Brandon Twp. — It would be no surprise to Emily Jordan that next Sunday’s hard rocking concert is considered a celebration of life. Emily, who died in a tragic swingset collapse last year, loved music.
Her family is holding a Christian rock festival in her memory at 5 p.m. Nov. 16 at the Brandon High School Performing Arts Center, located at 1025 S. Ortonville Road in Ortonville. Headlining the concert is the band “Pillar”, whose album “Fireproof” won R&R Magazine’s Rock Record of the Year award, with the title track remaining No. One for 11 weeks straight on Billboard’s Heatseeker chart. The bands “Disciple”, “Spoken”, and “Kids in the Way” are also part of the Underground Uprising Tour, which will head for Chicago and continue on a world tour through Germany, Italy, Australia and New Zealand before appearing in America’s notorious Cornerstone festival.
“Emily would really love to be at this concert,” said her father, Mike Jordan, a Brandon coach. “Music was really fun for her, and it can reach out to people in so many ways.”
While it may seem unorthodox to remember a little girl’s life with screaming guitars and aggressive vocals, Emily’s life exuded the Christian spirit.
“She talked to a lot of other kids her age about being a Christian,” said Mike. “She knew where she stood with the Lord, and was happy when her friends accepted Christ. We’re hoping because of her desire to be a great Christian, the concert will draw people into the same situation.”
Emily and Mike shared many of the same tastes.
“She always listened to the same music I have,” said Mike, recalling how Emily played the same Toby Mac (DC Talk) CD every morning on the way to school. “She picked up the lyrics pretty quick,” he said.
The reduced-price tickets are made possible through donations that poured in from around the country after Emily’s death. Although the funds have also been distributed to the Groveland-Ortonville-Brandon gymnastics program, Belle Ann field trips, craft projects, church camp and dance programs, Mike considers the concert a vital extension of his daughter’s faith.
The memory of Emily is both healing and painful for her family.
“It’s a very traumatic and sudden thing when your child is so happy and alive and vibrant, and a minute or two later, they’re dead,” said Mike slowly, rubbing his hand across his chin. “It’s worse than anything you can face on earth. I would gladly trade places with her.”
“I want parents to tell their kids they love them as much as they can, and always strive to be better parents, better husbands, wives, mothers, sisters.”
And Mike wants his family’s tragedy to radically change others’ lives—for good—starting with Sunday’s concert.
“This is not really being done as a ‘feel good’ type of thing,” Mike said. We prayed a lot—my wife and I and our 5-year-old daughter Katie—and this is kind of what was laid on our hearts.”

Bands: Pillar, Disciple, Spoken, Kids in the Way
When: 5 p.m. Nov. 16
Where: BHS Performing Arts Center
Advance tickets: $16 general admission, $10 group, (800) 965-9324 or www.iTICKETS.com
Who: All ages welcome, including families
Details:(248 627-4012 thunderbolt52@msn.com