*
So you are telling me people call this enjoyable? This sweaty pandemonium mingled with overpowering bass reverberating from the speakers is anything but enjoyable. People jump around me shouting along with what must be lyrics to the music coming from the stage but I do not know any of these songs. Monique urged me to come saying I needed it after the pandemic. We all needed it apparently. She’d been painstakingly annoying about it for the past 2 weeks. “Absolutely no cancelling on me! You are coming even if I have to drag you there! You’ll love it. You’ll love it. I swear.” Well, she was dead wrong. I hate it. I hate it. I swear.
**
So you are telling me we survived without this amount of awesomeness for 15 months straight? Man, we are strong. I have never seen such a hyped crowd at a concert ever. The joy is electric. The band, Imagine Dragons, one of my favourites is killing it on stage. So much so we all can’t help ourselves. We are all jumping, screaming, grabbing those around us to steady ourselves from the overwhelming joy of this moment. This is the best night of my life. I swear.
***
Monique finally returns from her drink search. Oh, I see she’s been more than successful. She’s got a drink in one hand and a guy in the other. “Wow, deal of the day or what? Buy a drink get a guy free type of day?” I want to say but hold my tongue partly out of respect and mainly cause I’m not about to try and scream that over this unbearable noise they call a concert.
“Hey, Ronica this is Drew! Drew… Ronica!” She shouts pulling us both down awkwardly close to her face so that she can shout into our ears this marvellous introduction. I force a smile and nod in their direction once freed. But they barely notice me, because as soon as I do Drew is shout singing and waving his arms rapidly along with the crowd. Then suddenly he’s doing wild turns pulling Monique along with him which results in her sending her drink flying everywhere. By everywhere I mean mostly on me. They both burst into fits of laughter. I turn back towards the stage and try with great difficulty to reel in the parts of me that want to spew all over the place like that drink just did. With interactions between human beings like this, I think I’d prefer quarantine. I focus ahead of me hoping to be distracted by the performance as disastrous as it likely is. But I am unable to see it due to countless colossal jumping figures right in front of me blocking my view. Bloody grand.
****
The group I came with is making this all the more memorable. Brandon has bought everyone drinks in his usual overly generous way. Kosi the planner and make-it-happen guy found us the perfect spot to see the stage. Fatimah in all her fearless vibrancy is getting not only us hyped but people around us hyped as well.
“If I see any of your weak-ass moves of just jumping and not dancing tonight, you guys are cancelled! Especially you, Louis!,” Fatimah orders, huddling us together, arms over our shoulders.
But at the word cancelled we cannot contain our laughter and break apart laughing together. It is the best laugh I’ve had in months. Not sure what I add to this group of the coolest people but I am just a guy grateful to call them my friends. The intro of Thunder starts suddenly, stopping our laughter, as an immediate collective roar and onslaught of cheers overpowers the music for a long second. When we can hear it again we are jumping higher, dancing wilder and just allowing ourselves to be caught up in the passionate earthy joy of being human again with other humans. The band adds a loud drum finish that sends golden firework-like sparkles shooting across the stage and that same burst of energy erupts in the audience and they too seem to shoot all over the place. Kissing, hugging, spinning and before I even release it I am pushed and falling backwards onto somebody.
*****
I am winded on the grimy ground toppled by some massive object that can only be one of the many irksome humans here tonight. He rolls off from me only to lay on the grass and with eyes closed and head turned up starts laughing uncontrollably.
I feel myself lose every bit of self-control. I spring up and shout, “What the bloody hell is wrong with you!” He goes silent and looks up at me stupidly. Things are weirdly quiet cause I can actually hear myself shouting.
“How dare you just shove yourself at me! A complete and utter stranger! Have you people no respect for other people? Huh? What is this? This is bloody chaos that is what it is!” I finish breathless, head pounding and heart hammering.
He gets up slowly and faces me. “Hey look I am really sorry about that. Really was not my intension to fall on you like that. But at the same time, this is one of the first concerts since COVID, and people are just so happy, so its outrageous and maybe a little too much. I think everyone deserves to have a good time after so long.” he says slowly as if I am the stupid one.
“Well, I am not having a good time. I am having a bloody awful time!”I scream.
“And why is that?” he asks with that same stupid tone.
“Cause of the loudness, the closeness, the craziness,” I explain suddenly exhausted.
“Ok but why exactly is that so bloody awful to you?”
That silences me. I can’t think of an answer. Why do I hate this so much? I hear myself crying before I feel the wrenching of my chest, heavy with sobs. Someone’s arms wrap around me and for the first time today, I do not mind the closeness of another human.
******
