A roaring applause erupted from the seating area of the Hard Rock Cafe as the performing band walked off stage. That meant one thing; we were next. My stomach felt like it was jumping up and down on a trampoline. I had only been playing guitar for two years at this point and this was my first time ever performing live. My bandmates and I were standing in the lobby waiting on the call for us to come on stage. The rest of the night had gone so fast, but whenever our instructor, Miles, signaled to us that it was our turn, the next few seconds felt like an eternity.
Guitar over my shoulder, I started to walk towards the ramp that lead up to the stage. In front of me was a giant mob of people that resembled a forest with trees so high and thick throughout that you couldn’t see the other side. We started to plod through the crowd. My shoes became heavy chains, dragging me down as I attempted to move forward. Once on stage, I glanced out at the crowd I was performing for. It couldn’t have been for more than a mere second or two, but it felt like minutes. I could see nothing but faces scattered throughout the building. There were so many people in every direction I looked and they all looked the same to me. The loud chattering mixed with music playing in the background added to the excited ambience in
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I grabbed the amp cord off of the floor and plugged it into my guitar as I stared at my feet, heart beating faster and faster. I glanced nervously at the rest of the band and they all had the same blank, nervous expression on their faces. My brain was going haywire trying to quickly go over my lyrics and chords, however, it suddenly stopped when I felt Miles’s hand on my shoulder. I turned around and he asked me if I was ready. Just as I nodded, he grabbed the microphone and introduced the band. I blanked; I can’t recall a single thing he said until he let out a bellowing, “Are you ready for Wake-Up
So we figured everything out and and figured that Alex Kramper, Tori Main, Trevor Waller, Kristen Kesler, and me were going to the concert, the next day we met at Alex’s house to all ride in the concert together in Trevor’s truck, it was a planned booze cruise through St.Louis. So I woke up early in the morning for the Saturday concert and did my chores early in the morning so I wouldn’t have to do them the next day all hungover. I finally finish all my chores and then take a shower and head out to Alex’s house dressed in rock concert material, with a Captain Morgan handle and a case of Stag.
Listening, I could hear them, the persistent sound of chatter and laughter. The roar of ambient joy rang from the house and into the ears of everyone behind the scene. You never know what to expect when you're standing backstage; you never know what's going to happen. Thousands of thoughts and worries are bouncing around your head. What if I mess up my life? What if I miss my cue? What if I forget how to speak? It isn't until that very precise moment when the audience's voices have hushed to a whisper and directly before the curtain has opened that your mind becomes clear. You forget all about the hundreds of people that came to see your show. You forget all about the friends you have in the audience just waiting for that moment when you have to do some embarrassing stunt on stage to capture it on film. You even forget all about who you are and all your worries. In that moment, you are an actor.
I knew that this show was going to be nerve wrecking, because of the prior practices. I had never felt so nervous in my life when I was waiting for my band director to call us to attention. When we did hear him, in response, all of our bodies snapped into position, very sharp and crisp. At the same time, our voices yelled out a quick “pride!” that echoed in the trees like a canyon. That was showtime, we had to show the judges what we were made of. Our feet moved and our marching band had taken the field. My line and I had marched out in silence, looking forward and never down. We landed on the forty yard line and was marking time very anxiously.
On Friday April 21, I attended Chicago, a musical performed in Griswold Theatre at American International College. The performance started at 7 p.m and I arrived at approximately 6:45 p.m. This was the first time I had ever attended a live musical performance and the first thing I noticed upon walking into the lobby of the theatre was the excitement. The audience had a buzz among it, making it very apparent that everyone was looking forward to seeing the actors hard work pay off on the stage.
This was the moment that I had been waiting for. I forgot my nerves and allowed myself to trust my training and quickly became lost in the music. At some point during the performance, it seemed I had convinced myself that the audience wasn’t even there. So, as soon as the music ended, I was almost surprised to hear the audience’s thundering applause. I was fully aware that it wasn’t a perfect performance, but I was too exhilarated and excited to care.
I remember vaguely, my stomach shaking and lips quivering. I wanted to be there and I wanted to stay there, but, in my head, something was wrong. My surroundings, the voices, and the environment just didn’t feel right to me. The place I had arrived at was where I had been hoping to go, for years, yet being there brought a different type of emotion to my mind. My assumed feeling was happiness and joy, but in the instance that I was there, anxiety and fear flooded through my mind. I couldn’t find any valid reasons as to why I was feeling this way. After all, I was only attending a concert.
As the day progressed, I was thrust into shots, band members trailed behind me—playing their instruments—and random strangers approached, shaking my hand. One, I was even sure, was actually someone’s mom.
As quick as a flash of lighting Gnash comes on stage,everyone explodes with excitement. He comes out singing a very energetic song that gets everyone dancing and singing along. I take a look around,everyone in that entire room has a smile on their face and looks truly happy, including myself. I jerk my attention back to Gnash because I don't want to miss a second of his amazing performance. As the night goes on everyone is laughing,singing,dancing, and smiling.
When you think of concerts, you think of nationwide tours by a world renowned band. You think of arenas, filled to the brim with excited fans, and merch booth upon merch booth. As you picture it in your head, you can almost feel your eardrums shattering with the combined volume of the music and the crowd. There’re laser lights, on stage theatrics and your mind is blown away as you try to put your attention onto everything at once. It’s a wonderful mental image.
The air was thick with screaming kids and a loud candance in front of us. Humidity and heat where upsetting factors. The stadium was fuller than normal because it was a special night. It was special for me too, for I was trying something new. Ready to step off, the high school advances, then middle school, and finally it's our turn. The elementary band has never been known for being able to march like the others, and that was proven correct today. We started in straight lines, pleasant to the eye. But with every step we took, they got worse and worse. With sweat forming, I looked ahead. Turning my head to the sound of the drums being struck, I see a group of kids much older than me wearing black and white. They looked so uniform and prepared for what the day had to bring. Understanding how to walk in lines and step in time was what I noticed first. I wanted to be apart of that group. I couldn't handle being with so many people who had no idea what they were doing. Just one more year and I knew I would sound,
The day started off pretty normal, well, besides the fact that we had all stayed in a house with nothing but an old Nintendo system and a couple of lawn chairs. We went to breakfast at Denny's, after which we made our way to Denver, the site of the day's big event. On our way to my cousin's apartment, we drove by the multi million-dollar complex. It had a huge billboard that said "Summer Sanitarium." To my surprise, I kind of got a nervous feeling. Why? I do not know. We proceeded to my cousin's apartment where the entire group conglomerated in preparation of the concert. We had a large group of people that consisted of Carter, Josh, Seth, Sam and his two brothers, Tim, Kim, Eric, my brother me and. While waiting for the right time to arrive at the event, we had the radio turned to a station that was playing Metallica in honor of their presence in Denver.
The time for our big scene came. We waited in the wings for our cue and finally we were pushed out on stage.
As we all waited in line to go into the concert there was a thrill of excitement in the air. I was standing there with two of my friends. when we saw a few other people we knew. " Hey, come over here!" I bellowed.
Without warning, the lights went dark. This was the moment I had been waiting for. My adrenaline went through the roof. The time had finally come that I would get to see and hear my first live concert.
Then audience members who were perfect strangers who were screaming loudest would turn to each other with knowing glances and smile because they were sharing the same excitement and connecting with one another over their love of this man’s music. There was no pushing or shoving to get closer to the stage – it wasn’t that kind of crowd. Instead, there was mutual respect for one another’s space within the confines of the too-small venue. Nobody wanted to be the person who ruined it for someone else. It was this respect that made the audience members’ connections with one another that much stronger – we were all here to listen to this wonderful man’s music and see his performance – and, of course, we were here to enjoy it.