Sanctus Real blog: Upstage is the New Backseat

This is our stage plot.

Whenever we book a concert, the sound company gets a copy of this in advance so they can prepare the stage. Stage direction is confusing by the way. I always assumed upstage meant front and center. It sounds show-offy. However now that it’s occupational jargon, so to speak, I’ve learned it’s the opposite. It’s the back of the stage. When you upstage someone, it apparently means you’re sending the poor schlep to stand behind you…upstage. You can see from the photo above that Mark and I are positioned upstage. We’re the winners of the schlep contest.
It took a couple years for “upstage right” to roll off my tongue naturally. Not because I didn’t like the position, but like I said, stage direction is confusing. I kept forgetting what to say. I’d either make something up…“place this gear leftstage out” or “jibberstagedownrightmumble. Thanks!” Or I’d defer having stagehands place my gear altogether. I had to counter-acted my rookie moves by showing of mad cable-wrapping skills. Over/Under. Figure 8. Aint no thang.

The point I’m somehow trying to draw here is that I really like being upstage. It’s the backseat of the minivan. I’m not driving, but I’m still along for the ride and get to look out the same windows. I appreciate this vantage point and what makes it unique is that I have a great view of inside the car. Here I am, sitting backseat window, watching it all go down. The stories. The landmarks. The conversations. I get to document the whole crazy trip. It will make this blog unique.

So hopefully that explains “an upstage view…” a little better. As this blog is not just an upstage view of Sanctus Real, but “…of the Christian life,” I’ll probably talk about other things from the BP’s perspective too. We travel this entire continental USofA and the postmodern church is our audience. There is plenty to write about…both meaningful and funny. And the physical act of writing helps me glean from my experiences. So it’s good for me too. When the minivan is parked though and we’re not having an adventure, I’ll write about something else. Maybe I’ll take a motorbike trip, or bore you with a photo diary of roasting coffee. Who knows.