I Want Some More!

Me and my smallpools whale.

Today, I had one of the best experiences of my life. I attended the Neon Trees concert in Central Park after my classes ended with an RA. First, we met at the gazebo and got small dinners and then we all went to the park on a subway. We all got to the park a little early and for a while, my friends and I were just sitting around in the hot sun. The first act was by a very small band called Stationary Set. They're very new and lacked the stage presence that experience brings. The crowd was very relaxed instead of being pumped up. Maybe instead of doing all their original songs, they should've put a few cover songs into their set. After Stationary set finished up their performance, a band called Nightmare and the Cat came on stage to play a few of their songs from their new album. I really enjoyed their performance and I can now call myself one of their newest fans. Then, a much more popular band, Smallpools, who really got the crowd excited. At one point, the bass player, Joe Intile, threw inflatable whales into the audience and I fought a lady to stake my claim. The experience was very vicious and primitive, but it was still worth it! 

After all the opening acts, Neon Trees finally came on stage and the crowd was definitely ready for their new album. They played a couple of newer songs such as Love in the 21st Century, Teenager in Love, and Sleeping With a Friend, they also performed a cover of Human League's Don't You Want Me, and they played the song that sky-rocketed the pop band to fame, Animal. Even though the songs were brilliant, the lead singer, Tyler Glenn, added commentary between songs that made the experience even better. He talked about coming out of the closet and accepting himself, trying to find romance at age 30, and even discussing his "love" life with his mother. His talks were humorous, but also very meaningful--they made me reflect on who I was and how I'm living my life. He even crowd surfed during the concert and I got to touch him as he was moving through the crowd! 

It was a great night and I couldn't have asked for anything more out of the concert. It was extremely fun and energetic and I was able to spend it with people I care about. When I get back to California, I'm going to try to go to more live shows. Sometimes it feels like my generation has lost touch with going out to see a band perform and I am not going to fall into that attitude.