What I’m about to say has the potential to make us enemies for life.
I saw U2 twice in the last two months. Twice. Are we good? Awesome.
While I really loved the show, it wasn’t the show itself that mesmerized me the most.
Yes, the rotating expanding screen was amazing. The light show was second to none. I’ll bet the stage design even gave George Lucas new ideas.
The songs, the sound, the delivery – best I’ve ever seen.
I’m not here to draw parallels between U2 music and worship music. We already know that. Well, they basically invented worship music. (Can you hear the chiming guitar delay and epic, tenor vocal?)
I’m not here to say U2 is the biggest band in the world. We know that too.
I’m not here to say you should build a tribe as big as U2 with your worship band. I don’t think that’s even possible.
But what struck me the most? The fans. It was actually scary reminiscent of a worship service.
Hands in the air.
Tears.
Dancing.
Shouting.
Even creepy charismatic hand motions were present.
In light of my people watching, I gleaned a few insights as a worship leader.
5 Worship Lessons From U2
1. Point People Beyond Yourself
I understand that a U2 concert is all about…U2. But Bono did an incredible job of drawing attention to a few global initiatives and social justice causes around the world.
As a worship leader/artist/songwriter myself, I need to be constantly reminded that my role has nothing to do with me. I’m simply drawing attention to someone greater.
2. Know Your Musical Place
It probably has to do with the 40+ years these guys have been playing music together, but the musical chemistry was unbelievable. Each member of the band knows their place as part of the whole.
Larry Mullen doesn’t even hit his drums that hard. Adam Clayton plays simple, yet incredible precise patters on his bass. The Edge, well, doesn’t need an explanation.
Worship teams need to focus more on what they don’t play than what they actually play. In our quest for deeper creativity, we can’t lose sight of what “works” for the congregation. Always serve the song. Serve the lead vocal. Submit to what a song needs and don’t clutter it up.
3. Relate To Each Audience In A Unique Way
While the two concerts I attended had a lot of similarities, there were 4-5 songs that were different. At this last show, Bono also related to Pittsburgh in a unique way. I didn’t realize this, but the closing song “Bad” was written about someone in Pittsburgh. Epic.
If you’re like me, you lead worship for 3 (or more) services per weekend. In all honesty, it’s not really that hard. Especially if you play by the book. Know your songs, activate auto-pilot, and plow through.
But great worship leaders don’t do that. They anticipate a fresh move of the Holy Spirit every time. They connect with each audience in a unique way.
4. Prepare For the Spontaneous
Most of what U2 did was scripted, rehearsed, predictable. But far from sounding “mechanical”. There were key moments where Bono improvised and breathed fresh life into songs.
Don’t leave your spontaneous moments up to chance. Teach your band how to flow. Prepare them to be led by the Holy Spirit in the moment.
5. Put Your Heart On Display…Every Time
How can these guys continue to perform the same songs over and over for 30+ years and be so into it? It’s insane. My band and I complain about certain songs after singing them for two weekends. U2 performed like it was their final concert, holding nothing back.
Worship leader, let me challenge you. Every time you lead, pour your heart out to God. Serve your congregation with passion.
And while you’re at it, enjoy a U2 concert. Simply amazing.
Question: What worship lessons have you learned from other bands? You can leave a comment by clicking here.
no personal worship leader things to share. I was a worship leader in another life, years ago…..
but I think you make an important observation here. It’s amazing what we can learn about “doing ministry” when we step outside of our ministry circles. I know U2 sort of blurs the line between religious and secular. But to step out of a church setting and experience some other things can teach us tons about people and leading them.
It’s true. Bono didn’t just entertain people (which he did), he seemed to provide leadership – pointing our attention to something great than ourselves or even their band. It was special.
You know what they say…you haven’t lived till you’ve been to a U2 concert! lol.
Slap that one on to my bucket list!
There is only one thing I can think of that I’ve learned from other bands.
Jeff Deyo (it that counts as a band)
I remember him saying that he doesn’t like to use the term Worship Leader…but, Lead Worshiper. and that stuck with me.
We just had Jeff at our church a couple months ago. That guy lives his worship. Love his passion for Jesus.
Jeff Deyo is legit. The original sonicflood is where it’s at.
Oh man…i still hear the original sonicflood in my car all the time….
Classic!
“Every time you lead, pour your heart out to God. ”
This really resonated with me. It’s tempting to turn on the auto-pilot, especially when you aren’t feeling spiritually “fresh.” It’s something I feel challenged by often.
Do you do anything in particular when you’re tempted to just go auto-pilot? That could be an interesting discussion – how to lead worship when you’re not feeling it.
I usually try to lock myself in my office for 5 minutes to remedy what I’m feeling (or not feeling). Usually words like, “OK, God, I’m not feeling this at all. I’m hoping that by just being open and honest with you about how I feel and expressing my desperation for you to intervene will help out” come out in frantic babbling.
I’d be interested in hearing some other thoughts on that as well.
I think I’ll put together a post on this one 🙂
Totally agree! And one thing about U2 is that they connect. They are not up there for themselves…they are their for the crowd.
Same thing applies for worship. Although we are not there “for the crowds”, we are there to connect with them and lead them in worship to God. It is all about bringing honor and glory to Jesus!
Well said, Brandon!
You are a lucky man, sir. Twice on the same tour is crazy and I’m jealous. As in like breaking the 10th Commandment kind of jealous. Forgive me…
Thanks for your thoughts. You always have a great way of unpacking your experiences and bringing us in. I wrote about my post U2 awe after I saw them in Seattle.
http://www.calebdelamont.ca/?p=44
“Relate to each audience in a unique way”. I like that one. That was a lesson that took me a while to learn when I was starting out. I’d think, “this is how I lead worship, why aren’t they coming with me?” I wasn’t taking the time to discern how to serve THEM best. Good stuff man.
Caleb
That would probably be a good post idea – how to discern what a congregation needs – how to “read” them. I’ve led worship services where I felt my entire set just wasn’t the right set for that particular crowd, you know? Any thoughts?
It’s always embarrassing when you do a new song that really resonates with you, but everyone else is just staring at the stage wondering what is going on. I’ve also pulled out spontaneous songs that I was certain I was hearing from God about and turned out to be a complete bust.
Usually when those things happen, I just do my best to get through the service. Then afterwards, I evaluate things with my pastor and try to determine what went wrong and how I could’ve done things better.
I felt it most when I switched church denominations and sizes when I started at my current job 2 years ago. I had to do some unlearning of how I had programmed myself and then stop introducing new songs, learn the songs they already new and liked, and then together we moved forward. Takes some patience, humility, and perspective. Certainly worth writing a dedicated post on. I look forward to seeing where you take it.
“learn the songs they already new and liked, and then together we moved forward”.
Great insight there. I think there is a fundamental difference between a concert band performing and worship leading. I think sometimes our criteria should be more like ‘what can I do to increase participation by this group – to help them to sing their own worship?’ Many of the things David mentions are helpful for that, such as serve the song, try to read the moment to be spontaneous, etc. I also think our lyrics many times need attention, because our lyrics point to ourselves far more than we realize. That’s another topic and a favorite one of mine!
@Mark It seems like good insight now as I look back but at the time I think I had my head in the sand. 🙂
Great points David. I went to a Coldplay concert a couple years back here in Dallas. You’re right…as amazing as the show is…the crowd is most captivating. People want to worship. People love to worship.
We need to show them the most fulfilling kind of worship.
Totally, man. I went to see Coldplay last year and it was a similar experience. People are mesmerized by greatness.