Sunday, May 11, 2008

A chance to change the world



A couple of weeks ago I attended Waddell and Reed's President's Council meeting in Kansas City. (Sixth time) We work all day and then they try to entertain us at night. They have always tried to do different and interesting things. In the past we have gone to the Truman Museum, the College Basketball Hall of Fame, various fancy restaurants and the Kansas City World War I Museum. This time they took us to a Jon Bon Jovi concert at the newly completed Sprint Center Convention Center. The company owns an executive suite there which is like a hotel room with a kitchen and it opens out onto the concert venue. We had all kinds of food and drinks available and great seats to see the concert. Bon Jovi came along in the 80s so he's a little newer than my 70s rocker days and I was not familiar with his music. There must have been 35,000 people in the Sprint Center and they were all screaming when he came out. The music was so loud it was hard to really hear the melodies. Bon Jovi is a very talented singer and an incredible showman. He performed for all he was worth for two solid hours.

I couldn't help but notice the spell he had on all of the young people in the audience. He was clearly being adored by them. His show was pretty clean and his music mostly uplifting. I thought that with such a spell over his audience, he had the ability to send powerful messages to the youth of today. To avoid drinking and drugs, to live a chaste and virtuous life, to do good and to serve others. Of course he mentioned none of these things. Todays celebrities could do a lot to change the world with there example and there messages. I suspect that great entertainers like Bon Jovi would still attract big crowds and make millions, but the world of entertainment does not think that way.

2 comments:

Jesse said...

Ooooh. Cori will be so very jealous. He LOVES Bon Jovi.

I completely agree with you about celebrity power. People are inexplicably obsessed with celebutants, and the famous could do much more to influence good. They don't shy from the stage when they are promoting Earth Day, or Obama, but chastity? abstinence?

Glad the concert was good. That sounds like a totally lush pad they've got there. Oh the perks of corp. life. Honeywell has amazing seats at Dogers Stadium, 1st row 3rd base. Cori scored some tickets while we were in CA. Who did he take? The young men. Not me. He almost caught a foul ball. I told him he was jinxed to failure for leaving me behind...

Susy said...

Jeff
I was reading Jesse blog and found you. Very cool. I feel like I am a happening person having a blog. After all I turned 50 today and need to feel a little youthful. I don't get very many hits not even from my family. However I do like the journaling end of it and I love the book idea that Jesse has posted I will be doing that also.
I agree with you on the celebrity issues out there. Steve and I have raised Ry and Summer to look at these people the same way you stated, if they could only share a more positive lifestyle for the people who adore them. I am so happy that Summer has not gotten into that whole Hannah Montana "thing". The latest Disney marketing. It really is a pleasure to see her enjoying music that is somewhat inspirational and knowing her gift of singing is from the Lord. Hopefully this will continue.
Tell Marla I said hi. By the way the house looks great!
Susy