Madison, WI (11/4/98) -

Walking down the infamous State Street, in the heart of the University of Wisconsin, one of my companions asked the outrageous question: "do you think they'll play Flood?" I thought this question was rather undeserving of any other answer except, "...they better." Yes, we were on our way to seeing one of the most passionate and moving bands we had ever heard, Jars of Clay. Seven o'clock rolls around and we're sitting in an extremely ornate theater packed with a sea of die-hard fans.

Seven-thirty, curtain call, lights go down and out slams Silage. Expecting that Jars of Clay would be touring with a group that was in their same genre of music, my friends and I looked at each other in bewilderment and simultaneously thought of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, with more hip hop.

You couldn't help but jive around a little to this music. On the 4th song into the set, the lead singer drops his guitar for a trombone and two supposed "bums" from off the street (they were actually two members from Jars of Clay), came out with their saxophones and the crowd got a little taste of Ska.

Ok, so Silage was pretty good...but I must admit, I wasn't prepared for what was about to come. After a short intermission, a seven-piece band steps out on stage in soft lighting with the low droning of a keyboard setting the mood. The first song made me think of Simon and Garfunkel...updated, of course.

Three guitarists, two percussionists (who also took up kazoos, pipes and anything else that you could beat), a keyboardist, and bassist filled the auditorium with a beautiful and fresh sound. With never hearing of the band "Burlap to Cashmere" before, I was absolutely floored by their music. With the combination of flamenco style guitar, some conga type percussion and vocals that would blow your mind, these guys hailing from Brooklyn, could sell out a stadium, easy. Before the concert was over, every CD was sold.

Not only were their chord changes and beats perfect while playing at 80mph, they put on a real show. Showing their diversity the lead guitarist went to some extra snare drums set up and started a little "contest" with the drummer in the middle of a well orchestrated song (which, by the way, had percussion that was very reminiscent of Pray Naked by the 77's). I sat there asking myself..."Is the wrong band opening here???" This band is going to be huge...

With a grin on my face from ear to ear I had to take a trip outside just to relax a bit and come back to reality... Jars of Clay hadn't even set foot on the stage yet and I was completely satisfied with what I had heard already! But alas, Jars was yet to come...and it promised to be a very cool show. In the midst of a defining wall of the sounds of crazed fans, Dan Haseltine and the crew took to the stage. The soft blue lights played nicely into the first song. With only two acoustic guitars, an accordion and vocals the band started with a stripped down version of Art in Me, which quickly turned into Worlds Apart and finally Love Song for a Saviour. It made me wish I had a cup of coffee or tea in my hand, listening to this coffeehouse compilation version of songs off their freshman album.

The stage went black and the familiar beat of Liquid pounded the audience. Long and drawn out, the bassist and drummer kept the beat alive while Charlie Lowell started in on the organ. The lights kicked in and everything exploded (not literally..). I no longer had the desire for tea or coffee. With no pun intended the next two songs served up were from their latest release "Much Afraid," Tea and Sympathy and Five Candles. While Tea and Sympathy came to a close, the band was introduced and so on and so forth.

But then came the most important part of the entire evening...everyone stopped playing their instruments and Dan said a few words about worth and value. In a nutshell, he explained how Jars of Clay derived no worth from being up on stage…because if that was the case...after they stopped playing, simply put, they wouldn't be worth very much. He went on to say that the ONLY source of their worth comes from one person...Jesus Christ.

The crowd was on their feet shouting, yelling, clapping and praising God for this testimony. There had been some talk around the town that Jars was a "sell-out" and now that they were big, they "forgot" about God. An interview with Jars had been run in the local newspaper and they said that they didn't come just to get up [on stage] and preach about Jesus. They don't have to preach...they're music shows it. If you're skeptical about it, read the lyrics to Worlds Apart, Love Song for a Saviour, Frail, Overjoyed...the list goes on and on. Jars of Clay has sold-out, to God and only God.

With that over, the band played Overjoyed, Fade to Grey, a rather strange version of Weighed Down and a remixed version of Frail. Then their acclaimed radio release Crazy Times, hit the stage with a blaze of light and sound. That was it, the band stepped forward, took a bow and said thanks and good night.

What was missing here? Hmm, I was in hopes that I wouldn't let my friend down when I told him that "...they better" play "Flood." Sitting in the blackness, the crowd roared for more. Two minutes of excessive noise continued until the faint chant of "flood, flood, flood" filled the room. It grew louder and louder...until you saw the band step out from backstage...one more time. As any good host would do...Jars of Clay, saved the best for last.

Looking like they weren't sure of what they should do (like they didn't know), they exploded into Flood...so did the audience. They rounded out the evening with the same type of setup they had at the beginning of the show. Hymn was the song of choice...and most everyone sang along.

My only complaint of the night? Dan Haseltine said "hello Madison" a few too many times during the concert...like about 20. But that's insignificant compared to the show and the moving music that they played...and that God got the Glory, not them.