It’s not very often that you find a Christian Rock & Worship Band making waves in the city. Pearl Mathias speaks to founder and lead singer, Macklin Lacerda about their ongoing concert tour, The Last Words
Open Secret played their first concert in 2008, and they’ve only soared higher since. This time, the band puts together The Last Words, a theme that resonates with the passion of Jesus Christ in the weeks leading up to Easter. Along with Macklin on the lead vocals is Jeremiah D’silva on the guitar, Vivian D’souza playing bass, Stephen Frank on the keyboard, Jason Fernandes with percussion and Ian Enthiado on the drums. Having witnessed their soul-stirring performance, all we can say is, whether you believe in a higher power or not, we’re all in need for some love, and the beautifully strung-together music delivers just that.
What drove you to choose the ‘Seven Last Words from the Cross’ as your theme this Lent?
We had done three seasons of our original Lenten ‘concept’ concert ‘The Journey Home’, which was based on the Stations of the Cross. A meeting with
Fr. Savio de Sales, just a month back, when he called me about playing a gospel concert at his parish in Vakola on March 11, almost forced me to think up a new idea, a new theme. By the end of the night, I had decided to base the concert on the Seven Last Words from the Cross, a theme that has always intrigued me. By the next day, I thought ‘why not turn it into one big concert tour?’ We ended up with 11 concerts, all across Mumbai, all this month.
What have you experienced while preparing for the concert tour across the city?
A range of emotions. The spiritual, the supernatural. We have lots of people touched and in tears at our concerts. What they may not realise is that I live the entire concert, inside my head and heart, for days and days, until I am completely happy with the songs I choose or the entire progression of the evening. If a song, or the reason for that song, doesn’t reduce me to tears, or make me immensely happy, or give me peace — however great that song might sound, it doesn’t make it to the final set list. I also had to meet a number of priests and lay organisers, apart from raising our own team of volunteers and getting all the arrangements from our side in place. Challenging, draining, but worth every bit.
What is the aim of these tours?
Simple, to give people joy; to bring others peace; to help some forgive, forgive others, forgive themselves; to help them love again; to help some people truly live again. And all this, through helping people listen to that one voice that matters. Some call it their conscience. We prefer to call it the Voice of God.
What are you most excited about in the upcoming concerts?
It’s been a while since we’ve played a whole new set of songs on stage. And, we’ve also got a few new band members joining us. So that’s something to look forward to as well. Most of all, it’s just the joy of seeing people come to us at the end of the night with wet eyes and smiles on their faces. We’re halfway through the season, and the stories of lives changed and miracles experienced — at every concert — are coming in thick and fast. As always, it’s God who’s having the last word.
Head over to witness it
Today, 7.45pm at St. Andrew’s, Bandra
March 24, 6.45pm at St. Francis Xavier’s, Kanjurmarg
March 25, 7.15pm at St. Pius X, Mulund
March 28, 7pm at St. Joseph’s, Mira Road