Unifying. Impacting. Blissful.
You look around in the sweaty crowd, who has been standing for 8 hours straight, waiting to for their headlining band to go on stage. The mumbles of anxiousness fill the air. The filler music cuts, the lights go off, and an uproar breaks out of chants and screams. The show’s going to start.
They take the stage. The first chords strike. You stop breathing. In that moment…life has meaning. Happiness is an understatement. Everyone begins jumping up and down, their bodies in tune with the music, with one another. The lyrics, sung by the ever-so-talented vocalist, sound better than off a recording. They are right there. The riffs are mind blowing. The bass lines so insane, you wonder how it’s possible someone’s fingers can fly like that.
A song then, a song now, you know them all by heart. You’ve heard them a million times over. But this time, this night, they are different. They speak to you and move you more than ever.
After several songs of shredding, head banging, and singing at the top of your lungs, the notes slow. Dancing in the night air, they glide across effortlessly, creating a soothing and eerie sound. It’s the piano’s turn to speak. People stop talking. Stop drinking. Stop smoking. And just listen. Some sing along, letting the words touch their souls.
An hour later, after you thought it couldn’t get any better, the band leaves. No. This can’t be over. Not yet. In unison, the crowd chants, begging them to come back for just one more song…just five more minutes of heaven. A chance to feel one more time.
In a surge of energy, they return, and rock the encore, better than you’ve ever seen. When it’s over, the feeling you have is indescribable. Speechless, you feel that you can take on the world. You look around and know that you’re not alone. Not a single person leaves without a smile on their face. Everyone feels that it. Everyone knows. There is something to believe in. There is a reason to live. Life can be good…
Live music has always impacted me like this. But this past weekend, at Kanrocksas, I couldn’t even fathom how awesome the day was. Everyone was there for the music. They were dedicated to stay out all day in the torching and scolding heat, to hear the music. Which is what it’s all about. Through the course of the day, I got to see several amazing performances. It started with Best Coast, who I had never heard before. Female singer, alternative band. I’m anxious to listen to them and see more what they are about.
Then we caught the tail end of OKGO! Honestly, I never gave this band much of a listen because for some reason, I had it in my head that they were something completely different. They ROCKED IT! They all wore similar suits but in different, bright colors. They had the crowd engaged, and we were all singing “This Too Shall Pass.” I can’t wait to really listen to them now.
Next up we went and watched Grace Potter and the Nocturnals, which my best friend Cassie was dying to see. Wow. That pretty much summed it up. Her voice was so powerful and the way she danced across the stage like a free spirit was just down right kickass. The band was so energetic and talented. Many of them looked like they walked right of the movie “Almost Famous.” I freakin’ loved it. Grace shook her tamborine, pounded the piano keys, and rocked the flying V like a professional badass. I’m pretty sure every guy present wanted a piece of Grace. She was gorgeous and owned the stage. I loved it when she played “Paris” and “Take Me Down to the Water.” But the best song of the set in my opinion, was her final song, “I’ve Got the Medicine“. . She had a way of making me feel empowered, sexy, and just ready to rock. My friend Cassie said she had tears in her eyes during the performance. It moved our souls. In the final song, her and the nocturnals all gathered around the drum set and jammed, each member contributing a beat to the drum. It was one of the coolest things I’ve ever seen at a show.
*Note – I was a genius and forgot the battery for my camera. These images were not taken by me, but I feel they paint a picture of what I witnessed.
Next, Cassie and I ventured over for Cage the Elephant. Their sound was really grungy, and the lead singer reminded me of a brunette Kurt Cobain. They had a good performance, but probably was my least favorite of the day.
Cassie and I then enjoyed some delicious food truck BBQ on the lawn while watching Flogging Molly stomp and tear it up. Gotta love those Irish boys.
Full and energized, we headed over to watch A Perfect Circle. I was personally really excited to see this band because I’ve been listening to them since high school. I find it weird though that Maynard (lead singer from Tool as well) faced the back of the stage the whole performance. My friend Shawn, whose seen them many times, said he always does that or plays in a cage. Not sure why? The performance was good and I loved that they played their “Imagine” cover as well as Passive (my favorite APC song). However, I don’t think I would ever pay to see them headline a show now.
Second to last, the soulful and ever-so-talented Black Keys took the stage. Awesome. I’m so glad I got to experience their groovy vibe live.
We left their performance a tad early to get as close as possible to Muse on the main stage. Now, Muse is my favorite band, I have a tattoo based off some of their lyrics for crying out loud, so I went in about as excited as could be. They not only obliviated my expectations, but topped every single performance I’ve EVER seen. The scene I described above was from the Muse set list. They opened with “The Uprising” (killer) and played songs like “Hysteria,” “Starlight”, “Supermassive Black Hole”, “United States of Eurasia,” “Resistance,” and “Maps of the Problematique.” I think my favorite song they played though was “Undisclosed Desires.” I was in heaven. For the encore, they played the lesser-known song, “Plug in Baby” and finished off with the Rock Band classic, “Knights of Cydonia.”
Normally the stage effects do not make or break a show for me. I’m there for the musical talent. However Muse’s set was just madness. They had laser lights that went over the fogged covered crowd, dancing over the dancing. During one song, they released these giant eye ball balloons and everyone bounced them around while rocking out. Matthew Bellamy wore the coolest light up glasses and had a rotating amp. Christopher Wolstenholme‘s bass lit up. It made the show that much better, if possible.
Overall, Kanrocksas was easily one of the best days of my life. It has inspired a new goal for me – to create and attend a list of festivals across America including Austin City Limits, Coachella, Lollapalooza, and more.
Nothing will ever make me feel the way I did that day. Music is everything.
Life-changing. Inspiring. Real.
