The massive crowd of people fanned in all directions of the arena. From left to right, there was every type of person. From country to city folk, to posh and carefree, every color, everyone who was someone was there. The air was crisp, but the crowd kept a warmth in the air. It was my first time ever doing something like this and my anxiety levels were off the charts. I was so scared but yet so excited. This was a new chapter in my life and I didn’t know it even existed beforehand. It was my first concert experience and my initiation for my love with concerts and festivals. Not only was the event itself, but the before and aftermath of it was a roller coaster of emotions.
In Nashville, every year around late summer and early fall, a concert is held every Thursday with performances of every type of genre and act. Never going to one, though, left me unknowing to them, but blissfully, that changed. My best friend invited me to a concert-- a Cage the Elephant concert, to be exact. I’ve listened to them fairly often so I knew I would enjoy the music no matter how the event turned out. Another issue was money. Being born and raised on the East Nashville “East Nasty” side of town does not imply the richest of incomes. But coming to realize that all these events are free, that issue was quickly covered. The last issue was simply my mother’s approval. Being a newly single parent with traditional viewpoints, her approval would not come easy. I was raised to believe education comes first and to be taken very seriously, so to go out on a school night is unheard of. To actually go, I would need accompaniment, money for food, a ride to and from, and to do homework beforehand. Mother dearest does not play, but neither did I. My anxiety drew me up a wall, questioning the actual point of going and its worth. Knowing I had an AP quiz the next day left me worried. Luckily, my excitement drowned my anxiety. My two best friends were going, one had a car, I did homework two nights beforehand, and I saved enough money for a late night taco bell run. The only thing left to do was to actually go to the concert.
With every step, more questions rushed through my mind.
“What if no likes you?”
“What if it’s too crazy”
“What if your friends ditch you?”
The questions just kept coming and coming until the only thing left to do was just stop. Stop all the unnecessary noise in my head and breath. It was time to live life and enjoy it.
Coming into the noisy scene, there was a serene-like chaos. I could hear no one beside me, yet I heard everything. Everyone was walking in opposite directions, yet striving for one thing: to see Cage the Elephant. I was so timid and unsure of where to go, I just aimlessly followed my friends who have gone countless times and awkwardly saying a silent "Hi" to acquaintances from school. The air was foggy and humid from the countless bodies, slowly forming until one unit. The drummer clicked his sticks into the air and it was set. Although I knew the songs, I was too shy to even mouth the lyrics to myself. Everyone around was jumping, prancing, gasping, shouting, out-of-their mind excited and I was quietly enjoying “Aberdeen.”
As the songs progressed, my anxiety melted away and my personality came out. My excitement rose with each song, with each guitar solo, and with each crowd surf. My silent mouthing of the words turned into shouting along with my fellow concert goers. The last song was “Ain’t No Rest.” When the beginning guitar strummed, there was no longer a group of people, but rather a formation of one. When the song ended, the lead singer, Matt Shultz, covered in sweat and shirtless, lead a farewell to the crowd. Although everyone knew it was the last song, no one was ready to go. A demanding roar from the crowd roamed across the area, “Encore. Encore. Encore!” After a quick few glances, Schultz with a teasing grin simply said, “I guess it’s time for an encore.”
Schultz commented Nashville was his favorite place to tour, saying the energy in a Nashville crowd is like nothing else. The crowd became one giant mosh pit. They performed their most popular song, “Shake Me Down,” with passion like I’ve never seen before. For that moment in time, I did not care that my sweat mixed with others, countless feet have stepped on me, and I was no longer in control of my body or the direction it swayed; whichever way the crowd moved, my body moved.
After a three-song encore, the concert finally finished. Everyone was in a daze. What do you do after such an event, pick yourself up and go home like nothing ever happened? After realizing I’m a dehydrated, sweaty mess, a friend and I looked for the nearest water source. Water never tasted so miraculous as that night. To save money on parking, my friend parked on the other side of town, so we stumbled across downtown at night, trying to recollect our thoughts on what just actually happened. I felt like singing and dancing in the street; I never had so much adrenaline and happiness rush through me. I loved every bit of the concert and would not change a thing about it.
Laying in my friend’s guest bedroom, I tried to be nostalgic of the night. Every feeling, every bass boom, and guitar strum that I thought of only made me hungry for more. That night and following morning, I had the biggest smile on my face. With bags under my eyes, I smiled and realized the whole concert was worth it. All the stress, all the commotion, and all the worry was overcome by the freedom the concert provided. Going to see Cage the Elephant made me rethink what’s important in my life and the balance I need to have in it. I realized the importance of my academic life but also my social life. Balance not only keeps people sane, but also brings joy in life. Life’s too short to not enjoy it.
