The Petra Zone

adpetrafan wrote: "It is pretty clear to me that he was there to support his daughters. It sure looks like he was not planning to sing this song. "

According to the article:
"The show will begin with the Grace Potter material, proceed to the family and Petra songs, and end with some hard-driving rock n roll, Heather Volz said."

It sure looks to me like they were planning this tune.

Let me just say that I feel they did a great job on GXV's solo tunes; always loved Mike Schmitz's writing - I even have his own solo CD. What GXV does or doesn't do on his own time is up to him, but if you still represent Petra/Classic Petra, you better be careful what you say -- and what you sing.

Now, I wasn't there, but it looks like Greg spontaneously got up on stage to sing with his daughters as they covered a Led Zeppelin tune in front of a crowd of like 20 people. I don't really see a problem with that. Especially since it looks to be in a bar setting. In my mind it's not that much different than John covering The Beatles and singing:

Well the Ukraine girls really knock me out
They leave the West behind
And Moscow girls make me sing and shout
That Georgia's always on my my my my my my my my my mind


And no, I'm not trying to fault John. I see no issue with either. Granted the Zeppelin lyrics are more, uh, suggestive but still.

It very much looks to me like Greg was just sort hanging out up there. Definitely was not singing lead by any stretch of the imagination and to some extent seemed unsure of himself through some of it, so no, I don't think this is what Sue is trying to make it out to be. Besides, it wasn't all that long ago that John got up with old band Head East and intentionally sang the lead on Get Up and Enjoy Yourself with lyrics as follows... (and yes, he sang it as written, with drinking and drug references intact.)

Well, you say you're out for a good time
And you won't be happy with nothin' else
Well, tonight's the night for a party
But you know we can't do it for ourselves

Only thing that I'm thinkin' is
It'd be better if you give us some help
So don't just sit there and fight it
Get up, get up and enjoy yourself

Get up, get up, get up
Get up and enjoy yourself
Get up, get up, get up
Get up and enjoy yourself

There you are, bottle in hand
With some good gold in your pocket
You came prepared and the time is right
So get up and let's see if you got it

So get up, get up, get up
Get up and enjoy yourself
Get up, get up, get up
Get up and enjoy yourself

'Cause I don't want you sittin' round, wonderin' what's goin' on
Cause I'm up here to entertain and that's the only game I play
So get yourself into the song and help yourself before we're gone
There's no time like now to get it up, yeah

There's no time like now to get it up, so

Get up, get up
Get up and enjoy yourself
Get up, get up, get up
Get up and enjoy yourself

Get up, get up, get
Get up and enjoy yourself
Get up, get up, get up
Get up and enjoy yourself

Get up, get up, get up
Get up and enjoy yourself
Get up, get up, get up
Get up and enjoy yourself

Get up, get up, get
Get up and enjoy yourself
Get up, get up, get up
Get up and enjoy yourself

So yeah, I'm thinking people living in glass houses probably shouldn't be throwing stones.

Well said Preacherman777!

looks like I missed a fun Volz show!

Preacherman777 wrote:It very much looks to me like Greg was just sort hanging out up there. Definitely was not singing lead by any stretch of the imagination and to some extent seemed unsure of himself through some of it, so no, I don't think this is what Sue is trying to make it out to be. Besides, it wasn't all that long ago that John got up with old band Head East and intentionally sang the lead on Get Up and Enjoy Yourself with lyrics as follows... (and yes, he sang it as written, with drinking and drug references intact.)

Well, you say you're out for a good time
And you won't be happy with nothin' else
Well, tonight's the night for a party
But you know we can't do it for ourselves

Only thing that I'm thinkin' is
It'd be better if you give us some help
So don't just sit there and fight it
Get up, get up and enjoy yourself

Get up, get up, get up
Get up and enjoy yourself
Get up, get up, get up
Get up and enjoy yourself

There you are, bottle in hand
With some good gold in your pocket
You came prepared and the time is right
So get up and let's see if you got it

So get up, get up, get up
Get up and enjoy yourself
Get up, get up, get up
Get up and enjoy yourself

'Cause I don't want you sittin' round, wonderin' what's goin' on
Cause I'm up here to entertain and that's the only game I play
So get yourself into the song and help yourself before we're gone
There's no time like now to get it up, yeah

There's no time like now to get it up, so

Get up, get up
Get up and enjoy yourself
Get up, get up, get up
Get up and enjoy yourself

Get up, get up, get
Get up and enjoy yourself
Get up, get up, get up
Get up and enjoy yourself

Get up, get up, get up
Get up and enjoy yourself
Get up, get up, get up
Get up and enjoy yourself

Get up, get up, get
Get up and enjoy yourself
Get up, get up, get up
Get up and enjoy yourself

So yeah, I'm thinking people living in glass houses probably shouldn't be throwing stones.

Yes, watched that video of John singing with Head East. I am by no means judging John (or Greg) but I have to admit that I was mildly disturbed when I saw the videos. I have always thought of Petra as the rock (no pun intended) in CCM a band with band members that have refused to compromise in any way shape or form. While some other acts in CCM have migrated to the mainstream somewhat with exposure on to secular media and audiences in order to gain a bigger audience using the excuse of "reaching the lost." I have always found Petra true to form. I realize that neither Greg singing in the video with his daughters or John and his mini reunion with Head East has nothing to do with Petra. I just find it odd and frankly a little disheartening. Please understand that I am not judging anyone I am just a little taken aback by this.

BTW I see that I am not the only one who noticed the length of the dress on one of Greg's daughter's right off the bat.

Dresses look fine to me. I'm really glad they weren't dressed like pentecostal women- those denim skirts look dumb to me, of course they probably look great to pentecostal folks.

Oh come on guys. John can't sing a song with some guys from Head East? Head East was bigger than Petra ever was, made a bigger impact on music as a whole, and John is part of that bands history. Why can't he be celebrated and honored for his musical contributions? They were not honoring his private life. They were honoring the BAND.

We are called to be salt and light. I can tell you from speaking with members of the current Head East band and mixing for the lead singer a time or two and his other band here in KC, that John made an impact on them. These guys respect Johns contribution and his voice. They know the history, and some respect John's contribution with Petra and his Christianity. One of the guys kind of made fun of it. To me, that was a compliment to John. John's faith has been shared in one form or another and they have been aware and even seen a difference in John's life. Now, if I am not mistaken, that is what a Christian should do. We are not to just live out our life and associate only with Christians. We are not to work only with Christians. We are not to talk only with Christians.

In my not so quite opinion, John made a huge statement. He showed up. He did his thing. He showed the crowd and the band that he has remained a Christian and has remained a new man. They all knew that John sang in Petra, one of the best bands in our click world. I am sure some people follow Petra just to hear John's voice. So...I don't see how this should bother anyone. It just makes no sense to me at all.

We don't live with our noses in the bible in a bubble.

rexreed wrote:Dresses look fine to me. I'm really glad they weren't dressed like pentecostal women- those denim skirts look dumb to me, of course they probably look great to pentecostal folks.

They look like hoochie momma dresses. A tad too short for my daughters to wear. If my wife were trying to get me in the mood, they would be fine.

prudes!

Once you have kids that grow up to be adults, you kind of look at hot girls in short skirts as your daughters, your daughter's friends, and that gets a little creepy.

brent wrote:Oh come on guys. John can't sing a song with some guys from Head East? Head East was bigger than Petra ever was, made a bigger impact on music as a whole, and John is part of that bands history. Why can't he be celebrated and honored for his musical contributions? They were not honoring his private life. They were honoring the BAND.

We are called to be salt and light. I can tell you from speaking with members of the current Head East band and mixing for the lead singer a time or two and his other band here in KC, that John made an impact on them. These guys respect Johns contribution and his voice. They know the history, and some respect John's contribution with Petra and his Christianity. One of the guys kind of made fun of it. To me, that was a compliment to John. John's faith has been shared in one form or another and they have been aware and even seen a difference in John's life. Now, if I am not mistaken, that is what a Christian should do. We are not to just live out our life and associate only with Christians. We are not to work only with Christians. We are not to talk only with Christians.

In my not so quite opinion, John made a huge statement. He showed up. He did his thing. He showed the crowd and the band that he has remained a Christian and has remained a new man. They all knew that John sang in Petra, one of the best bands in our click world. I am sure some people follow Petra just to hear John's voice. So...I don't see how this should bother anyone. It just makes no sense to me at all.

We don't live with our noses in the bible in a bubble.

You are right in what you are saying; What I've seen is most current/former members of Head East respect John as a Christian because he shows his true colors. John has been a true witness to them all.

brent wrote:Once you have kids that grow up to be adults, you kind of look at hot girls in short skirts as your daughters, your daughter's friends, and that gets a little creepy.

I have a daughter and I just can't ever imagine that I would ever support or be up on stage in a public setting like that with my daughter and too be honest with you anyone else's daughter for that matter. The dresses are a little short, but my main focus on this is the suggestive dancing and the lyrical content of the song; not until yesterday did I realize the content of the song and how degrading it is towards women. This video seriously made me sick, my stomach was turning all day because of it.

Preacherman, I KNEW you'd bring up John's song with Head East.

John thought long and hard before he agreed to attend this HALL OF FAME INDUCTION in Iowa. This wasn't one night at a bar; it was Head East being inducted into the Iowa Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, and the members of Head East, namely Roger Boyd, asked him to come and sing a few tunes with them. It was the FIRST and ONLY time John joined back up with the band, and it wasn't an easy decision to make.

"Bottle in hand" and "good gold" are the two references to drinking & snorting... we all know that's what John did back in the day.

But as Brent said, this was a song that JOHN wrote and recorded as Head East, singing it in a reunion with the band that HE helped put on the map - at an induction ceremony. That's why he did it.

I was there the night of that Induction, and the Head East current band members were VERY respectful, very welcoming and very well aware of John's past - and his present.

Heres where my thought process went after watching the video. I ran across a guy some years ago who obviously proclaimed to be a Christian. He wore Christian t-shirts, and had a homemade bumber on his pickup truck with the word Jesus Saves, and various Christian symbols carved into it. I had an opportunity to provide service to him, as a seller of frozen confections from a moving vehicle with a bell. He emerged from a house with a friend, intending to buy several of the same thing for the kids in the house. As he approached the vehicle with his friend, I noticed his tie-dyed Praise the Lord shirt. As he perused the menu deciding what to buy, what followed was profanity filled tirade about the products and the prices. There were f-bombs a plenty, and other vulgarities. The whole thing left me feeling disgusted and sick.
I want to be careful about the Greg video, because I don't know the greater context, but I did kind of get that same uneasy feeling.
As for the daughters and their attire. My personal feeling is that I don't have to be anything other than a Christian to find it inappropriate. And I'll admit that I'm two faced on that issue. If my wife could pull off that look, I'd have a hard time squelching the desire to have her go out in public like that. As a Christian father, I would not condone my daughter dressing like that, or doing that from a bar stage. I wouldn't kick her out of the house, but I wouldn't be there in support either.

On side note, I think this a good discussion to have as it gets deep into many facets of practical Christian living.