I have always enjoyed listening to Rock and Roll. When I was like 10, one of the local churches has Audio A come put on a concert. It was alright, but I was 10. In High School, I went to the local punk shows. They were full of energy, raw, and just plain awesome. I had never really been to a real concert, with more than a local band. I was ignorant on what a real concert was, and as they say, "Ignorance is bliss." I always wanted to go to a real concert. It wasn't until college that I went to my first concert: Relient K, Mixup, and Ruff. Now, I used to really love Relient K, they spoke to my heart, where I was, in my walk. I've grown up, and I prefer more "grown up" bands, but they will always hold a special place in my heart.
Now I've been to quite a few concerts, and I've seen Jimmy Eat World, Against Me!, Rise Against, Rancid, Cahoot and Cambria, to name drop... lol... And I love concerts. They are one of my favorite things to do, and here is why.
1.) The community- I've never felt so close as I have to hundreds of complete strangers, as I have at concerts. From raising my fist to Against Me!, or rocking out alongside hippies watching the Psalters, or being sweetly serenaded by Jimmy Eat World, their is camaraderie in music. When you are at a rock concert, people help each other. Every time someone falls down rocking to hard, complete strangers are their to help them right back up. This is something the church is lacking. Nothing about the other people mattered, only that they were singing, and rocking out.
2.) Sweat- I've never felt so sore, and been so sweaty then after a concert. After I saw Against Me!, my shirt was completely saturated, my pants were soaked, and I needed a shower. Half the sweat was mine, the other half was of my fellow concert goers that rocked out just as hard as I did. It's a pretty gratifying experience to know that you can get a good workout, and have an enjoyable experience. I swam for like 10 years of my life, and have been through numerous gut wrenching practices, but I've never felt satisfied after a good practice.
3.) Get out Frustration- A lot frustrates me, but I don't exactly know how to deal. I am a man, and men don't know how to deal with emotions, and frustration. So what better way, than to scream your heart out at a Jimmy Eat World Concert... right? Right...
4.) Road Trips!- I live in the middle of a corn field in west central Ohio. Their isn't really much around, so if I want to go to a concert, I have to drive at least an hour and a half. I love road trips, and any time I get the chance to get out of small town U.S.A. I like to take the chance. I've been to Cincinnati, Columbus, Detroit, Chicago, Nashville, and soon Cleveland in search of a good concert. My favorite would be the trip to Nashville. It was about an eight hour drive, their were 5 of us crammed in a blue Honda Accord, and it was AWESOME. We brought some sandwiches with us, and played hacky-sack at every stop. The best road trip ever.
5.) Local Bands/Indie Bands- Every headlining band needs someone to open for them. The bigger the band, the better the opening band, usually. When I saw Against Me!, this local band from Nashville called Glossary played. They were great, and they had the most perfect bass player. Every single note this guys played fit perfectly. When I saw Rise Against, Rancid opened. They were awesome, and it gave me a new appreciation for them. When going to concerts, you get the opportunity to see bands, and listen to music you normally wouldn't. I've seen some indie bands I don't particularly care for, but then I've seen bands like Coheed and Cambria because they opened.
Concerts are straight up awesome. In December I'm going to see Underoath in Cleveland. I plan on traveling 3-4 hours to sweat my butt off while immersing myself in the concert community so I can get some frustration out watching some bands I haven't heard of, and one of my new fav's... Underoath.
Why do you like concerts?
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