As promised, 'I Love Concerts' part deux ;o)
So Thursday I had kind of a shitty day. Nothing huge or earth shattering, just not that wonderful either Just shitty. And I felt like I really needed to do something . ANYTHING. just something INVOLVED. Participatory. Fun. Concert.
Luckily a friend of mine had mentioned earlier that he was going to see the Planet Smashers so I asked him if I could tag along, he said sure, so I met up with him and some of his friends.
Now I should say right off that the Planet Smashers are a ska band- one of the few ska bands I actually ever listened too, but that I kinda forgot that ska is usually grouped in with punk... so I turn up and I am by far the brightest person there (in my rainbow shirt, neon green hoodie and bright turquoise toque...), but I have decided not to let anything stop me from having fun. I decide I do not care if I stick out like a sore thumb. And I don't! Apparently sometimes 'just deciding' something actually works! Score one for me!
I quickly discovered that the Real McKenzies were opening (bagpipes! punk music with bagpipes! so good) met the friends of friends (who were of the the super-excited-about-live-shows persuasion- my favourite kind of folk), got a beer, and settled in near the bar (right in the middle of the highway to the bar in fact). The constant flow of people, was nice though instead of annoying or frustrating! Each and every person who bumped into me said sorry or smiled in apology. Someone would catch your eye while you were bopping your head to the music and randomly give you a huge smile or even a high five just in support of your enjoyment of the music. It was great! I had almost forgotten how friendly people are at punk shows, how exactly the opposite of the image they portray...
But what I had forgotten even more was how much I love the pit. For Planet Smashers we all decided to head up to the front and it was less than a second from when they picked up their instruments to when everyone went crazy. Skanking, moshing, crowd surfing... By the end of their set I was soaked from head to toe (Josh commenting: "you're sweating like me!"), smelled of other people, had a throbbing nose from getting elbowed in the face, bruised arms and knees, a throat raw from singing, ears that were ringing and toes that felt like they had been crushed to a pulp. I had been shoved around, lifted off my feet, half-lost a shoe, fallen over and been picked back up again... and I could not have been happier. Good bye shitty day, hello awesomeness.
This is when I understand why people look at me funny when I try to explain why I love concerts. I mean, it doesn't really sound like much fun when its written down in black and white like that... I get it. I get that, for all intents and purposes, getting trapped in a swarm like that seems like something that should be terrifying (especially for someone like me who grew up pretty petrified of crowds) but it just isn't. It never has been. Its always seemed strangely comforting (may even have been one of the main factors in helping me get over that fear)! There is something to be said for losing yourself in a crowd- a rambunctious, enthusiastic, singing, dancing, strangely kind and polite crowd- all doing the same thing, all working as one, all there to have fun and support everyone else's fun-having.
I had forgotten how much I love mosh pits. I had forgotten how much I love being in a position of complete trust with everyone around you (weird that eh? being bashed around by strangers, but knowing that the second anything bad happens ten of those same people will making sure you're ok...). The jumping, the getting lifted up off your feet, the getting dizzy and lost, then the surprise at being suddenly face to face with a friend, or even just someone you shared a high five with after an earlier song... All of those things, but most of all, best of all, the falling down- because you barely have time to realize you're on the floor before someone is lifting you back up.
Life should be more like that, life should be like a mosh pit- where its crazy and exciting and silly and kind, but most of all where complete strangers pick you up when you need a hand. Where you feel safe- even when you get elbowed in the face, where you feel respected- even when someone crashes into you, where you feel love- even when everyone is shouting at the top of their lungs...
Life should be a mosh pit. I'm tellin' you, it really should...
No comments:
Post a Comment