The Power of Music: Wisconsin performance

Last week I had a music experience in Door County that reminded me how powerful music can be to bring people together and to bring them out of their shells. A band I had never seen before, Grammy winners Terrance Simien and the Zydeco Experience, were in Martin Park in Sturgeon Bay for the Harmony By the Bay series.  Being a huge fan of New Orleans and Louisiana music in general, I was super jazzed to see some live zydeco.

From the start, Terrance came on stage with a huge and infectious grin and had the crowd, and especially the children, at the foot of the stage to catch the beads he was lofting into the crowd.

Door County audiences tend to be on the polite side, and are generally slow to get up and make live music a dance party, but by the end of the night, the children who were at first standing at the stage to collect beads started to sway, and then broke into interpretive dance moves.  It was so inspiring to see them blossom before my eyes and get into the groove.  We were all transported that night, and when Terrance asked the rest of the crowd to get on their feet, there was no hesitation.  I looked back and saw a mass of music lovers, all smiling ear to ear, up and dancing as one in the moonlight. Music has always been a powerful force in my life, and that night I was reminded of its power to bring strangers together and to bring people out of their shells. I don’t think anyone who was there will soon forget the zydeco experience of that night. Nor will they forget Terrance’s charm, talent, and warmth or the image of smiling children, loaded with beads, swaying to the music at the foot of the stage. We can’t forget, as we are reminded every time we look at the pile of beads we brought home from the show and smile at the memory. Here’s a little video clip of the power of Terrance’s voice, from one of the a cappella numbers, and the start of the kids transformation into dancing machines!  This is only one example of the power of music as it is felt throughout the peninsula.  Get out there and make some of your own memories this summer with live music in Door County!