Music review: Don Moen shows Manila why he does what he does

 

 

 

Forgive yourself if the name Don Moen doesn’t ring a bell. The artist, after all, is not mainstream. You won’t find him on MTV nor on the Billboard charts. And he’s not on billboards either, endorsing an apparel brand or men’s deodorant.

Don Moen won’t probably mind, too, if there are people who don’t know him. That’s because he’d rather have people know why he writes, sings, tours the world, and does what he does: it’s to bring people closer to God.

In Manila for a one-night concert last Friday at the CCF Center in Pasig City, Christian artist Moen was at ease the minute the six-member band started playing the first few strains of the prayer-song titled, “Hear Our Prayer.” He then sang “Thank You Lord” and got some of the crowd joining in the chorus, “Thank you Lord, I just want to thank you Lord. Thank you Lord.” That’s the thing with Moen’s songs – they’re simple, easy to follow, and heartfelt. And Moen himself encouraged the audience to sing along with him.

Yes. Friday night was a blast for nearly 10,000 people who witnessed the one-night affair that turned out to be a unique experience that is decidedly a night to remember.

The songs are a selection of pop, rock, ballad, gospel, country, and bossa nova. They tell stories of a great God who heals, who listens, who is forever faithful, and those who are touched by God’s grace, love and mercy.

As a man who gave up a promising career in corporate America to pursue “this,” Moen went through the heartaches and pain of his calling. In questioning God’s purpose, particularly “when the paychecks stopped,” Moen found himself writing music that questioned his own faith and his ability to sing and perform in times of trouble.

Yet, his lyrical themes are also imbued with a sense of redemption: no matter what happens, “God will make a way.” The concert title, “God Will Make a Way,” is one of Moen’s most popular songs that is household for every believer.
 

The compositional structure of the song is unsual, but not totally unique in songwriting, in the sense that it starts off with the chorus then the verse. After the strikingly simple words and syntax of the chorus, Moen treads into the finer frontiers of bible-based lyricism:

By a roadway in the wilderness
He’ll lead me
And rivers in the desert will I see

Heaven and earth will fade
But His Word will still remain
He will do something new today

Technical problems disrupted the concert three times during the two-hour show, knocking the sound out, but Moen, guest artist and guitarist Lenny LeBlanc, and vocalist Rachel Robinson gamely continued singing without microphones. “That was fun,” Moen said, after the sound system came back on, and the crowd agreed, as it was during those mic-less moments when the applause went louder.

Most of the seats in the three levels of the worship hall were taken as the crowd kept trickling in even after the concert had begun.

The kinks, such as the sound system going out, were to be expected. As Moen said in between songs, the band just came in straight from the airport, from Singapore, to CCF Center. Not only that, they had to go through traffic – “Just like many of you…” – on a drizzly Friday night in Manila to get to the concert.

They didn’t actually have time to do a proper sound check. Even the lights were too glaring in the beginning, before the technical people found the right blend of lighting the stage.

Among the songs they sang during the “acoustic” moments were “Give Thanks,” “Above All,” “Lord, I Offer My Life to You,” and “There Is None Like You” – songs that are considered staples in worship services. No fanfare, just singing straight from the heart.

While Moen’s voice is soothing like it sounds like on CD, it was LeBlanc’s voice that was more remarkable. He sounded youthful in “Whiter than Snow” and James Taylor-like in “Love Came Down,” and “Falling” – too bad though that this last song was cut short by another technical problem.

Moen made it clear via song and ad lib spiel that he’s there to encourage everyone. In the song “He Never Sleeps” he reminded the audience that God always hears prayers; in "God Will Make a Way" he told the crowd there is always hope; in “God is Good All the Time,” he testified to God’s faithfulness.

After the crowd clapped and cheered for an encore for five minutes or so, the band reemerged from backstage. At this point all bets were off. The crowd started moving in toward the stage, their smartphones and point-and-shoots aimed at Moen, Robinson and LeBlanc. And, of course, selfies were shot right in front of the stage.

One woman in the audience commented how it almost seemed like a mosh pit, and it seemed so indeed. The only difference was that the moshing lacked the usual excesses of aggression that mark a heavy metal or hardcore punk gig.

"Falling" seemed to be the plan for an encore, which turned out to be the penultimate number as the people crowding the pit by the stage, particularly those closest to Moen, started rooting for “Mi Corazon” that in an earlier recording featured a Spanish guitar solo.

"Mi Corazon," a collaboration with songwriter David Hamilton, is about someone who experienced God’s grace in the aftermath of a struggle, expressing joy and heartfelt gratitude through music, especially in the bouncy chorus:

My soul sings
My spirit shouts
With every breath
I’m crying out

I want to live
For you alone
You have captured my heart –
Mi corazon

In the end, after having been regaled by songs of praise so honest and so true,  the thirst for more lingers, the kind that can never be quenched by bottled mineral water or buko juice in tetra pack. — BM, GMA News