John Schlitt knew he
was famous and that fans around the world loved him. But
being the unassuming guy that he is, he probably never
took it much to mind. These things are bound to happen
when you are the lead singer of such a pioneering band
as Petra.
That is why he was probably blown away at the fans who
literally swept him off his feet backstage after his
show in Bangalore on May 18. It’s true. He’s getting
older and finding it a little harder, naturally, to keep
the strain off his vocal chords. So when it came to the
last song, and his voice cracked just a bit, he had to
signal to his band that they would wrap up after that
number. Not even all the raucous encores he got could
bring him back.
But the fans weren’t to give up so easily. He probably
didn’t know it when in Petra, but India has always loved
him. In a country starved of good Christian rock – most
of it is only now slowly trickling into music stores
(and forget about heavy metal; that is yet a long way
off) – any good Christian band finding its way onto
these shores has been devoured. And Petra is one of the
best – and will always be. It has been around in India
for almost as long as it has existed. Somehow,
especially at the time when the whole debate about
Christian rock was going around thick in the church, the
band found its way into the market and stayed there. The
debate has now more or less died down, but Petra has
stayed on... as has John Schlitt.
His characteristically beautiful, tremulous vocals, with
that perfect strain needed for rock music, has burnt his
voice deep into the industry. He himself has admitted on
a video that his voice was just made for rock, and he
couldn’t be more right. People like him and Axl Rose of
Guns N’ Roses should not sing anything else – it would
be a crime. Though his voice sounds perfect with ballads
too – rock or any other (Love from off the ‘Beyond
Belief’ album comes to mind).
But back to the concert. The gates promised to open at 4
p.m. for the concert, which was to start at 7. But the
hint of dark clouds brought a certain grim foreboding to
some of the more eager fans, who would have been
terribly disappointed if rain had played spoilsport. At
the gates, some were even heard commenting that it was
the Christian concerts that usually got interrupted by
rain (the Ron Kennoly concerts were brought up as an
example – that seemed to be the only example though; but
it seemed good enough at the time).
Streaks of lightning across the sky struck the doubts
only deeper into the hearts of the Doubting Thomases
(the writer included). Then the gates opened and the
crowds poured in. The sooner in, they thought, the
better to beat the rains. But when nothing arrived, all
these people felt foolish and whispered penitent silent
prayers towards the night sky. Even John Schlitt himself
commented that the weather had never been more perfect
during his ongoing India tour.
After a delay of a few minutes more, as the audience got
settled in their seats, the MC of the evening – an
energetic young chap aspiring to be India’s next big hip
hop artist – announced John Schlitt’s arrival on stage
with his band. That got everyone up on their feet again
and up to the stage, while the man himself took the
stage. And then the show began.
And what a show it was too! He started off with songs
from some of his original albums, mixing them up with
some numbers from his soon-to-be-released new album.
Most of these latter were beautifully mellow ballads.
But he didn’t disappoint his rock-crazy fans. A few
Petra classics followed, beginning with ‘No Doubt’,
which Schlitt himself admitted had probably not received
the attention it deserved during its life, and including
the always popular ‘He came, He saw, He conquered’ and
‘Beyond Belief’. In fact, requests for the latter came
up from the audience right at the beginning itself. But
he had to politely remind his fans that everything, like
the work of every professional artist, had its own
special order.
What was surprising though was the reception he got when
he sang numbers from off his own albums. He himself
looked surprised when the audience sang along with him,
and he just let them do most of it. These numbers
showcased his partiality for rock... he belted out
classics like ‘Wake the dead’ from his first album, and
‘God is too big’ and ‘Can’t get away from your love’
from his second. The obvious difference in theme from
his new album was immediately apparent.
Once or twice right at the beginning, the strain showed
up in his voice, but he covered it up beautifully. In
fact, he didn’t shy from the high notes even late into
the show, striking them easily as if it was just one of
your normal voice ranges. And he handled them with just
the perfect pitch-levels that only a sound professional
could do. The awe-struck audience was left hungering for
more.
Between all the Petra numbers and originals, he led the
audience in pure worship. Not that it seemed any
different from the rest of the show, seeing as the
crowds were singing along on most of his numbers. Who
was more surprised by this – the audience or him – was
hard to tell.
The cries of disappointment from the fans as he left the
stage after the show, not to return, were as loud as
they were adulatory. Bur John Schlitt did not show up
again on stage. Many fans were seen standing in their
places for a long time, not believing that he would not
return. Their cries for encores usually worked on other
artists. But John, like the good professional that he
is, knew that he had done enough justice to his fans
already.
But they weren’t ready to leave him just yet. Your
average Bangalore fan isn’t that easy. Well past the
close of his concert, he found himself smiling endlessly
before dozens of clicking cameras and swamped by fans.
But he was at his obliging best. Not a single fan did he
turn away. Not only that, he also listened patiently to
every single word that every fan had to say to him (and
some of them just couldn’t stop – frankly), drinking it
all in, humbly, of course. If anyone had not been
touched before, which seems impossible, they were now.
And now Bangalore just can’t wait for John to return. By
then, they will be singing along with his new albums
too.
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