Y’all, I don’t even know where to begin, so let’s just all stare at this wonderful picture for a moment:
10,000 people under one roof with their flash lights on (21st century version of lighters). I couldn’t take in just how beautiful this was. I mean, obviously you can’t tell how bright it got in the dark arena, but it got SUPER bright. It was enough to light the place up. And I couldn’t help but think of all these cliché metaphors about light (i.e. this little light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine…)
I’m going to try to sum up this wonderful, magical experience in this blog, but I have a feeling I’m not going to come close to explaining just how emotional and amazing it actually was. I think it was definitely one of those things that you had to be there to truly understand.
Hunter and I got at the BOK center (in Tulsa) about thirty minutes before the doors opened. The line, y’all, was SO STINKIN LONG. People got there at like 6am to be by the door. Once we got through all the security, we found food (chicken strips and french fries that I approve of, and the best organic, non-gmo, natural popcorn I’ve ever tasted). The only downside of this whole experience was that I was in desperate need of coffee (because I was going on five hours of sleep from staying up late the previous night to study for my stupid English Grammar test), and while there was three separate places you could get an alcoholic beverage, there was no place to get coffee. 😦
Eventually, I settled for a Long Island Iced Tea, because why not? I got carded and everything; it was awesome. (Look, I’m six-feet-tall, and look like I’m twenty-five. It’s fun when I get carded, because I NEVER do.)
Okay, so first things first-the opening bands were Judah & the Lion and Jon Bellion. They put on great shows, and you should totally go check them out.
I attached the links to a few songs that I enjoyed:
Judah & the Lion
Jon Bellion
Give ’em a listen! 🙂
Now, time for the good stuff.
The lights dimmed and went red. The crowd erupted in the LOUDEST screams I’ve ever heard in my life–it sounded like an ear-piercing, high-pitched scream x10,000. Yeah, try to imagine it.
It. Was. Awesome.
And then:
Y’all, I died. I was shaking and jumping around and screaming. They were RIGHT THERE! And it only got better….
Let me give you a little bit of a back story here. So, I stumbled up on twenty øne piløts about a year and a half ago. I kept hearing “Ride” and “Stressed Out” on the radio, and thought they were okay songs. And then something awesome happened. I was looking through the new songs on Spotify’s “New Music Friday” playlist, and there was tøps’ new track, “Heathens“. I was listening to the lyrics of that song thinking, “Ohmygod this is awesome.” And from that moment on, I went back through and listened to their songs, actually listening to the lyrics, and my brain was blown.
Seriously, take a minute to read their lyrics. I’ve attached the links: “Addict With A Pen“, “Guns For Hands“, “Migraine“, “Trees“, “Lane Boy“, “Goner“, “Ride“, “The Judge“, “Message Man“, “Fairly Local“, or “Heavydirtysoul“.
Their songs go deeper than just music (my favorite kind). It’s poetry and truth. No matter how raw and gritty it gets. (Don’t worry, I’m not going to go all I-love-writing-blahblahblah on you.)
I will say this one thing, though. I write to get from point A to point B in my life, and as a writer if I only accomplish one thing, I hope it’s that I created stories, characters, and moments that mean something to someone; maybe that they can relate to or identify with.
Even if I just reach one person out there…
Sometimes, it’s just enough to know you’re not alone.
Another thing: live music is always better than the music playing through your earphones, car radio, or any sound system you might have. There’s just something about it-the thumping of the base in your chest, the lights bouncing off all the walls, and the interaction and experience you are having and sharing with 10,000 other people in the world in that exact moment.
Just a few highlights of the show: Josh had a drum-off with himself (literally); Judah & the Lion covered The Killers’ “Mr. Brightside“; Jon Bellion and Tyler Joseph rapping together was mind-blowing; tøp sang their cover version “Cancer” by My Chemical Romance (this may be irrelevant, but if you know anything about me, I was OBSESSED–still am–with The Black Parade. Like I was the middle school kid in her Black Parade jacket. I wore that thing until the zipper broke, and the material faded from being washed so many times); tøp, Judah and the Lion, and Jon Bellion covered “Tubthumping” and “No Diggity“; Joseph Tyler ran around in a giant beach ball on the crowd; Josh Dun drummed (literally) on top of the crowd.
You know, I really don’t know what I am trying to say right now. I guess, more than anything, I just wanted to share this experience with y’all. It was too amazing to not share–and I know, I’ve said amazing, awesome, emotional like a million times now, and I feel like those words don’t do this experience justice.
I’m going to end with this insane picture Hunter took at the end of the show. Tyler and Josh were banging on their drums on top of the crowd. They ended with “Trees” (my favorite song). This was an experience that I will never forget.
Until next time.
Randi Garner 