"85,000 Different Reasons"

Going to a concert is weird when you think about it. I love them, but they're weird.

And there's such a random collection of people there. It's never all one type of person. Which makes sense of course, but is always a surprise to me. It's usually all ages from all walks of life and they just want to stand in a large crowd and watch and listen to the same thing.

There's this awesome quote from Dave Grohl:

And it's true. Even the specific time you hear a song could make all the difference. Maybe at one point that love song made you think of your high school sweetheart and now you think of your spouse. Or some song reminded you of a party in college but you recently heard it on the radio and you remembered last night. And then there are those songs that will never stop transporting you to the exact same time and place. They're like a time capsule and you can't escape the power of your memory.

Regardless of what you're feeling, you're not feeling alone. There are hundreds or thousands of strangers on either side of you feeling something just as strong.

And there's always that one person, young or old, male or female, who is FEELING it. They are singing and they are dancing as if they're alone in their living room. A lot of people are usually laughing at them and they appear to be alone, but they are loving every bit of their life at that moment and isn't that beautiful? I always wonder if they're on E or something... and maybe they are, but they're there and so are you and they aren't hurting anyone so what of it?

I went to a concert recently and this person was a woman. Probably in her 40s and she was wearing a bright green dress that looked very... motherly. I don't know what other word to use. It wasn't conservative necessarily but it was practical with some slight frill. She had a purse with a really short strap under her shoulder that was patterned to look like newspaper, and she was rocking out. Even when a band wasn't on stage and they were just playing random music between acts, she was killing it. So much so that a security guard came over to her and gave her an arm band so she could go into the pit.

She loved being in the pit.

She continued her spastic dancing and sang along to every song with such vigor I couldn't help smiling every time she showed up on the big screen (which was quite often).

Then there are people on the other side of the spectrum that look bored and annoyed. I don't understand that. These seats are expensive... really, all the seats are expensive and you look so unhappy! Were you dragged here? Do you not like music? Are you having a bad day? I guess all of these could be true, but I have a hard time not enjoying myself at a concert. Of course it's more fun when you know some of the words and can sing along, but even when you can't, the energy is infectious. 

And I can never get over that you're watching someone's dream come true on stage. I've worked in entertainment and I know a lot of that can be an act, but there's something in their smile when the crowd sings the lyrics back to them that gets me every time.

There's this awesome clip from a Mumford & Sons concert when the crowd is singing along so loudly, they're almost drowning out the lead singer.

At a concert, this random group of strangers is coming together to experience something interactive and powerful and each for their own reasons.

The whole place is alive and you're reminded that you are too and you're not alone.