For the Love of Rock

My daughter and I went to Irvine Meadows last night for a rock show. It was my first concert with my daughter and one of the last I'll see at this venue, as "The Man" is closing it down after this season to build houses on that land. Irvine Meadows has been a staple in Orange County forever. My first concert here was the Cranberries in 1993. 23 years later, my last ones will be Blink 182 and then Offspring and Sublime in October. There was a moment last night when I was dancing, enjoying the lovely harsh sounds of The Cult, and Winter turned to me with a big smile on her face, dancing right alongside of me. She said, "I get it, mom. I get it now why you go to so many concerts. It's this feeling." 

She didn't have to describe it. I knew exactly what she meant, and she was exactly right. It's this FEELING. The people, the energy. It's the closeness, the relationship to the music and the musicians. Feeling the music inside you, instead of just hearing it. I'll never stop going to concerts. And god-willing, I'll go to more with her. Something happens to people at a concert. Something pure and beautiful and free. For just a couple hours, we all forget our lives "out there". We all come together to celebrate a common love of music. We all let ourselves go. We all just BE.

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