Unexpected

Sundance is best experienced when you embrace the unexpected. The best-unexpected moment thus far - Damien Rice. I had no idea he would be here, but the music café on Main St. is known to bring in some big names. And this year, it certainly delivered.
As the sun went down and the air got significantly colder, (thank God I wore double wool socks) hundreds of people packed into a tent at the bottom of the Main St. hill. I sat outside for 45 cold minutes, not able to visibly catch the first few songs. But the line pushed in and I experienced Rice in all his glory. It was just him and his guitar, but he had little trouble filling the space with passion and intensity. He played mostly songs from his early record, (which I was happy about) and told funny anecdotes in between. It was charming.
But his closing song is what will stick with me for a long while. Beginning with a heartfelt rendition of his own Cold Water, Rice flowed into a cover of Hallelujah. He slowed it down and belted out the first three verses of the Buckley tune, in a moving fashion. It was inspirational and borderline spiritual, especially when the whole audience joined into the chorus of Hallelujah. I closed my eyes, in a beautiful unison of voices, and smiled. Unexpected, overjoyed.
So it goes at Sundance.