Beauty + Talent = Brooke Fraser. In concert.

Brooke Fraser is the kind of girl other girls love to hate...but can't.

She's model tall and thin (5'11"). She's got a singing voice that's crystal clear and effortless. She's got a cool New Zealander (is that even how you say it?) accent. And she's smart--with an uncanny ability to write music and lyrics. She genuinely loves people. She's the girl who makes even super-cool rocker guys (who happen to know who she is) get a little googley-eyed, sigh and say, "She's beautiful."

[Sidenote for guys: "Beautiful" beats "cute" or "hot" any day. And "You are beautiful" beats "You look beautiful." Just thought I'd help you out a bit by decoding the secret world of what women--your girlfriend, wife, daughter or even your Mom--want to hear. But do NOT repeat this powerful phrase to girls you are not romantically interested in (unless you're related to them).]

Anyway, I had the opportunity to see Brooke in concert Sunday and thought I'd tell you about my experience, since I know some of you wanted to know. Brooke didn't disappoint.

But instead of a giving you pure concert review, you'll get a little bit of my personal play-by-play narrative rolled in to this post. So here goes...

Who is Brooke Fraser?

I first learned of Brooke Fraser about four years ago from a good friend of mine from New Zealand who described her as something like, "The Norah Jones of our country...but cooler."

[Interestingly enough, at the same time, my New Zealander friend was asking about the independent artist playing in my car--Dave Barnes--who has since collaborated together with Brooke on his new album. Randomly weird coincidence...if only I could get them to tour together...]

Anyway, since then, Brooke has also written and sung a lot of songs with Hillsong United ("None But Jesus", "Hosanna") that many of you are probably familiar with.

The scene...

So I went to the Brooke Fraser concert with a cool date. That's right--my sister--another big Brooke fan. :) (Yes, we're kinda gung-ho nerdy and bought our tix the first day they were available.) The Sunday night concert was held at this place called Chop Suey in the Beacon Hill neighborhood of Seattle.

I think Chop Suey may have a little bit of an identify crisis. For the most part, it's definitely Asian-themed--hence the name, paper lanterns and gigantic paper mache dragon stretched across the ceiling. But it also had this weird contrasting Western theme going on with pictures of the Wild West and cartoony cowboys. It kind of reminded me of my college days driving through Lynden, Washington (Dutch-themed town) and spotting a fine establishment named something like Mr. Wu's Mexican Restaurant. :)

And what is it with the crack-shack bathrooms at Seattle establishments featuring indie artists?!? Seriously! The restrooms at Chop Suey were especially odd due to the fact that the main doors to both the women's and men's restrooms were kept open. This meant that as I walked to the ladies' room, I saw some guy wash his hands in the mens' room. It's either completely creepy--or some ingenious scheme to promote sanitary health. I would prefer to believe the latter, but the conditions of the restroom inside told me this was not the main goal of the place. [Okay, TMI--I'm moving on...]

The venue was small. About 150 people were there (including my Starbucks barista from downtown T-town!). We actually found some stools to sit on about 15 feet from the stage in an area of the room slightly higher than the ground level. Awesome.

[Note to readers: I could have some stinkin' amazing pictures...but realized a little too late that I pretty much have the world's worst digital camera. It's really sad, actually. I took a few pics that somehow manage to turn the beautiful Brooke into this green haze that could just as well be the Loch Ness monster. Maybe I could make some money selling them to the tabloids...oh well.]

The opening act...

The opening act was a guy named William Fitzsimmons. He took the stage and for a second, I wondered, "Did some homeless guy wander in off the streets and decide to perform for us?"

But then he opened his mouth and he had a voice that...dare I say it?...was actually pretty. And I mean that in a complimentary way. William's voice was soothing. Comfortable, coffee shop kind of groove. I don't think I'd necessarily buy his CD (a lot of the songs sounded pretty similar to me), but it was pleasant music and his humor was entertaining.

...and then there was Brooke

Then Brooke took the stage with a guy named Ben (drummer/keyboard player) and an Irish chick (keyboard player/violinist). And, of course, she was awesome. My googley-eyed guy friends probably would have fallen more in love with her if they could have heard her hilarious stories including some about bodily functions, clumsiness and a gory story about her husband (who managed to injure himself on an airplane by zipping his sweatshirt-turned pillow into his eye--really). And as much as I tried to resist it, at concerts I turn into dorky-sing-along girl who sings or mouths the words to my favorites. But if Oprah can do it (on video no less), why can't I? :)

The most memorable moment

The most memorable thing? Brooke told the powerful story of her latest album's title track "Albertine" (check it out on the link above). I'll try to re-cap the best I can...but won't do it justice.

Several years ago, Brooke took a trip with World Vision to Rwanda--a country devastated by the effects of genocide in the 90s. She was there for awhile and formed a bond with her guide/interpreter--a native Rwandan man. Throughout her trip (I think it was several weeks long), Brooke did not ask about his personal experience during the genocide.

But on the last day, he said, "I want you to meet someone." He took her to a school. And in a classroom, Brooke met a young girl and simultaneously experienced a life-altering moment.

"I know what your next song will be called," said the guide. "Albertine." He introduced Brooke to the girl and began to tell his story. Brooke's guide had been a member of the tribe responsible for the deaths of many in Rwanda (from a different tribe)--including Albertine's family members. But he could not sit in silence and allow his tribe members to kill an innocent little girl.

"I could not save everyone," he told Brooke. "But I could save one--Albertine."

And so a song was born--with a challenge. "All of us have an Albertine," said the beautiful Brooke. "What will you do to make a difference for the Albertine in your world?"

Cool Song Lyrics

I love words. I love music. Put them together -- and you've got cool song lyrics. So I decided to write a quick post about song lyrics I like ... and why they inspire me, make me smile, make me laugh, etc.

What's amazing about good lyrics? They're short. They stick in your head (or in your heart). And yet they can make you think, get a new perspective or remember a moment in your life.

So here goes:

Song:

"Hosanna" By: Brooke Fraser - Hillsong United - All of the Above

Lyrics:

Break my heart for what is Yours /

Everything I am for your Kingdom's cause

Why I Love Them:

These words express a pure heart to live full-on passionately for God -- to be a person "after God's own heart." It's about seeing people, life, situations, the world -- like God sees them. All in two lines.

Song:

"83" By: John Mayer - Room for Squares

Lyrics:

Whatever happened to my lunchbox? /

When came the day that it got thrown away? /

And don't you think I should have had some say in that decision?

Why I Love Them:

These lyrics just make me smile. John Mayer has the ability to paint relatable pictures with words (it's probably why he's won several Grammys for songwriting). "83" is all about childhood and remembering that good time in his life (for Mayer, it was being 6 in '83).

Who can't relate to having a favorite lunchbox (I remember mine in the first grade was purple and had these cartoon puppies on it!)? But whatever happened to it? And why didn't I get more of a say? :)

Song:

"Love on the Rocks" By: Sara Bareilles - Careful Confessions

Lyrics:

Here’s a simplification of everything we’re going through /

You plus me is bad news /

You’re a lovely creation and I like to think that I am too /

But my friend said I look better without you.

What I Love About Them:

These lyrics are honest. I haven't personally been in this situation with a guy. But I've seen plenty of friends who have (guys with girls in their lives, too, by the way).

It's like the point where you see something you don't want to see about a relationship -- you see it, your friends see it -- but you don't want to. Sometimes, it even happens when both people are good people, but just not good together.

Song:

"Your Love Will Never Change" By: Dave Barnes - Brother, Bring the Sun

Lyrics:

So tell me there’s nothing that you can’t do /

You’ll love me though I’ve hurt you /

You’ll take my blame /

Your love will never change /

Your love will never change

Why I Love Them:

I honestly had a hard time picking my favorite lyrics from this song -- it's that good. These lyrics sound like a love song, but it's actually written to God (another part of the song talks about He created the world but "somehow knows my name" -- that's incredible in itself).

I guess they just express that sense of awe for His unconditional "no matter what" kind of love. No matter what I do that may miss the mark and break His heart, He loves me. He takes on the blame and paid the price for my stupidity, pride, weakness -- sin. But despite all of that, and all I may do to hurt His heart today or tomorrow, His love for me is unchanging.

Pretty amazing.

Favorite things of the week

I know I'm not Oprah, but I thought you might like to hear some of the cool things going on in my world during the past 7 days:

• Favorite celeb sighting of the week: Nick from "Survivor: Outback". I haven't met very many celebrities, but last Thursday at a fundraising event for Project U (see below), I met Nick from "Survivor: Outback". Nick's a cool guy with an interesting life (he was also a prosecuting attorney on the Watada case).
  
• Favorite fundraiser: Project U at the Melting Pot in Tacoma. Chocolate fondue with strawberries? Supporting a good cause and meeting cool people? How could I say no?


• Favorite Starbucks beverage: Tall, 1 pump sugar-free Cinnamon Dulce, nonfat, no-whip mocha. Whew! What a mouthful ... does that mean I'm high maintenance? Or just an original?


• Favorite celebration: My sister's 25th birthday is today! Congrats, sis, on making it to a quarter century. :)


• Favorite CD of the moment: "Albertine" by Brooke Fraser. Some of you may not be familiar with Brooke, but I was introduced to her music last year by a friend from New Zealand. She also sings on the Hillsong "United We Stand" album ("None But Jesus"). Her CD isn't even available in the States, but I special ordered it because I loved her last one so much.