As Dan Reed worked his way through his set in Glasgow you could tell
that there is something special about the man.
Here was someone who had commanded stadium stages, played
with the likes of The Rolling Stones, won awards and sold albums wherever he
went, and then stepped away from it all as he didn't feel fulfilled by the life
he found himself living.
Then he carved out a very successful business as a club
owner before ultimately coming to the conclusion that what he was looking for
was something more spiritually rewarding.
So he simply walked away from the day to day running of that
to.
A year in Tibet
living in a monastery followed, then some time in India ,
before settling in Jerusalem
for a period prior to then returning to the western world naturally reinvented/rejuvenated
by his experiences.
And now in the present you can see and hear the culmination
of his experiences in everything he does.
There’s calmness and a positive vibe that spreads outwards
from him and warmly embraces those attending the show hosted by ‘Events for
Charities.’
It is actually difficult to convey to a reader what the
experience was like as words often fail to describe an emotional state of
being.
We can dip into a thesaurus, stretch our own vocabulary to
its limit and yet still fall far short of being able to effectively describe a
feeling.
He makes you think, re-evaluate your own life even, feel
something, and he can do that without preaching or being overtly obvious about
it.
There was no specific religious message pushed and instead he
just engages.
Personal anecdotes were shared alongside personal thanks to
individuals and dedications to those he had met on previous visits to the city.
Together they allowed a connection to be made.
And for those who have not experienced a Dan Reed
performance over the last few years it may be difficult to understand how powerfully
attractive and evocative the communal event is in reality.
There’s a great sense of people coming together in a way
that religion often is falling to deliver in the modern age.
Everyone is inclusively welcomed and the barriers are down.
How often as music lovers do we go to a show and leave not
just feeling entertained, but also feeling better about themselves and others
in the world?
The answer is not very often.
So the ability to do that has to be applauded, maybe even
cherished as it is so unique.
In fact right now it has just hit me.
What Dan is promoting by example is hope.
That’s where the attraction lies.
He is showing us an internal path that we can walk down if
we so choose.
A path that will take us to a better place and in how he
carries himself he also highlights that it is achievable.
We can all be Dan Reed if we want to be, but there is maybe
the crux of a problem.
Do we want to be?
Maybe many of us just aren't there yet, but that’s okay as
it doesn't mean we can’t start making moves to improve as people in general,
and who could argue that we as humans haven’t got very many areas we could make
improvements in.
But as long as we set foot on the path it probably doesn't
matter where we are on it as long as the intent to move forward is there.
For myself I will happily admit that on the way home after
the show the world looked slightly different, slightly better, and there is
power in being able to change perceptions of our surroundings like that.
A great deal of power, but thankfully Dan is using it for
the greater good.
Is he charismatic? He most definitely is.
Is he talented? Without a shadow of a doubt he is.
But that’s not the appeal.
He’s human and striving to be the best person he can be, and
therein lays the magic I suppose.
Best show of the year?
Time will tell, but right now it is the one that holds a great
deal of transforming power to it.
Dan Reed CDs are currently stocked in NHC Music in Glasgow with his forthcoming new release 'Transmission' available for pre order.
Out March 1st.
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