Whiplash: Heavy Metal Accident

One of my favorite Road stories involves a young minister back in 1993:  Jeremy was a ministerial student at the college four-fifths of the band members attended.  One of Narrow Road's first gigs as a complete band was at a church called Needs Creek - at that time stuck smack-dab in the middle of nowhere within a tiny country town.

We were stoked to play and the place was packed.  It truly was amazing how many teens came out of the woodwork that evening.  With it being one of our first "official" gigs as a full band, and being that the crowd was just as happy to be there as we were, the adrenaline surged through us much the same as the electricity did through the amps.

 Running on faith and pure adrenaline:

Narrow Road @ Needs Creek Church, 1993

We were a far cry from a heavy metal band, though we had plenty of full-throttle rockers in our set (and, yes, one could "headbang" to them as witnessed in the vid above).

The concert went off without a hitch:  We came; they saw; we all conquered the night!  Being in a rock band, we were used to moving around a bit while performing, doing "windmills" while playing guitar or even "headbanging" to a tune.  It was second nature to us.

So the following morning after the gig, I walked inside the college cafeteria and caught sight of my minister-friend, Jeremy.  I noticed he didn't look one-hundred-percent.  In fact, his hobbling along and hunched over back, coupled with his five-foot-five frame, made him resemble that of an elderly, arthritic man.

"Hey, Jeremy, how's it going?" I inquired.

He could scarcely move; his body was stiff as a board.  "Oh, not so good!" He exclaimed while holding onto his neck.

"Why?  What happened?  Are you okay?"  I was actually worried a bit about whatever condition he was in.

"I was at your concert last night...  It was my first time to headbang..." He replied.   

I was perplexed.  "First time to headbang?  You mean first time headbanging at one of our concerts?"

"No, ever... It was my first time to ever headbang.  I can barely move my neck!"

I really felt bad for him now as well as partially responsible for his traumatic state.  "I'm so sorry, Jeremy... I feel horrible!"

"Don't!" He interrupted.  "I had the time of my life!"  And in spite of his decrepit state, he grinned.

I couldn't help but smile as well, thinking about this young minister headbanging... Having the time of his life!

Amen.

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- K -