entirely excellent

The concert began in a rather unusual way: not with music but with a reading. Before Sara Groves took the stage for the opening musical act and before Jars of Clay sang, Donald Miller, author of Blue Like Jazz took the stage to read a selection from one of his unpublished works. To open, he mentioned how this was a rather odd way to begin a concert. "And after I've finished reading my work," he commented, "Sara Groves will take the stage to read the lyrics to her music. Then, Jars of Clay will read their lyrics." That is, of course, not what happened, but it definitely got the crowd laughing. The concert was entirely excellent. I'm not too familiar with Sara Grove's music, but she has an amazing voice. This was the third time I've seen Jars of Clay in concert, and I think this was the best performance of theirs that I've seen. They put their heart and soul into their music, and even though they've performed these songs countless times, you could tell by watching them how much they love and passionately believe in what they've been called to do. That's what I loved most about the concert.