At a country festival you don't stand out in western dress. It's when you hit the streets in a country look that things get critical. I noticed how many fans carry their hats in a plastic bag all the way to the festival hall and don't put it on until they get to the festival hall.
Vero and I spent our holidays in Canada. For me, it was a childhood wish come true. We attended a rodeo, drove across the Rocky Mountains and later for hours through the prairie. For me as a country fan it was the greatest thing to listen to the local radio station which played almost exclusively country songs. Vero was a bit different. After about half an hour of listening to the radio, her limit was clearly reached and she couldn't listen to the "droning" (as she called it) anymore. When I asked her about it, stunned, she just said, "Every song sounds the same anyway!" - I was horrified. While I almost flew off my stool with excitement at these songs, I earned uncomprehending looks from Vero.
Back in Switzerland, I attended the country night in Gstaad. Again, I found out pretty quickly that there is a difference between the "real" and the "wannabe" fans. To be a real fan, it's not enough to just put on a pair of jeans with cowboy shoes, a shirt and a western hat and make a pilgrimage to a country festival. There's always something missing. Vero wouldn't think of dressing up like a western lady. And if she did, there would still be a striking difference between her and the other concertgoers: A true fan feels the music. He lives in that Marlboro Western world. He's excited by the wild, romantic atmosphere. He needs the smell of hot, overcooked chili in his nose. Nobody can fake that.
A real fan ...
To find out who really is a "real" fan, there is a simple test. Just check what music the person being tested listens to during the week. Which CD cases are next to the stereo and which cassettes are cluttering up the glove compartment?
At a country music festival, you don't stand out in Western clothes. It's only when you hit the streets in a country look that things get critical. I've noticed how many fans carry their hats in a plastic bag all the way to the front of the festival hall and don't put it on until they get to the festival hall. They don't dare to admit it in public. Only in the crowd of insiders do they start to dress up - and perhaps only because they would now stand out in "normal" clothes.
A true fan, on the other hand, will walk around in a Western look, even during the week. You will be able to recognize him, even on the street, by his style of dress - he stands by it!
What about your faith?
It's no problem to dress up piously every Sunday, go to church and put on a spiritual show even though in your heart it looks completely different. In the midst of all the other churchgoers, you may not even stand out - it may even be expected. During the week, however, not much of it will be noticeable.
Are you a Jesus fan in your everyday life as well?
Source Credit:
Content: Copyright Adrian Jaggi, adrian.jaggi [at] besj.ch (adrian[dot]jaggi[at]besj[dot]ch)
Cover: Clipart courtesy of buch+musik ejw-service gmbh, Stuttgart - www.ejw-buch.de
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