Don’t stop believing

I had never been to a Big Rock Concert before in my life. Really. Not one. In high school I saw George Strait at the San Angelo Rodeo Hall, or rather I had been to dance with cute cowboys at George Strait concerts, but we didn’t really “see” George Strait so much as appreciate him while two-stepping. I don’t even like Journey or Foreigner, but when a friend offered me a “VIP” ticket to the concert in Raleigh and a pass for the “Meet and Greet” event beforehand, I jumped at the chance. And, dear people, it was loud. Transcendently loud. I stood in the fourth-row seating with my mouth wide open, not even daring to dance for a long while. I stood for at least fifteen minutes with my hand holding onto my sternum, feeling how my chest had music going through it, and down to my fingers and toes. (Yes, people looked at me then like I was weird.)

Before this, I never understood the cell-phones-in-the-air thing either. The guy from Foreigner said, “Hey! Let’s see those lights out there!” and, you know what? It was beautiful. It was just beautiful. I spent at least another fifteen minutes with my back to the band, watching people watching the band and wave their phones in the air. They looked like fireflies, only they were dancing to “Dirty White Boy.” I was hooked. I was a big, wide-mouth bass, hooked. And I now get it. I get why Big Rock Concerts can feel like a religious experience. And so I get why people want to reduplicate that feeling, to bring the Big Concert experience into the church. Now, I am still not advocating this, but I do get it.

As a huge plus, I got to meet the new guy who leads Journey, but even better, I got to meet the Coolest Durham Blogger Ever, Pam Spaulding (of Pam’s House Blend) . . . here are a few photos from the reception.

Me, with Pam of Pam’s House Blend