Bruce Cockburn LIVE

Last night we left our children with a trusted friend and went on a long overdue date together.
We met up with another music lover who had procured tickets for a Bruce Cockburn concert at Vancouver's Centre for Performing Arts. The venue allowed for a perfect size of audience and our seats were in the 5th row. Amazing. He opened with "Lovers in a Dangerous Time", from his 1987 album "Waiting for a Miracle", and then continued for 3 full hours. Generous.

LOVERS IN A DANGEROUS TIME

Don't the hours grow shorter as the days go by
You never get to stop and open your eyes
One day you're waiting for the sky to fall
The next you're dazzled by the beauty of it all
When you're lovers in a dangerous time
Lovers in a dangerous time
These fragile bodies of touch and taste
This vibrant skin -- this hair like lace
Spirits open to the thrust of grace
Never a breath you can afford to waste
When you're lovers in a dangerous time
When you're lovers in a dangerous time
Sometimes you're made to feel as if your love's a crime --
But nothing worth having comes without some kind of fight --
Got to kick at the darkness 'til it bleeds daylight
When you're lovers in a dangerous time
Lovers in a dangerous time
And we're lovers in a dangerous time
Lovers in a dangerous time

Toronto September 1983

He looked old and road weary, but his heart was evident in the songs he shared with us. His head was sparsely covered in short spiky whiteness. His tired eyes glistened behind small, circular, wire-framed glasses. Large, well-worn Dock Marten boots clunked the stage as he walked back for two encores. His black velour-looking trenchcoat nearly reached the floor and swung loosely around a bright purple T-shirt with a large black cross scrawled across the front. His "small but perfect" band included a drummer and keyboardist who threw themselves headlong into the show, dancing and stomping out rhythm with energy and familiarity. The woman on keyboards, Wolf, sang background vocals and harmony in a deep, rich alto that made me feel like I was settling into a natural hotspring pool in the mountains. She sang a solo for one of the encores and seemed to move and play with ease and confidence. Her molasses voice filled the room effortlessly.

During the first hour, I was an emotional mess. It was the first time I had left my son to be put to bed by someone else and I was stressed and anxious! My reasonable self knew I should relax and relish the time out with my husband enjoying magical music in a magical city. But I was not relying on my reasonable self. I kept hearing my son's cry inside my mind and in response to my worry, my milk came in and made me yearn overwhelmingly to be home again. I calmed myself down, had a few tears and called to check in again. He was asleep! I felt an enormous weight lift from my shoulders and was able to slide in beside my husband with a more peace-filled smile.

I am fascinated by the intensity of bondedness that exists between mother and child; it is fiercely instinctive.

During the intermission, my husband wondered allowed if a mutual friend of ours was at the concert, since he shared our love of Bruce's music. In that instant, I glanced across the auditorium to the left of us and saw him leaning against the far wall talking with is wife! There was even a muted spotlight shining directly on them. Bizarre. We shuffled our way through the sea of legs in the row beside us and went to grab a few minutes of conversation before the second set. It was wonderful to see them again and mysterious to experience such an uncanny moment of reconnection.