It's not really a secret that I'm a music junkie. I love the stuff and if I could, I would spend ALL my money on iTunes. Listening to albums with a pair of great headphones is amazing, but seeing a live performance is an experience of it's own.
Last night I had the opportunity to go to one of the best performances I've ever experienced. Every year my school hosts an end of year concert to celebrate the end of Spring semester. I went my freshman year and was pretty disappointed with Sean Kingston. This year the line up looked a bit more promising. USU was able to bring He Is We, The Ready Set, and Parachute to campus. I'm not a major fan of any of them, but I wasn't going to turn down a free concert. My friends, on the other hand, LOVE He Is We and Parachute, so I invited them to come with me. Concerts are always more fun with friends anyways.
Pre-Concert with Candalynne, Ashton, and Jayna in the adorable He Is We shirts Jayna made
He Is We and The Ready Set were okay, but Parachute blew my mind! They were high energy and seemed genuinely happy to be on the stage. I loved their performance and was so glad they closed the show! Singing and dancing along with my friends and most of the crowd made me happier than I've been in a long time. Research says that when you hear a great song or your favorite part of a song, the same hormones that get released during sex surge through your brain, which is why it can make you feel so happy and relaxed. I feel like it might be stronger for me because I love music so much. For me a great performance gets me high, though I have nothing to compare it to. Drugs scare me. I feel weightless, invincible, like every part of my body is buzzing in the best possible way. I have yet to find anything else that makes me feel like this.
Everyone enjoys music differently and I get that, but some of the crowd last night boggled my brain. There were people around me that no matter how upbeat, fast, or energized the song was DID NOT MOVE!! I'm not talking about not dancing, I literally mean they did not move. Not a head bob, foot tap, or even a smile and I just don't get it! Music has been proven to help heal and relax, which is why music is used in therapy. So how is it possible that these people looked so unhappy to be at a great show?
What are your thoughts? How does music make you feel?
There are two weekends in the music world that make my heart undeniably happy. The Grammy's and Coachella. Lucky for me, Coachella was this past weekend. Being the financially challenged college student I am, I wasn't able to go to Indio, California, but you best believe I lived on the YouTube livestreams. Without a doubt, I fell back in love with music over Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.
So what is Coachella? It's a 3 day music festival held in the Californian desert. There are numerous stages set up on a polo field and bands from all over and a couple DJ's go and play sets. I've talked to people who have gone and they say it is definitely an experience. There's a good mix of music and of course people to watch. It's been compared to the modern version of Woodstock. From what I could tell, the drugs were def there too. (We're looking at you Karen O)
This year the livestream line up was pretty solid. Metric, Tegan and Sara, Passion Pit, Phoenix, Two Door Cinema Club....and so many others. I'm pretty sure my computer almost had a meltdown from overuse. I had the shows I was not going to miss picked out, but I also decided to check out some new bands just to see what they were like. It was worth it (to my music loving soul, not my bank account.) I discovered a few new bands (Purity Ring, The Postal Service) and many new songs.
The best part of music is the ability to share it. Here's my Coachella playlist.
Metric "Gimme Sympathy": This was the first set I watched and they KILLED it! Emily Haines, the lead singer, is a little firecracker. I have never seen them play before, but I look forward to getting the chance. I've heard a couple of their songs, but this is by far my favorite.
Passion Pit "It's Not My Fault I'm Happy." This band has always just kind of been there. I've listened to some of their songs, but haven't really been a huge fan. Their set was after Metric, so I decided to watch. There's something about the truth of this song that really speaks to me for some reason.
Purity Ring "Fineshrine". Until Friday night, I had never listened to Purity Ring. Their name had been tossed around a little in some of the Indie Music things I follow, but I hadn't heard their music. I originally planned on watching the "Yeah Yeah Yeahs" who played at the same time. One song in and I was done with Karen O, but still wanted to watch livestream, so I flipped to Purity Ring. I AM SO GLAD I DID!. The group is just two people, but they are amazing. Megan, the lead singer, seemed so excited to be there and honestly grateful to be playing, which is always nice to see. This is my favorite song from them right now.
Tegan and Sara "I'm Not Your Hero." They opened their set with this song, which made me happy because it's my favorite. I wouldn't say they are the best live, but they make up in enthusiasm what they lack in live vocal skill.
The Postal Service "Such Great Heights." Every now and then The Postal Service will show up on my Pandora station, but I never really thought much of them. I decided to watch their show Saturday night. They are one of the few bands that actually sound just as good live as they do on their album. Ben Gibbard showed off his musical talents by playing guitar, keyboard, and drums during the performance. The girls in the band also had really cute shoes.
Phoenix "Rome." I first heard this French band during my freshman year. My roommate and I loved "Listomania" and every time I hear it, I think of spring and finals week (but the good aspects of it.) The coolest thing about the Phoenix set (no not the R. Kelly "Ignition" remix. That was just weird) was that lead singer got up close and personal with the fans. He was on and off that stage and crowd surfing like his life depended on it and the crowd loved it.
Two Door Cinema Club "What You Know." There were a lot of great bands and performances at Coachella, but by far the best was Two Door Cinema Club. These little Irish boys know how to perform. Their set was at midnight my time, but they jumped and danced across the stage, amping up the energy level. They were nerdy cute too, which didn't hurt.
One day I'm going to make it to the festival. Until then though, I'll rely on technology to get me there.
