Meditating with Miguel at SXSW

By Daniel Richter
Web Content Contributor

The Big Quiet and Michelob Pure Gold teamed up with Grammy Award winning artist Miguel as well as Bishop Briggs and Cautious Clay to bring a little zen to South by Southwest outside at the Long Center for the Performing Arts.

If you have ever been in Austin during South by Southwest, you know that the city is incredibly active. At times, it can be hard to hear yourself think with all the vendors hollering trying to get your attention.

That’s why The Big Quiet, a group that performers mass mediation sessions at places such as Madison Square Garden and Fenway Park, decided to give 2,000 lucky individuals a chance to come together at sunset and take a moment to relax and breath.

After waiting in a line for well over an hour, I was fortunate enough to be one of those 2,000 individuals.

Once all of us got into the performance area, we took our seats and were encouraged to get to know our neighbors. This brought the crowd much closer together before the meditation was to begin.

The meditation session began as the sun was setting behind the cloudy sky. What felt like 10 minutes of peace turned out to be over half an hour. Collectively, we thought through our struggles and what we are fortunate for as we hummed and harmonized. We also took part in a moment of silence that gave everyone a chance to focus on themselves instead all the distractions around them.

After the moment of silence everyone was relaxed and ready for the performances to begin. The performers took the stage and performed original versions of some of their most popular songs with a string ensemble accompanying them. In between songs, Miguel emphasized the importance of loving yourself and those around you.

After the performances ended, staff rolled out coolers with enough Michelob ULTRA Pure Gold for everyone to have as much as they wanted. I am glad the event coordinators waited to hand out the alcohol until after the meditation session and performances ended so that the attendants were able to get the full show experience without the distractions.

DJ Captain Planet took the stage as the crowd enjoyed their drinks on the open lawn after the sun had completely set. Food trucks were also present for those who were hungry.

It was beautiful to see a crowd of like-minded people peacefully come together and enjoy an event that allowed us to better ourselves and listen to once in a lifetime performances. We can only hope that they decide to bring this event back next year.

Featured image by Daniel Richter.