I think I am going to stop saying things like, "Gosh, the morning headlines are really depressing right now," as each day seems to get more and more distressing for the world. It is one event after another, from attacks on German trains, to more police shootings, and the list goes on.
Last evening a friend of mine summed things up quite well simply by saying, "The world is shit right now."
We were discussing our views on various topics, from terrorism, to politics, to immigration, and my friend was particularly concerned, as his son will be 1 year old in another week. Obviously he is worried about the future of his child. All of us at the table agreed that we are struggling to believe all of the things that seem to be happening in the world right now, and we keep asking a lot of questions about how to help resolve these issues.
True, I have tossed and turned during several recent nights, and haven't been able to get as much rest as I would like, simply because there is too much on my mind. As much as I think about stuff and as much time as I spend thinking about stuff, I still don't really meditate. I usually describe myself as somewhat pensive, but that would be another blog post entirely. For relaxing my mind, I find going to a rock show pretty much does the trick.
A few days back, a friend sent me a text asking if I wanted to go to the Bad Religion show.
Of course.
I hadn't seen the band before, and while I followed them during the 90s, I really got hooked on them again with their album, "Process of Belief." My friend with the extra ticket is about the same age as me, and I assumed most of the concert attendees would be above the age of 35. Part of this assumption was confirmed during my quick current event discussion last evening: two of people in the conversation were under 35, and neither of them was familiar with this American punk band. Then, a buddy of mine showed up (he is 3 years younger than me), and as soon as I told him where I was about to go, he jumped up and down and said, "hey, I think I will try to get down there a bit later....i love that band."
At any rate, I left my friends to continue their discussions about the world, and I headed off to the U-Bahn to make my way to the concert. Despite the detour I had to take due to one of the lines not operating, I made it to the venue, found my friend, got a beer, and within a few minutes, the opening act came on stage.
And that is all I will say about the opening act.
During the set change, I looked around at the other folks. True, most were in my age group, which was just fine; it is always nice to see people enjoying themselves at any age. We may not be Pogo-ing around quite like we did 20 years ago, but we are still there (although most of us were also thinking a small bit about making sure we made it on time to work the next day).
There is nothing better than seeing a band enjoy themselves on stage. Bad Religion were just touring, they weren't promoting any new album, and they seemed like they were on their summer holidays. They played with enthusiasm and energy, and it just made for a really pleasant evening. A perfect way to take my mind off of troubling things...
Halfway through the set, my friend turned to me and said, "you know, we should be coming up to this club all the time."
I had been thinking the exact same thing. My last concert was almost 2 years ago, and that is approaching "disgraceful." However, I have realized that many of us are not going to concerts with the same frequency as years before, and that is due mainly to the logical progressions in our lives: starting families, raising children, careers, etc. But, I also recognize that there are fewer and fewer concerts that I want to see. Opening act from last evening? Forgettable. If that is the musical future for us, then we are going to suffer.
OK, there are not that many bands that have toured for the past 30 years, and furthermore, some of those bands that have toured that long have not done it all that gracefully. Bad Religion are an exception, and like all good shows, it was a night out with a lot of friends. Everyone enjoyed themselves, including the younger fans (who are really in their early 30s) and it was very comforting to stand in the crowd singing all the songs. The band are known for their harmonies, and it was quite cool (albeit unsurprising) that the fans would also sing in harmony.
Alas, the set came to an end. The band played a couple of encores, and then the lights came up, bringing us back down to earth. I was saying good-bye to my friend when I ran into the girlfriend of another friend of mine. So, I chatted a bit more with her and a few of her friends as we finished up our beers. She represented the younger set of fans and was equally glad that she came to the concert. She works at a few pubs around Frankfurt while she finishes her degree. We spoke a little about looking forward to the upcoming block party next month, where she would be serving beers outside the little rockabilly shop outside of my flat. As the cups were emptied, we headed to the U-Bahn, travelled back into city, and then as we said our good-byes, we all agreed that it had been a great evening and a great show.
Yeah, maybe the world is shit right now. We certainly have some problems. But experiences like a good concert, drinking beer and chatting with friends? They help remind us that we deserve happy thoughts and lives.
It is something to believe in.
see you out there
bryan
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