A makeshift stage was set up in a dusty field on the prison grounds. Several rows of chairs were set up in front of the stage, and a huge set of bleachers sat behind these chairs, where hundreds of inmates were seated under heavy guard. There was a tall fence separating the bleachers from the chairs where we sat. (I went as a guest of my parents, who were invited because my dad preaches to prisoners at Christmastime.)

Harry walked out on stage in black pants and a shiny gray shirt (which all of his band members also wore). At first the inmates didn't show much enthusiasm. Harry Connick, Sr. is the district attorney of New Orleans who probably put half of the inmates in Angola. But Harry won them over with his personality and music. Unfortunately, I don't have his latest album so I was unfamiliar with the songs and I can't tell you the set list.

After a few numbers, Harry addressed the inmates, saying something along these lines: "I know that you know who I am and that you know what family I come from. But I want you to know that I've been praying for you, and the band has been praying for you, and we know that the only thing separating us is that you've come upon some harder times in your life. This is the last stop on our tour so we're going to try and make it the best." This greeting seemed to enliven the inmates somewhat. It was REALLY HOT outside, but Harry didn't seem to mind sweating it out with the rest of us.

After a few more songs, Harry stopped and introduced an inmate whose name escapes me, but he said something like: "I was here 8 months ago, and few people knew I was here except for the warden. I met this man and he changed the way I look at life. I hope I can be half the man he is in my own life. You know him and love him." He brought up a man and the inmates stood and cheered and applauded. The man said he had been paroled in June after spending 27 and 1/2 years in Angola and said that it was only by the grace of God that he had gotten out, since he had been sentenced to 75 years. He encouraged the inmates to stay on a righteous path so they might be able to walk through the door like he did if it is ever opened for them. He was a great speaker. Harry hugged him when he left the stage. Now the inmates were really fired up.

Harry asked if we had time for more music and the audience exploded. He was very attentive to the band, introducing them and praising their great talent, especially those from New Orleans. The highlight of the concert for me was when an inmate began dancing at his seat during a long instrumental number, and instead of making him sit down, the guards let him move down to the area in front of the bleachers so he could have more room. Everyone started applauding (inmates and the people in our group) and the warden walked him toward the stage. Harry was obviously surprised and delighted, jumping up from the piano to welcome him. He gave the inmate the stage and the man cut loose. All I could think was that here was a man in dirty jeans with a blue bandana on his head, perhaps old enough to be Harry's dad, who might have been there because of Harry's dad, who might be there for the rest of his life, who was singled out by the guards and his warden to dance on a stage backed by a big brass band, with the star of the show stepping aside to cheer him on, and how incredible this moment was. Harry then started dancing with him, trying to imitate his moves, and doing a fine job, even crawling through the man's legs at one point in some attempt at breakdancing with him. The crowd was going nuts, and it was a great site to see. I know none of us will ever forget it, especially this prisoner who might have felt for just a few minutes what it feels like to be free.

The concert ended, and Harry walked to the fence to talk to the inmates, no microphone in his hand, just a water bottle, and no entourage. He told them a joke and they laughed and applauded. There were also no media to be seen, so my impression was that Harry wasn't doing this for publicity. It seemed that he was just doing it to be nice.

There was a reception at the warden's house, where Harry showed up in an Angola t-shirt and said a few words. He said that he gets asked to do a lot of charity events but can't do them all, so he's chosen to concentrate on cancer charities because he's had a lot of cancer in his family. He said that after he spent time at Angola and met the inmate who "changed his life," he realized as a religious man himself what good a chapel would do there, and that he wanted to help in any small way that he could, and that he would even come back and do another concert if it would help. He then signed autographs and posed for pictures. I hung back and watched from a few feet away. I just sort of wanted to revel in the moment from a distance.

Overall, it was a great afternoon. I was more impressed by Harry's music, and more importantly, his humanity, than ever before. One elderly woman approached Harry on the steps of the warden's house and took both of his hands in hers, and he bent down to listen to her. She said, "My heart is overflowing with joy and love for what you did for those men today. I know that you changed some of their lives, and I thank you." I think she spoke for all of us.