Note: This is a not so deep post about nothing truly important to most people. :)
Hi, my name is Alex and I am addicted to attending live concerts. No really. I am. My addiction is so extreme in fact that a few months ago I started an excel sheet with the name of musicians and bands that I would like to see and I keep track of where they are at all times. It is color coded. Orange if they're in the southeast. Yellow if they're in Georgia (I'll need to have a special color for Tennessee now). Dark gray if they aren't touring. And yes, I include European and other overseas dates just so the chart is truly complete.
It's all Emily's fault. Okay, not really. However, I do pinpoint my addiction's beginning to our first Avett Brother's concert.
It was March 2011 and we had only recently discovered them. We realized that they were going to be in Augusta and I drove to the box office and bought us 2 tickets. We weren't close to the stage at all, but that didn't mean that the boys' energy didn't reach us all the way back to our seats. Broken banjo strings, jumping, screaming, the twirling bass...it all resulted in me being completely hooked. Lucky for me, Emily was addicted, too.
When 2011 was drawing to a close, we were standing in a mass of Avett fans ringing in the new year with one of our favorite bands. However, before squeezing in that last concert of the year we had been to three others: The Avett Brothers in Nashville, Dave Barnes, and The Civil Wars.
We were admitted early into the Nashville Avett Brothers' show and were on the front row. It was a night and an experience I doubt that I will ever forget. Emily and I were so excited and didn't feel cool enough to be so close to the stage. If we hadn't caught the bug before that night, we were unquestionably addicted after that night...not only to concerts, but to being close enough to the stage to see every droplet of sweat (gross, but true).
Dave Barnes may be the funniest man alive. Yes, I like his music...but it was his comedy routine that caused me to end the night in pain from laughing SO much. 'God Gave Me You' is an amazing and incredibly sweet love song (and one of my favorites), but he told the most ridiculously funny story before he started to sing it, so I was still cracking up throughout the whole song.
Ah, the Civil Wars. Two singers, a guitar, and a spotlight...nothing fancy...but oh my goodness, they didn't need anything fancy...the music they made was that good. Joy Williams' voice control is unreal and her harmonies with John Paul White are just amazing.
And then we finished off the year with the Avetts in Greenville,SC...amazing as usual.
When 2011 ended, we only had two concerts on the calendar for 2012...Matt Maher at Emily's church in January and Needtobreathe in Charleston in March for my birthday. As the 5th month of 2012 ends, I have been to a total of 7 concerts this year, have tickets to see 2 more in June and July, and will be ready to click as soon as tickets become available tomorrow to get tickets to a show in August.
Matt Maher was great. He sang my favorite song and Clara (Emily's adorable niece) giggled through it...and it was perfect.
Needtobreathe puts on one amazing show. The lights are insane and the music is incredible.
I was so excited about seeing Mumford & Sons that I couldn't eat the day of the concert. I was incredibly nervous for some reason...turns out they were, too. It was their first concert at the Ryman and Marcus Mumford was so nervous he forgot some of the lyrics to 2 or 3 songs and had to rush off the stage and throw up. However, even with the lyric mix ups and the sickness, it was still an amazing concert.
The trip on St. Patrick's Day to see the Avetts was totally random, but Melissa and I had a great time in Birmingham and it was one of the boys' best shows, at least out of the ones I've been to...they seemed to be extra energetic.
The next 2 months and 3 concerts would be all about Needtobreathe. Yep, they were so good the first time that I went to see them 3 more times.
Rock Fore Dough! in Augusta, GA...of course I was there, it was close to home!
Then, later in April, Emily, Terri, and I made the trek to NC to see NTB at Gardner-Webb. Emily had a surprise up her sleeve and had contacted one of the roadies (that she knew through a mutual friend) and we got a backstage tour, met Joe and his wife, and got into the venue early enough to get a spot front row center. I should mention that Ben Rector is amazing...he was NTB's opening act.
Finally, in May, my family went to Wild Adventures in Valdosta and saw the boys one more time.
After 4 Needtobreathe concerts, I ended up with 3 guitar picks...one from each of the guitar playing members of the band.
So, why do I love live concerts so much? Why am I willing to drive all over the southeast for just a couple of hours of live music? I'm not sure that I have a concise answer.
I remember being at a choral workshop one time and the director was talking to us about live performances. Basically, the gist of his message was to make it beautiful because it only lasts a short while and then it is over forever and while you may perform a particular song or concert again and again, it will never be the same.
I love live concerts because you're a part of something that will only happen once. Yes, bands tour all over the world and sing similar set lists each night...but each night is still unique and special. That night will never happen again. Having seen both the Avetts and Needtobreathe multiple times, I can tell you that each concert is different. I can point to things about each concert that made it special, unique, and a not to be missed sort of night.
I love seeing how bands handle the pressure of getting up and singing usually very personal lyrics to a room full of mostly strangers. I personally couldn't do it, but the bands I've seen do it and do it well. Usually by the end of the night you feel as though you're best friends with all the members of the band and everyone else in the room. Everyone was a part of something special and for that reason will always be connected.
I know the bands don't like it, but I love seeing what they do when things go wrong. Scott Avett waits for his brother to bring him a new guitar when a string breaks during Murder in the City. Bear from NTB chucks a broken mic pack across the stage mid-song. Marcus Mumford throws up and then comes back and sings his heart out for the rest of the night. It always surprises me a bit when things go wrong, but I love seeing that the bands I love and listen to are just regular people with somewhat regular problems (I suppose breaking a string in front of thousands of people isn't totally regular) and they react in totally human ways. Yeah, they're rock stars...but we're all the same on so many levels.
I love being able to see the band sweat and smile. Josh, the NTB roadie, asked us where we wanted to be in the venue and told us midway back on the floor would be the best place for the sound. We figured we could listen to the CD for the sound, we wanted to see...so we stood front row center. There's something to be said for hearing a song live that you've loved and connected with and making eye contact with the person who wrote it and sings it (it's also ever so slightly creepy to make eye contact, but it's very cool at the same time).
Then there's the energy in the room. I remember the excitement that was buzzing in the room at the Ryman before Mumford & Sons came out...it was unlike anything else I've ever experienced. Some fans can be incredibly obnoxious (usually when large amounts of alcohol have been consumed), but then there are those who are there because they love the band and the music and they want to be apart of an incredible night and it seems each concert turns in to a huge sing-along with hundreds or even thousands of fans (that usually can't sing on-key to save their lives).
Of course, there's the music. I've been in music lessons since I was three years old. After more than 20 years (I can not tell you how much it freaks me out that I can say 'more than 20 years'), music is still a huge part of my life. The bands I love write their own music and play their own instruments and you know that they love music. Each night they're doing something that they truly love. They love being there as much as I do. (How many times can I say 'love in one paragraph'? Answer: A lot.)
Each concert has its own kind of magic that you can't quite explain in words and can't accurately capture in pictures and videos (which doesn't stop me from snapping pictures like the paparazzi or recording lots of videos). I'm not sure that I have (though I tried to in this rather lengthy post) or ever could really explain why I love live concerts so much, but I do know that I am addicted to the music and the magic and I'll keep driving all over the southeast to get my fix. :)
