I went to a concert last week. A rock concert. It was in a large hall that had at one time been used for basketball and other indoor sports. About half the crowd sat on the one side of bleachers that had been set up. The rest of us were on the floor, crowding toward the band like…well, like people do at concerts. It was very hot and very humid and smelled like an old gym with a hint of Unwashed Concertgoer (Eau De Arena).
The performer was Ben Folds, and he was terrific. I’ve seen him several times over the years, and it was pleasing to see that his performance skills were still top notch. And he was as goofy and charismatic as ever. Several songs involved band members and other wearing enormous yellow frown heads (think of the yellow smiley face, and turn that bad boy upside down). He still doesn’t have a guitar in his band. He still curses a lot. He dropped various items into his piano to vary the sounds that came out of it. It was a strange and wonderful experience, as his performances usually seem to be. I walked out with the same feeling I get whenever I go to a great show—“When’s the next good concert?”
I am 45 years old now. If I wasn’t the oldest person at the show, I was probably the oldest person on the floor rather than the bleachers. I actually went to the show with several of my students (they had a great time too). For years, I felt a sense of guilt and shame that I was still going to concerts like I did when I was 18 or 28. But I have come to realize what makes it special. I still get the same feeling from these shows that I did when I was young. For those of you that are my age or close to it (no raising of hands necessary; you know who you are), you know that it is no small feat to able to recapture those moments of transcendent bliss.
In class yesterday, students were asking me about the concert. And in a moment of clarity, I was able to articulate something precise and personal and wonderful to my class.
“I used to worry that I was getting too old to go to concerts,” I told them. “But then I realized that I am totally, completely, and madly in love with music. And we are never, ever going to be separated.”
p.s. Kings of Leon and The Whigs are playing at The Pageant in St. Louis on November 3. Score!
3 years ago
4 comments:
I saw X at the Catalyst in Santa Cruz with Barb last month. It was an anniversary tour (Los Angeles came out 31 years ago), so the venue was liberally sprinkled with grey hair. But there were plenty of 20-something college students, too. And everyone was dancing.
I am your age; and I, too, still go to concerts. I don't enjoy the crowd as much as I used to, but I still love the music. Saw a phenomenal Swedish group "Hoven Drove" (Swedish for Helter Skelter, or so I hear) at the Cedar Cultural Center in Minneapolis about a month ago and it was enjoyable from both the music and the crowd aspect, which was a nice change!
Pearl
p.s. Love Kings of Leon!
Pearl--There's something kind of immediately arresting about Swedish Bands, whether they're Detah Metal or Abba. I'd go and see a Swedish band called Hoven Drove just for the spectacle. Glad to hear it was nice on the visual and musical front.
Andy...ah yes, X. Isn't it great that they still play together? I saw them with the Knitters about 15 years ago at Slim's in SF. (Which means, well, they essentially opened for themselves--so cool!) Concerts like the one you saw and describe remind me that we're not that old. (Although I find I need a lot more Advil the next morning after these music/dancing events. A small price to pay.)
Heh. It was big fun (and the upside of aging is that the hearing loss was a lot less noticeable than it used to be). I love The Modern Sound of the Knitters, too -- especially the ghost story songs.
John Doe is back in town in a week or so (at the Rio) -- hoping to catch that, too. Santa Cruz is great for music -- sorry that I missed the Dresden Dolls when they were here.
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