28
Jul
2009
When The Music Moves Through You (May 10, 2009)
There are bands whose lyrics will capture you, others will catch you with a hook or a melody, and then there are the truly great rock experiences. These bands don’t need a hook, and you don’t need to understand what they are saying, you need only to hear the beat and feel the energy.
I have been to see many bands play live, whether local or mainstream, there are only four experiences that stole my breath and left me screaming for more. Don’t get me wrong, I have enjoyed the majority of the live shows I’ve been to; however, that feeling of being absolutely, unrelentingly, unabashedly engulfed by the music has only been present at a precious few. Tonight was one such experience.
The musical experience that makes you want to cheer and weep simultaneously is something that no amount of money can purchase. An acquaintance of mine recently made me listen to this band through the window of his car; this odd request was followed by him informing me that the band would be playing on Mother’s Day. Now I was in a quandary; I really wanted to see this band, but my mother would never forgive me for ditching out early on Mother’s Day.
Ultimately, dear reader, you know my choice; as I would not be writing about this tremendous rock experience had I chosen not to go.
So, not knowing exactly what to expect, but knowing that the cd sounded good, I ditched my mom early and got ready to rock. The excursion to Scout was uneventful and we arrived in time to see one of the three opening bands. They were a local flavor, and weren’t half bad; however, they lacked the energy and the showmanship which makes a rock show extraordinary.
When Volbeat came on I was in the middle toward the back. I’ve been to Scout before and determined that position to be the best for actually hearing a band. By the time the second song of the set was over I had made my way to the side and purchased their cd. By the time the third song was over I was near the front on the side, just out of reach of the mosh pit and just in reach of the stage. And by the time the fourth song ended I was in love. This music didn’t just captivate, it enthralled. It was one of those experiences where the music moves into you and out of you with all of the tenderness of a rapist and all of the licentiousness of a lover.
By the time the band left the stage I could feel their music in every inch of my body from the tips of my hair to the bottom of my feet. The music had demanded that I jump, so I jumped; that I chant, so I chanted; that I move, so I moved; and that i feel, so I felt. There came a point where I was not standing in the venue with a bunch of people that I did not know, but rather that I was standing in the moment with others who, like me, were along for the journey. I was standing in the moment, begging the music, that fleeting, ethereal, tremulous thing, to return to me – to us – for just a moment more.
The band obliged and played several more songs before calling it a night. A moment more was all we asked, and a moment more was all we got. But oh! that moment! I drove home from the bar and could still feel the vibrations in my fingertips. I put the cd in and blasted it all the way home, so that the moment would linger with me.
In the end, when you go to a rock show you are not going for the band or the crowd or the booze, you are going for the moment. Very few bands can create that moment, and of those even fewer can make it feel effortless. This band managed both with the grace and equanimity of rock stars sprinkled with the down home flair of a band that is not yet mainstream.
As such, I stand in quiescence until the music moves through me once more, and that transient moment returns to me.
