You may have heard of
a musical routine, but have you ever heard of a music ritual? Both seem to mean a similar thing.
When something is routine, you do it over and over again. Rituals, as one author
puts it, are found in every human community; the word rite derives from a Greek
word meaning “a thing done” to achieve a specific end (Livingstone 98.) Yet how can a music be something so
liberating, and also be a ritual, when you follow certain
guidelines?
Although it may not be as clear-cut as that, (liberating vs. guidelines), there’s an interplay here between liberty and constraint, ritual and
improvisation, inherent in musical performances.
It’s almost undeniable that music is a powerful thing. David Laderman writes that for many people, the physical and
visual/sensory stimulations found in the music scene create a “sacred mix that
has the power to transform identity, offer revelations, and provide
liberation.” Bodily movement and proximity to others are found at music
festivals, and religious gatherings. Is circling around the Kaaba in Mecca
completely different than circling in a mosh pit at a metal concert? Yes, they
do have many differences. But they both use certain patterns of movement to achieve an
out-of-the-ordinary sensation, and a sense of community.
Many
have said they have a “spiritual experience” at
concert – but what do they mean by that? If we look at religious ritual,
which can be defined as “an agreed-on and formalized pattern of ceremonial
movements and verbal expressions carried out in a sacred context” (Livingstone 98), then we can see that the “sacred” is a key part in this experience. What
is the sacred? Deriving from Greek, it means to something set apart, away from
the mundane. And when do you ordinarily “sing and dance and groove with others
” in public, other than at a music
event (Laderman 32)? Or other than at church or a religious space? There is a specialness and sacredness in the newness, proximity to others, and routine that music and strictly religious rituals facilitate.
Where did I see this ritual the most? At the New York Sate
Fair. It seems like an unexpected place to find the sacred: I doubt many see
the divine among corndog and fried Oreo stands. But music and rituals were
everywhere. I turned one corner, and there’s a Iroquois Village. I sat and
watched people from numerous different tribes sing, play traditional drums, and
dance the Shadow Dance. This was different than the carnival ride; it was sacred. I could tell this was a mix
of music and ritual: I knew when to sit and applaud, and they knew when to
dance, turn, even in improvisation. It was without a doubt that this music had
a large tie to their heritage, while creating a sense of liberation from their everyday lives and community.
As I continued walking along the signs for ice cream and a
barn full of prized sheep, I also saw another example of how religion
influences the style of music. I heard a powerful Gospel band preaching and
praising the Lord, and hands were raised, Amens were said, heads nodded along.
But after the sun slipped over the horizon, I made way for
my religious ritual. I entered a closed off area: a space set apart and scared
from the rest. We all huddled and faced the front, knew when to sit for the
ballads, and stood up and jumped for the techno hits. I thought of the women
shouting for Jesus at the Gospel concert earlier, and I and hundreds of people
shouted our praise for Young the Giant. I wore a creamy fringe
top and a flower in my hair: a costume out of the ordinary for me, but strangely liberating. I
could be a part of a community of flower children, seeing a free concert and
rebelling against consumeristic people in their 40s – we were enclosed in our
special arena of good harmonies and smiling faces.
One Associated Press story said that the experience of
(crunk) music is “reminiscent of a religious experience” (Laderman 38). I’d
argue that it’s a deeply ingrained religious experience rather than just a lingering feeling. Music
involves a type of spontaneity because you never quite know what the set list
is, or who will be standing in your row, but you’re bound to belong, and know
when to sway and sing along. I saw at the State Fair that some musical rituals are easier to spot than
other, but I think religious rituals are aspects of many “life-changing” and
liberating musical performances.
The few churches, like Hillsong, that have adapted their ritualistic
processes to meet the current culture have been critiqued as having thin
theological practices and being opaque in their beliefs. Hillsong itself provides
a Christian rock concert vibe, and “In sensory stimulation, Hillsong’s
productions rival any other contemporary form of entertainment" (Paulson).
It is this ritual change that has not only drawn tens of thousands of people to
its churches around the world, but has enabled Hillsong to share other
Christian rituals with thousands of people who have never heard of God. In this
way, Hillsong’s ritualistic concert services have become a “prosperity movement
for the millennials” that have converted rock fans, hipsters, and celebrities,
like Justin Bieber, alike into Hillsong groupies and have brought relevance
back to Christian rituals (Paulsong). This freedom and love that Hillsong provides in its concerts has opened the world of Christianity back up to people seeking the "sacred source of religious life" in music that has been devoid of so many Christian churches of late (Laderman, 24).
