Nowhere else.

The cats are wrestling behind me and my ears have a little of that post-concert jangly sensation. I’m sitting on a folding chair that reminds me, every time, that I need to build myself a better workspace, a desk instead of a folding table, a chair that’s kinder during long writing sessions. The bills are paid for another month, but more will come. In a few minutes I’ll brush my teeth and swallow more pills, continual reminders of what my body can and can’t do without help. My legs are a bit tired. Not ten minutes ago I rubbed my right eye so hard that it got a bit red and irritated.

Not a single bit of it matters. Post-concert, remember? For years, and no I don’t remember which ones, I didn’t go to concerts. I drifted away from radio (too boring) and mainly concentrated on artists I already knew, deeper into catalogs rather than broader musical experiences. Plus concerts were expensive. Turns out the artists you grew up with, if they’ve had careers that long, can sell some pretty expensive concert tickets.

I no longer remember quite what got me back into going to concerts, either, but if I could I’d go back and thank it. Or kiss it full on the lips. The experience of live music is like nothing else. There are bands out there you haven’t heard of, they’re probably local, you might not like them. But maybe you will. Do you know you can try out a local concert for less than the price of a movie ticket?

Driving home tonight felt like it took no time at all. And one thought stuck with me: For a concert to be successful, I think you have to ask yourself when it’s over if it ever once occurred to you during the show that you wanted to be anywhere else on earth, doing anything else at all. If that never occurred to you, the concert was a success. Nothing, no one else could have gotten my attention for a couple of hours tonight. No cats, no chair, no bills, no pills, no worries. If that’s not worth the price of a movie ticket, what is?

January 17, 2010 · Jen · No Comments
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