Gotta Go to Gothenburg: Mimers Hus Performance

Again, so much to say about the concert. Where to begin?

From the top...

Anna met us at the hostel and we began our drive down to Kungälv for the concert. Anna just received her My Story CD today, so she didn't have much time to listen to it yet. We grabbed one of our copies and popped it in for the drive over.

Just a short while later, we were at our destination. No one had the exact address to Mimers Hus but we were easily able to find it because it's hard to miss if you have an idea what it looks like. The building is a one-of-a-kind structure, so it was easy to spot.

We jumped out and began walking toward the entrance. We first saw the library, then saw the cafe. One hall didn't lead us anywhere, so we walked back to the cafe and saw the theatre. Jessi opened the door and we were greeted with a wall of sound before we even made it through the second set of doors.

Rehearsal was happening and we had just walked right into it. Everyone on stage gave us a hearty hello when we popped through the door. We spent a little time taking photos and listening to the check, then we went outside for a few as well.

People started arriving early for the program and started to filter in about thirty minutes before the start of the show. I went around and chatted with a few people to get their expectations before the concert began.

The hosts for the evening introduced themselves and spent about ten minutes playing a game and the winner was going to get a copy of Jenny's book. The contestants were told to find someone in the audience with a certain characteristic (like red clothing or someone who could do twenty push-ups) and bring them back to the chair. Each time they had to go out, another chair was taken away. The audience had fun with it and the winner came away happy.

The host introduced the band and everyone walked on stage. They started with Carrie Underwood's "Jesus Take the Wheel" and the concert was underway.

This wasn't exactly a pure concert, yet it wasn't a pure lecture either. It was a bit of a blend. It was more concert than lecture, though. It started out as a typical concert/lecture blend and the audience felt a little restless. It seems the plan changed after the first few songs. Jenny was about to read passages from the book but it seemed she changed her mind and threw that first plan out the window.

Instead, she described points from the book in short sound bites instead of long passages. Afterwards, she would sing a song that was related to a certain part of the book she described.

The playlist was also a little different than prior gigs from the previous two weeks. This one included "Bless the Broken Road", "Go Down Moses", and "Gotta Go" to name a few different songs.

I recorded short clips of each song, but my "thirty-second YouTube camera" decided it had enough and is not functioning at all any longer. Maybe it had to do with the hit it took on the pavement on Gustav Adolfs torg last week when I dropped it?! That's why it's always good to have two cameras. It works to your advantage though, since you get a few full clips instead of a few thirty second bites.

The audience was a little restless at the start, but after "Go Down Moses", they got into it and it picked up quite a bit. The audience got into it more and more as each song went on.

There were parts of the concert tonight where the songs and words hit me upside the head. I wish I had brought tissues. I started losing it during "Håll Mitt Hjärta" and completely lost it during "Bless the Broken Road". And let me tell you, it's no small feat to make me cry in public. Ask people who know me and they'll tell you I just don't do that... unless it's just so poignant or breathtaking that I just can't help it. Like tonight.

I'll write more about the whole concert in a longer report when I get back to the States shortly. I'll also write about the people I spoke with after the concert was over and let you know their thoughts.

After the concert was over, Jenny went out to sign CDs and books. We took a few photos and chatted with Simon, Staffan and David for a few minutes. We also chatted with Jenny after she was finished meeting people. We then made our way to the congregation house a little ways down the road.

Once there, we made ourselves comfortable and had a little something to eat. We also sat and looked on as some of the teens took part in a few of the youth group activites there this evening.

Simon was able to bring a box of CDs for Jessi and Anja. I was also able to buy the copies I needed.

Anja and I had the chance to speak with Terese Fredenwall this evening as well. She is very kind, humble, and has a bubbly and upbeat personality. Terese is going to Germany shortly, so Anja was teaching her a few useful German phrases and a few fun ones too. I also had the chance to tell Terese how much I've enjoyed her singing/songwriting skills. I'm sure she hears it all the time from other people, but it was nice to be able to say it face to face.

Jessi, Anna, and Anja said goodbye to Jenny while I was off wandering in another part of the building.

We all walked out into the nippy night air and another clear, starry night greeted us. As we were walking back to the car, Terese stopped and chatting with us again for a minute or two before saying goodbye.

Everyone jumped in the car, warmed up, and headed back to the city. We dropped Anna off at home and said our goodbyes until next time.

We're now back at the hostel and will be leaving in a few hours for one last concert and lecture.