For me, music is a force. A lifeblood that I could not and would not live without. It sustains me in every season and emotion. It has carried me through some of my toughest times and has accompanied me in all of my happiest moments. And as a wife and a mother, it overjoys me to know that my family feels the same way. We all share this love for music and it is truly a tie that binds us together in the most beautiful of ways. We move as a unit, figuratively and literally. Where one goes, we all try to go, and concerts are no exception now that our kids have gotten older. So, in 2019, we took that connection to the next level. We committed to sharing music as a family in the most authentic way possible. We resolved to go to more live shows together and to enjoy one of the very things that makes us all so happy: Music. And we have the best times sharing music together.
In September, I wrote a piece after one such musical experience. We had the great fortune of seeing LIVE and Dashboard Confessional literally right on the sand of Virginia Beach and it was incredible. I wrote my feelings down immediately upon returning to our hotel while still riding a high that I can only get from live music. And when I read it back now, I see how it speaks to not just the bands we saw that evening, but also the way I feel anytime I attend a concert. The musicians and the words and beats of the songs matter to me. They infiltrate my mind and my heart in ways that just can’t be matched by much else in this world. Here’s what I had to say back in September:
‘When I first discovered LIVE, I was 11 years old and the ’Mental Jewelry’ album was brand new. As I sat in my childhood bedroom listening to ‘The Beauty of Gray’ on the radio, I knew I had just stumbled onto something special. It spoke to me on a level that I had never encountered before, even though I was raised in a home that always had amazing music playing. LIVE stirred something in me, and I couldn’t help but listen.
And then at 13, an album that would shape my life came out. ‘Throwing Copper’ became an instant mainstay for my twin sister and me. We learned every single word and every single beat. We made up dance moves for each song and got yelled at pretty consistently to ‘Turn it down’. In my mother’s defense, I’m sure the walls really were shaking, just as she claimed, under the crushing weight of such heavy lyrics and soulful, albeit off-key, singing. In those lyrics I found the meaning of life. Or at least I thought so.
It’s a funny thing, this memory of myself coming of age over these songs. Singing about things I had no idea about, but idealizing them with a conviction that scares Adult Lauren. How did I think I knew so much when life had hardly just begun? Did I know then just how much some of those lyrics would ring true over the next 25 years? If I had any idea, would I have done anything differently in my life? Probably not, but one could never truly say.
The last time I saw LIVE in concert I was 26 years old. Handsome Pants and I were kid-free and carefree. The world was our oyster, or at least that ballpark in which they performed in Dayton, OH was. And then tonight, it hit me. As I danced for over two hours in sand that was as cathartic as it was exhausting, I realized that it has all lead up to this. This very experience, with these very people, in this very sand, under these very stars. And as the final song played, we wrapped our arms around each other and sang along to ‘Lightening Crashes’ like I never have before. I felt every beat and clung to every word as if it was the first time I’d heard it. I squeezed my family tight and cried some cleansing tears for the 27 years that had led me to this moment and I asked God for many more years to love on and sing with these beautiful people. That night felt like a blessing beyond measure and I am so, so grateful.
‘Oh now feel it, comin' back again,
Like a rollin', thunder chasing the wind,
Forces pullin' from
The center of the earth again,
I can feel it.’
I’m sharing some pictures from our 2019 concert adventures here. I’ll caption them with who we saw and where we were. And in 2020, we aim to surpass this tally. We have plans to see some pretty big acts in cities along the eastern seaboard, including another Blue October show, Third Eye Blind, Alanis Morrisette, Green Day, Fall Out Boy, Weezer and so many others. Can you tell I've passed on my love for 90s music to the next generation? And there is no one in this world I’d rather experience any of it with. But certainly, we’d be thrilled for any of you to join us, too!
What’s the best concert you’ve ever attended? Who do you hope to see in the future? Share it in the comments! May 2019, Gin Blossoms and Collective Soul, MGM National Harbor, Oxon Hill, MD
July 2019, Sandy Patty and the Bellevue Baptist Church Choir, John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Washington D.C
July 2019, Chris Trapper opening for Rob Thomas, Rockland Trust Bank Pavillion, Boston, MA
July 2019, Ready for Rob Thomas to take the stage, Rockland Trust Bank Pavillion, Boston, MA
September 2019, LIVE and Dashboard Confessional, American Music Festival, Virginia Beach, VA
October 2019, Carrie Underwood, Capital One Arena, Washington D.C.
November 2019, Blue October, Baltimore Soundstage, Baltimore, MD
December 2019, National Symphony Orchestra with Leslie Odom Jr., John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Washington D.C
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