One good thing about music...

I've had quite an amazing spring break...and much needed it was. On Sunday night I had the extreme pleasure of seeing Interpol for the second time in Raleigh. This show was better than the last, which was last year. I went with my sister again who has always been a great concert buddy. I came across a guy's website who had a photo pass for the show and he got some amazing shots. Some of the best ones are at the end of this post. My sister and I were about 10 feet back, stage left roughly in front of Carlos.

Live shows are what keep me going. When I saw Interpol this past Sunday it allowed me to escape into another world that I can usually only do in my car or my room by listening to a CD. A live show allows me to become part of the music in a way that I have trouble putting in to words. For a brief hour or so, I am transported to another world where the landscape is smoke and lights and the soundtrack in the music that I love. From the opening organ intro to the last thumping bass line of the closer, a show like Interpol's is escapism at its best.

Very few bands have been able to do that for me both in person and in my CD player. The emotion is flowing like a raging waterfall and for that hour, I forget exactly what city I'm in, what my purpose is, and what my future holds. Such a prime opportunity to lift above the world for a short moment is one that I cherish. Both times I've seen the band, in a way, has had a great impact on my life. While they are just a band of four guys and nothing more, their music has the ability to cut through me like nothing else and shine lights in parts of my mind that I didn't know existed. When I hear the opening guitar chords of "Untitled" I know that life is good and that it only gets better.

Interpol has been accused of making music to kill yourself by. I see it quite differently. It's all in the interpretation. I close my eyes a few times during the show and really listen and try to process what I'm hearing. I'm hearing the soundtrack of my past, my present, and my future. Even with my eyes closed the flashing strobes and red stage lights pound my brain into oblivion and back again. When the generic "thank you...goodnight" is mumbled into the mic by Paul in a melancholy tone, I picture for a moment that he is just as sad to leave us as we are to see him go. Interpol has grown to define my college career in many ways. Whenever I hear one of their songs from now on I'll think of all the late nights studying, the worrying, the procrastinating, the sleepless nights, the early mornings, the long runs, and the hurt feelings. But I wouldn't change one chord.

"One good thing about music, is when it hits you you feel alright."
--Bob Marley