I used to be a scene kid when I was younger; I always used
to go to concerts and shows[1],
knew all the local bands, I was always on ‘the scene.’ However as I got older I went to less shows,
less concerts, and before I knew it, the only time I saw a band was if the bar
I was going to on the weekend had a cover band on the docket. Don’t get me wrong, I am a sucker for a good
cover band, but I began to forget what it felt to be a part of something bigger;
a feeling that only a good live show could give you.
As was mentioned in a previous blog[2],
I went to an amazing concert (Brand New) during the summer in which it transcended me to a completely different
place. A serene moment where everything made sense and nothing else mattered but where I was at the moment. That is the power of good
music, it transcends you. Several weeks ago, on a rainy and
otherwise dull Saturday, I went to Jones Beach with a bunch of my friends to
see The Gaslight Anthem and Jimmy Eat World.
Yes, THAT Jimmy Eat World. I am a
huge Gaslight fan, and have seen them several times before, but Jimmy Eat World
was a band from my youth that I have never had the chance to see live. Despite our tickets all being for different
sections, the rain kept a lot of people away and our group of 5 was able to sit
with each other. The first band, Against
Me!, came and went, pumping the arena with an energy that only a punk rock band
can bring. Then, almost immediately
after, came Jimmy.
Now I should pause and preface with how, while I was looking
forward to the concert in advance, that day I was not feeling good and had a
lot of work at home to do which was making me cranky.
But, the minute Jimmy hit the stage and started singing ‘Sweetness,’
my mood was completely uplifted. Every
note he hit, every word he sang, hit me like a ton of bricks.
There is no better feeling than being in the middle of a
concert listening to a band sing all the words you wished you penned, and being in a stadium surrounded by people who just get it. Something about live music hitting your soul
. . . It can absolve all your sins, wash away all your worry, and put all
chronic nagging of bad days to bed. I
forgot how seeing a good band live can make you drown in positive energy and
make you feel infinite. How listening to
a band live and feeding off the energy of the room can make you feel like you
are exactly where you are meant to be at the exact time you are meant to be
there, with people who feel the same way.
It always surprises me when I lose myself for a minute, but then I come
back to things I thought I outgrew and I find myself again. There are some events that hit you like a
phenomenon, making you rethink your purpose in life, making you realize how
utterly small you are in an unforgiving and indifferent universe, and how
comforting that feeling is. Being
immersed in live music by a band I love does that for me. It makes me realize how the world is forever
changing in an unapologetic way, and how I should cherish any moment that makes
time just stop. So whenever I feel I am
getting lost, I can just turn on a song from my past and relish in the times I’ve
lost myself in the moment at concerts.
And for that, I will forever be a free spirit.
