Some Concerts That Defined My Life

After a pretty extended absence, I have decided to revive Genre Buzzword. What better way to kick off the restarting of this blog then to look back at two of my favorite concerts, starting with the first concert I ever got to visit and ending with the concert where I decided to marry my soon to be wife.

The first show that I ever got to see was Rage Against The Machine, which was around 1999 when I was in the 5th grade. My dad got me what is to this day the greatest birthday gift I have ever gotten: two tickets to see Rage Against The Machine in Philadelphia. My dad waited outside in line to get these tickets even though it was super cold outside for what would end up being the last Rage Against The Machine show in Philadelphia. I was so excited to see the show that it seemed it took forever for the weeks to pass until the actual show. I remember when the night of the show finally arrived and my dad and I were finally sitting in our seats and I was so excited that my stomach had butterflies in them.

Finally, when Rage Against The Machine took the stage, they unleashed one of the most powerful performances I have seen to this day. They poured every ounce of energy into that performance and Zach De La Rocha went absolutely insane on stage. The stadium went absolutely crazy and you had people leaping ten to fifteen feet from the stands over the barricades to make it into the mosh pit and before long complete pandemonium broke loose and there were chairs flying everywhere. Most kids my age would have been terrified but I remember thinking that this was the coolest thing I have ever seen and from that day forward I was completely immersed in music. I remember after that concert I used to wear my Rage Against The Machine t-shirt constantly in elementary school and the beginning of middle school which made people think I was crazy, but I didn't care.

However the concert that sticks out the most in my mind was a performance that I didn't really care about. It was when I went to a concert out in the woods with my then girlfriend and her brother to see a band called XYZ at a campground. Apparently, the band had a few hits in the '80s, but I mostly went to hang out with friends and generally have a good time. The campground was an absolute mess. It had rained the night before, so the ground was nothing but mud. Grabbing drinks and trying to find a bathroom was a grueling experience as every step you took, your shoes would get sucked down into the muck and your shoes were constantly getting ripped off your feet with every step.

It was one of the most magical nights of my life. Despite all the mud, bands I didn't really care for and hot temperatures, the three of us were having a blast. Finally night fell and as XYZ were playing one of their many hits, my then girlfriend and I decided that we wanted to get married. Shouting over the roaring crowd and loud music, we talked about how much we cared for each other and decided right then and there that we wanted to get married. Even though I didn't like the music, that moment made this concert hands down the best one ever.

I am sure many people are at least aware of Rage Against The Machine, so I will post the band that was playing when I decided to get married because it's pretty hilarious.