Tuesday, I took my niece to her first concert. I can't even begin to describe to you how perfectly it went, as firsts go. And I am so proud that I got to witness it. By the end of the night, she was fighting back happy tears, which made me almost cry too. And I'm not even a crier. It was a four hour drive one way and every mile was worth it.
We got there late and unfortunately, we missed one of the openers. However, it happened to be the only band on the bill she didn't want to see. I know that most people don't give a crap about openers. But I find that often, a great deal of magic happens on stage before the main event. I almost always find a new band to love in these "filler" spots. This night was no exception.
Our concert experience started with Set it Off. And let me tell you, they had me at introduction. Any band who starts off their set (especially knowing they're the low man on the totem pole) with, "Everybody get the fuck up!" immediately earns my undivided attention. Don't get me wrong, the critic in me is forever present. But even she was impressed. Their on stage energy was fantastic and absolutely gorgeous. I fell in love. I know, I know, I say that a lot about music. But please, never discount that phrase coming from me. When I tell you I fell in love with someone's music, you just imagine the most alive and vibrant love you've ever felt romantically. And then, magnify that feeling by a hundred or so. It's an experience that cannot be topped and that feeling is what makes my world spin.
On top of putting on a great show, Set it Off was the only band in the lineup to show their faces after it was over. They took silly pictures with us and talked to us for hours, as a group and one on one. And when security kicked us out of the venue, the lead vocalist went outside and hung out with us. When I handed him the information booklet from the album I had just bought, his face lit up and he said, "You bought a CD! Let me sing to you!" Like I was going to say no. This just goes to show how important it is to small bands, signed or unsigned, that you buy their music. I'm not going to go off on another tangent and preach that you buy music.But if you feel like hearing one of those, I have a few videos where I'll beg you to do that and I'll just go ahead and post the links to those below. These bands need it, and they appreciate it more than you'll ever know.
Moving on to the other bands, I must tell you that I had only heard a few songs from both Falling in Reverse and Black Veil Brides and I had decided upon listening to these few songs that I wasn't crazy about either of them. I didn't exactly dislike what I'd heard, it just didn't capture my interest. The impression, the first impression I got from Falling in Reverse as a live act was theatre. The lead vocalist was extremely dramatic in his movements, and somewhat robotic. I enjoyed the songs they played, though and their energy was good. They had me thinking I should give their music another listen. And then, they stopped mid-song to check on an injured fan. And they didn't start back up again until she was safely relocated to a less crowded area in the venue. This happened three times during their set and it really made me respect them. It's important for bands to maintain care for their fans. Because the music is better when it's made to be shared in a mutual relationship, rather than one in which love is only received by the artist(s) and not given. As I've said before: reciprocation.
Black Veil Brides was the big name on the ticket, the one all of the girls screamed for and "like ohmygosh he just LOOKED at me! Did you see that?!" To me, they were just a show band. Sure, the music was good, but I felt a lot more like they were trying too hard to entertain, far more than they were playing music for a crowd. I've never felt more like an audience member before in my life. And to me, at a concert, there should be a crowd of willing participants in an act of love for music and out of mutual or similar feelings and experiences. Action trumps attention. And trust me, you're going to hold my attention a lot better if you prompt me to be active during your set. But besides all of that, I wasn't crazy about the vocals or lyrics. I felt like what this band had to offer was something that could be fabulous instrumental work with the removal of the unnecessary, less than special, vocal portions. I know there is an army of BVB fans out there just waiting to throw stones at me for that now. But honestly, I mean no disrespect. You love what you love, and I'm just glad that you have found something that sets your soul on fire. And it obviously does. Because I wasn't that into the Black Veil Brides set, I stood back and watched the fans instead of the band after a while. And witnessing that level of fandom was a joy for me to experience again. It's one of my favorite parts of any show: the crowd, the energy, all of the feelings exuding from hundreds of people... it's euphoric.
More than all of that, like I said in the beginning, this was my niece's first concert experience, and things went more perfect than I could imagine. Even though we were late, we didn't miss anyone she wanted to see. We got up front. She caught a sweat towel (I know, yuck, but I get it) with all of that nasty 'I'm in the middle of a set and there are a thousand degree lights beaming on me' from one of her favorite band members of her very favorite band. And when Cody of Set it Off hugged her, she cried a little. I could not have dreamed of a better first experience for her. And I'm so grateful that I got to be there for that. Introduction into the world of live music is a big thing, if you're as crazy about music as I am.
Here are those video links I promised:
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