From:

This was my 3rd PK concert this year, and my first time attended a guitar clinic by Phil. How I got to the clinic, was quite an accidental. A friend of mine, who is a Rich Mullins and Randy Stonehill fan, and his wife were planning to go with me for the 3 hours drive to the concert, which started at 7PM. But they cancelled it at the last minute since the house that they were selling got sold, and they need to leave it by this week.

So Saturday morning the called me and told me they're not coming. I then checked church website to get their location. My eyes were wide to see they actually were having a guitar clinic at 2PM. I was not sure if the clinic was for public or not, and it was already 11.30 AM. But then I thought, I don't have anything to loose, and I don't have anyone going with me. So I grab a book in case the clinic was not for public and I had to kill time. I jumped to my car, and within 5 minutes I was in the interstate, driving as fast as I could to make it to the clinic. I made it to the town in record time, considering I also got lost twice trying to find the street to the church. I ran into the church building like a mad man, and ask if there's a clinic. The lady said that Phil was late, and they just started 10 minutes ago. So I bought the ticket for the clinic, which literally cost me all the money I had with me at that time ($10) since I didn't have a chance to stop for ATM.

It was one of the coolest experience. Phil was so relaxed and got asked a lot of questions. I was quite happy to see there are a lot of young people and teens in the crowd, and most of them have never seen Phil before. Phil showed us his gear and play all kind of things, and I literally saw a lot of jaw dropped. It's so cool.

At one point, someone asked how many layers he could put into the Jamman. Phil answered "I don't know, let's try it". And he started to put some simple stuff, and added layers to it while counting everytime he put new layers. Everyone was just laughing and amazed. When he's up to 9 or so count, he did some sort of scat-singing into his guitar sound-hole, and after a bit more of jamming with now a complicated but cool rhythm, he just stopped and say "I guess you can go on forever".

After the clinic he hung around a while and people got his autograph. The only thing I regretted is that I did not bring my guitar with me so that he could have signed it. I did run to the lobby, grabbed a copy of Hourglass, and had him sign it, which is pretty cool. I asked him a bit about the coming AS II. He said he didn't even use the Jamman for that one, just the Line 6 DL 4. A lot of people were talking to him, but from the way he responded and stuff, I can see what a great guy he is, and very humble also. it may sounds silly, but this was the first time I see Phil Keaggy in a personal sorta way, whom is my musical hero, so I thought it was pretty darn cool.

Some more observations, Phil had his berret this time (I didn't wear it in the last concert photos posted in this list). He also commented a bit about doing recording with POD, and about CCM. He commented that he is not a CCM artist, but a musician of the Lord (or something to that effect).

As usual, the concert it self was just overwhelmingly amazing and good. The only new song that I've never heard before is "Dream Again", that I think he said he just wrote it recently. It kinda talked about his freedom from his label and everything, and that he can dream again to create his music, I think. He started of with Tennesse Morning, and he said that he almost overslept for the concert since he didn't hear his alarm. This is one of the rare ocassion that I saw Phil missed hitting his Jamman, and then commented afterward that this was "music to wake up to". After that, he rocked out with True Believer.

He changed to a Taylor guitar somewhere midway, and asking permission/apologizing to the guitar because he had to put duct tape on it for his pick. It was pretty funny. He sang "You Whisper Something", and it sounded really good, although missing the harmonies of GH. Phil played Reunion of Friends, Hold Me Jesus, Happy Anniversary ( a song he wrote for Bernadette on their last anniversary), She's AOK on [the] Taylor. I can't tell what type of Taylor though.

When he switched the guitar, he took a minute or two to adjust stuff (mostly the mic/pickup balance), and then said something like "it's like driving a new car, you can't just hit the freeway right away"..

After a big round of a standing applause (he got that many times during the concert), he ended the concert by asking everyone to sing "Nothing but the Blood" with him while standing, and then "I Love You Lord.". The concert lasted about 2 hrs without intermission, and I left for another 3 hour driving back, accompanied by the new Hourglass CD cranked up in the car.

Reuben D. Budiardja

Reuben D. Budiardja
Department of Physics and Astronomy
The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN

Photos courtesy Paul Hardy. Used with permission.

Page Last Updated: February 24, 2004