live in concert

There is a certain amount of prestige and pride associated with attending a concert. That unique atmosphere of anticipation, excitement, and smug satisfaction is unfailingly found at every concert worth going to - and for good reason. Something about seeing musicians perform live is pleasantly shocking and ridiculously uplifting. You finally see for yourself the passion and genuine thrill they get from music, and this in itself is a validation; permission to be as absorbed and in love with their music as they are. It sounds ridiculous, but it's confirmation that the people who wrote and played the music you take to heart do, in fact, exist. The indulgence of listening directly to the songs or albums that have served as your own personal soundtrack is almost overwhelming, and entirely necessary. Music has a terrifying ability to overthrow any current emotion with ease, for better or otherwise, and hearing it performed live amplifies this power tenfold; you know you're finally hearing it as the musician wants you to hear it, and nothing is more beautiful than that simple truth. Having seen Wilco, I can testify firsthand. That wasn't a very cleverly disguised name drop, but you should still listen to them.

I guess what made me think of all this was Kaitlin's ongoing countdown of "Days Until We Are In the Same Room With Conor Oberst" and my inversely-proportionate ratio of excitement to the number of days left. Really, whoever thought of pairing Conor with Wilco, beautiful people with beautiful music, I love you. Congrats on being an utter genius.