A Night To Remember

Two months ago my father nearly died of congestive heart failure. Thankfully, he made a swift recovery and has a new lease on life. This new perspective has brought back an aspect of our friendship that was lost for the past 5 years. This was best expressed last week as we shared dinner and a concert featuring Kenny G at The Aretha Franklin Amphitheater in Detroit. 

Why Kenny G?

?Of all the artists performing at The Aretha this summer (including Snoop Dogg), I picked Kenny G - the best saxophone player alive today! Don’t get me wrong, I’m not a mega fan but his music represents a sacred season in my life. A time from the late 80’s and early 90’s when I was but a young man, before I felt the responsibilities and pressure of adult life. 

I've learned that music has the ability to cut through the scars of our past and recreate those sacred moments of our yesteryears. For me, I remember being in middle school when our weekends were packed full of sports, family dinners, and going to church on Sunday often incentivized by a stop at the local donut bar after service. 

I specifically recall on Saturday’s my dad would clean the house like a crazy man. If I close my eyes I can still see the sun shining into our house while Kenny G’s latest album flooded the lower level of our home as the smell of Windex filled the air. It seems but a distant dream yet holds a special place in my heart.

A Dream Come True

I've learned that God speaks to me through mental images that come to my mind then continue to rehearse until the event or situation has manifested. This has taken me a few decades to realize but with some discernment, I find myself pursuing these promptings with more confidence. This held true for the Kenny G concert as I kept seeing my dad and I at the show together as soon as I heard he was coming into town. But what I didn’t imagine, was how God was orchestrating a night that would leave my father's spirit turned inside out.

I called in a favor from a Skidmore client and new friend who runs the concert venue we recently rebranded. She assured me we would have good seats and VIP parking where the artists park. When we arrived, we walked into the back office where the green room was and to our surprise bumped into Kenny G himself right before the show started! After an exchange of pleasantries and a photo opp, my dad looked at me and said, “Did you plan this?” I look at him with a smile and said, “Nope”. He was on cloud 9!

The Best Seat In The House

We were riding high and ready to enter the venue. We got to the 10th row where our seats were located yet choose to sit in a pair of aisle seats that were open. They weren’t technically ours, but they allowed my dad to stretch his legs out and rest his walking cane.

Before too long, we were asked to move as the actual ticket holders of the seats arrived. We stood up feeling a touch disappointed yet we decided to test our luck one more time and sit a row behind us that kept us in the aisle. I share the details of our game of musical chairs because what proceeded next was nothing short of a divine.

The lights began to dim. The summer breeze swept in off the Detroit river and was moving through the 10,000 person amphitheater while the sun was setting. It was a perfect summer night. As the crowd began to grow in excitement for the opening performance, the the bass player from the band snuck off the stage and into the center isle carrying a square crate. He placed the crate right in the aisle way directly in front of my dad. He then looked at him and said, “You've got the best seat in the house”.

Before you knew it, the first note from Kenny G’s saxophone filled the entire place. Yet he wasn’t on stage!? We couldn't quite tell where he was entering in from. Then the crowd erupted as we all turned around to see Kenny G coming down the center aisle from the back of the venue. 

He continued to slowly stroll down the steps as he warmed up his lungs. I could feel my dad’s heart began to race as Kenny G came closer and closer eventually landing right in front of my dad!

He stepped up on the crate and began to play his opening set within an arm's reach from my dad and I. We were speechless. We listened to every note pouring out of the saxophone while embracing each other with tears in our eyes and the same sense of freedom that existed in the space that filled our family room on a Saturday morning.  

The Air In Your Lungs

Life is so damn precious.

Yet we find ourself overworked, over worried, and often filling our days with distractions and vices to cover up the pain that’s buried inside each of us. Yet a simple song, a single note from a saxophone, can transform our spirit and bring about new life in a single breath. 

At one point Kenny G held a single note for over 2 minutes. It was unbelievable! 

What’s even more unbelievable is the same air in Kenny G’s lungs is the same air that you and I breathe. The same air that keeps us alive during the most trying times of our life. How wonderful is that!?

As we slowly walked back to the car, my dad and I reflected on the night and the remarkable experience we shared together.

My hope for you is that you take time to reflect on a remarkable experience that you’ve shared with someone you love. And if you feel prompted to reach out to someone that’s been on your mind, then go do it! You may just end up in the front row creating a night to remember.

"Music produces a kind of pleasure which human nature cannot do without.” 

- Confucius

p.s.

Here is a clip of Kenny G coming down the isle showcasing the emotion of my dad and I. 

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About Mark

A man of many interests and a wellspring of energy, Skidmore Studio’s Mark Ostach is on a mission to motivate people to become the best possible version of themselves. Mark holds degrees in economics, psychology, technology, and even had a short stint at massage therapy school. He is determined to remind the world that human connection is the most powerful connection we have.