I think that Jimi said it best. Music is a spiritual experience.
No, music will never replace God, nor will I ever believe that it is more important - but I think that some of the most important lessons to be learned come from the cacophony of a hyped up crowd on a Saturday night.
Looking around, there are dozens or even thousands of people. Every single person has a different story and reason to sing the words so boldly. The fact that the same 50 - 100 combinations of twenty-six letters can bring tears in the eyes of some and laughter in the hearts of others is astounding to me.
I read a story the other day on Tumblr about a boy who wanted to go to a Taylor Swift concert but has severe anxiety. Against the gut feeling, he bought a ticket. His monologue was spent thanking Taylor for allowing all of that to be taken away, at least for one night.
In that building, you are safe. You will not be judged. And if you are? You're already winning because you're having more fun.
- Yes, that's the stage Ed Sheeran stood on.
It doesn't matter how many likes you get on your Instagram of the concert or how close your seat is to the stage.
When you take the time to look around, you notice that you are the only person who is.
We wonder why the world stops turning the second someone like John Lennon is murdered or when Kurt Cobain commits suicide. It shouldn't be much of a surprise; music brings us together, and so will the loss of it.
At a concert, I know I'm not alone. It's the perfect place to make friends; you're literally in an arena for a few hours with a bunch of people who paid to see this show too.
- Here's our new friend Maya we met at 5SOS in Tinley Park.
Most of the time, if you didn't look at what we wore or how we styled our hair, we all look the same. And coincidentally enough we all look like we're at church, singing at the top of our lungs and hands in the air.
Don't make fun of anyone's music -- you don't know what saved him or her. Reading a story about a person who didn't commit suicide, or even just found happiness, when they found this artist's or genre's music shouldn't be about whether it was Green Day or One Direction or Sesame Street; it should be about one more life we are blessed with, and one more person's happiness, because of a song. Isn't that enough?
We all find God or whatever higher presence you believe exists in different places - mine happens to lurk around the corner and mingle within the crowds at a concert on a Saturday night to help me see him most.
I've heard the quote "real bands save fans, real fans save bands." Everyone in that building has been saved in one-way or another. For me, the best moment of a concert is when the audience is singing and the artists are just standing there. It sounds a bit backwards but the look on their faces, a look of awe, makes everything worthwhile for me. I (in addition to everyone else in the room) have made their dreams come true, while they have helped me accomplish the same.
Music is my religion; what's yours?
