At some point in life, we all find ourselves in an emotional, quiet room, watching a slideshow of someone we loved, images flickering by, each one attempting to tell a story that words can’t always express. For Lance Brewer, that moment came unexpectedly at a close friend’s memorial service. As he watched the slideshow unfold, the reality struck him: A whole life, summarized in photographs. It left him reflecting: Did they capture everything? Can they ever? How could they possibly capture the secrets whispered in solidarity, the emotional days spent on the floor, and the late-night moments when the phones were off?
That question lingered with him long after the final frame faded, and everyone left with heavy hearts. He went home, let his emotions spill onto paper, and over time, The Last Slideshow began to take shape — a deeply emotional song that has since become a subtle anthem for loss, memory, and faith.
A Voice Outside the Industry
Lance isn’t a typical musician. He’s a writer, a former lawyer, and an Alaskan bush pilot, someone who’s followed an unconventional path with an artist’s heart. In 2018, he released a memoir, Back Story Alaska, documenting his transformation from an attorney in Southern California to a man immersed in the wild rhythms of the Alaskan wilderness. That book closed each chapter with a poem, offering small windows into his inner world. Those poems, he says, always felt like songs waiting to be heard.
That instinct carried over into The Last Slideshow. With no formal ties to the music industry, Lance wasn’t constrained by industry norms or formulas. What he created instead is a song free of pretense, honest, vulnerable, and full of feeling. “When you sell art, there’s no persuading,” he says. “The person either feels it or they don’t.”
A Song Meant for Moments That Matter
What sets The Last Slideshow apart isn’t just its origin; it’s the quiet power it holds for those in grief. With its gentle melody and lyrics rooted in lived experience, the song doesn’t attempt to overshadow sorrow; it simply sits with it. It acknowledges the ache of goodbye while offering something rare at such times: peace.
There’s a spiritual undertone running through the track, a belief that, in the end, “you’ll land in God’s hands.” It’s a farewell message, not just from one life to another, but from this life to the next. The kind of song that doesn’t just play in the background, it lingers with you long after the last note fades.
More Than Music, A Personal Benediction
When asked what he hopes the song becomes, Lance doesn’t hesitate. “This is what I’d want played when it’s my turn,” he says. The Last Slideshow is, in many ways, his own goodbye written in advance — not morbid, but tender. Not fearful, but full of faith.
And for anyone navigating their own difficult goodbye, this song offers more than a soundtrack. It provides understanding. It expresses what so many want to say but can’t quite put into words. In a world that often rushes through grief, defined by photos, The Last Slideshow encourages people to pause, reflect, and remember.
You can find “The Last Slideshow” by searching the title and the name of the artist, Lance Brewer, on Spotify, Amazon Music, YouTube, Pandora, Deezer, Tidal, or Boomplay, or at the following link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9cIu1W0mtkM
