"Jesus Wept"
John 11:35
Image courtesy of https://unsplash.com/@mercedesalvarez
I get it, I really get it—coming from Scotland, there’s often this unspoken idea that men, especially the “macho” kind who toss cabers, wear kilts and model themselves as Braveheart, aren’t supposed to cry at concerts. It’s like we’re expected to keep an emotion free zone like the antitheses of that Edvard Munch painting were all emotion turns to liquid , no matter how deeply something moves us. But sometimes, music just bypasses all that and hits straight at the heart, whether we like it or not.
I happen to get one of those feeds from YouTube at the weekend. It was an André Rieu concert where a young girl sang Voilà beautifully whilst many in the audience cried —and many at home who got the same feed, I guess.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KdIhq1tb8Co
I also get the same emotional reaction when I listen to Runrig’s The Cutter where they sing of the pain of migration.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SRphquolhkQ&t=8s
There are moments when a certain song connects me with something personal—a memory or feeling you don’t usually talk about—and suddenly, the thunderstorm of emotions pours out like the antitheses of that Edvard Munch painting. For me, it’s also about how music touches something spiritual. There’s a depth in certain performances that stirs the soul, and no matter how tough you think you are; those moments can break through and make you feel exposed in the best way. It’s about realizing that strength and vulnerability aren’t opposites after all.
Even if you’ve been raised with this idea that men should hold it together, music can bring those emotions out in unexpected ways. It’s not always about crying openly, but maybe you feel a lump in your throat, or your eyes well up before you can push it back down.
And honestly, sometimes the music is just that powerful. When you’re standing there, surrounded by sound, seeing the raw energy and emotion in the performance, it’s hard not to feel something. Even if you’ve always told yourself that men aren’t supposed to be vulnerable like that, music has a way of reaching those places you normally keep locked away.
Does that idea of me keeping it together ever hold me back from fully experiencing those emotions? Never! Its good to be vulnerable