I have to write this post now because I won't be on this adrenaline kick tomorrow. Tonight, I attended the Of Monsters and Men concert…by myself. At first, I was a little nervous going to this alone because of the potential for me to feel overly awkward dancing and singing alone. Luckily, after rushing from work to my flat and then all the way to the O2 at Shepherd’s Bush I was able to buy myself a beer and stand alone and drink without feeling too out of place. Also, lucky for me, I did not get off work until 6, so by the time I finally got to the venue, I only had to kill about 20 minutes before the opening act.
For
starters, the opening guy was INCREDIBLE.
Sadly, he had some kind of Scandinavian accent and with everyone talking
around me, it was impossible for me to catch his name. As soon as I get a little more time on
my hands, I will be sure to look into it, because he was awesome. I would have paid good money just to
see him.
If
you don’t listen to Of Monsters and Men, or have never heard of them, let me
just give you my rendition of what their music is like. First off, they are Icelandic, so
please imagine yourself sitting on an Icelandic beach. You can hear the waves of the ocean and
hear the wind howl. Although, the
wind is howling, it’s not blowing hard enough for you to not enjoy the
breeze. The air is clean and
fresh. Now, think of your
family. Think of all the people
that mean the most to you, and the most spontaneous, happy moments you have spent
with those people. Now imagine,
two beautiful voices, one male, one female, singing to you accompanied by a
plethora of musical instruments that include guitars, a bass, drums, piano,
trumpet, and of course, accordion.
You are now on your way to imagining the splendor that is, Of Monsters
and Men.
I
did not stop smiling once during this entire concert. It is just the kind of music that brings so much joy. They started off my playing one of my
favourite songs, “Dirty Paws”.
It’s not the song I would have picked for the opening, but no matter, it
was awesome. Their second song is
what sealed the deal for me. They
play “From Finner.” In the song,
they have this line that goes, “We are
far from home, but we’re so happy”.
Now, if that didn’t sum up how I felt tonight, well then hell, I don’t
know what would have. They
actually say that line a lot during the song, since it’s in the chorus, and it just kept bringing this huge smile to my face. How perfect is that to my situation? Here, I am in London, thousands of miles away from my home,
friends, and family, but I am just so happy. Especially in that moment, surrounded by such great music in
such an incredible city, I couldn’t imagine any other place a I would rather be.
Anyways,
they continued with more of their songs, and even did a cover of “Skeletons” by
the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. Although not
my favourite song of the night, I always enjoy when bands do covers because I
feel they do so out of respect for the other group. As a Yeah Yeah Yeahs fan, I can appreciate that. Also, no concert is complete with a
confetti cannon. I’ve still got a
few pieces in my purse for later scrapbook purposes. Now, this concert will always hold a really special place in my heart, because it’s the first one I got
to sing happy birthday. The
co-singer, Raggi, celebrated his birthday today, so the opening guy brought out
a cake and we all sang to him.
This may sound so small, but it was cool to be apart of a
celebration. If that wasn’t all
enough, yes, they did an encore. “Sloom”
and “Yellow Light” were their final songs and just like the others, they were
incredible. I need to point out
“Sloom” just because, again, it has lyrics that stuck out to me for my
situation. They vary from chorus
to chorus, but in a few instances, they say, “So
love me mother, and love me father, and love my brother, as well.” Seeing that these three people are
the people that have made me the person I am today and the reason I was able to
stand at the concert, it seemed fitting to point out. My parents are the people that have made not only this
entire semester possible, but also all the little excursions possible as
well. They are the ones who have
set me up with the travel skills that I have, and the people that have made me
unafraid to stand on my own.
Without that kind of guidance, I would never have had the courage to go
to a concert by myself. They are
simply the best. My brother has
influenced me in a bit of a different way. For starters, he took me to my first concert ever, Smashing
Pumpkins at the Fox Theatre, St. Louis in November 2008. Ever since that
concert, I have the live music itch and now I do whatever I can to scratch
it. Also, with Erik being older
than me by so much, he has made quite the tough little sister. He is part of the reason to my stubborn
attitude and thick skin. Again,
two things I would not be able to live without while here.
 |
| And I got a set list!!!! |
As
you can imagine this was quite an emotional concert. Not only was I thinking about my family and the incredible
situation I am in, but also about all the memories that these songs bring
up. I danced at the columns at
Mizzou to “Mountain Sound”. I went
for long drives on Columbia back roads listening to “Love Love Love”. I lied in bed after incredibly rough school days and played
“Yellow Light” on repeat. They all
may seem like insignificant moments, but they do hold special places in my
heart, just like tonight will.
You
can listen to songs on your itunes all day long, but nothing beats a live
show. It’s so much more emotional and
really brings you closer to the music.
It was also nice because this is the first concert since last May that I
have been able to simply enjoy and not worry about working. Seriously, the last four concerts I
attended, I have had to work: Ben Kweller, Imagine Dragons, Fun., and Kendrick
Lamar.
I’ve
started to realize the kind of things I want to spend my money on and clothing
is no longer a top priority. I’d
rather spend my money on live music and travel. Those are the things I end up getting more out of in the end
anyways.
Cheers,
Janelle
There is no such thing as an insignificant moment.
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