road to share this thing inside of you that yearns to be set free. To feel “home” on the road as you connect with random strangers, because that’s all you heart tells you to do. What is that drive, that energy, that spirit that must fuel them to push harder? To move forward, sacrificing the simple life, for one of attention, public scrutiny and for some a media feeding frenzy?

THAT’S the definition of passion meets purpose! That’s what it feels like to work 16 hour days because you can’t NOT do it. That’s what it feels like when you connect with that one creative source power that we’re ALL plugged into. How amazing that they get to express themselves in such a way that we all get to revel in the juiciness of their gifts. But how amazing is it that we ALL have the ability to light up that bright? We all have our own unique voices. And it’s our job to tune-in and use them.

What lights you up in such a way that you feel like you’re on stage? What get’s your motor going so quickly that you’re up at dawn and asleep at o-dark o’clock? What creative ideas are spinning around in your head that you haven’t committed to putting on paper and putting into action?

If the rock stars can do it, so can we.

When will you step forward and become the star in your own life?

Kick some butt & take some names,
Kammie K. Rock Goddess