Like a Bird in a Cage

If you've never been to a concert, then you need to go to one. Just make sure you know all the words to all your favourite songs before you go.

The first concert I ever went to was when I was fourteen years old. My brother took me to the Plea for Peace tour, headlined by Omaha rockers, Cursive. It also featured punk rock band Decahedron, metal group Darkest Hour, and a solo acoustic act by the very Asian Mike Park. This was before the smoking ban in Ohio, so I almost passed out from not being able to breath. That was the only bad part. That and when a mosh pit broke out during the Darkest Hour's set. We didn't even know they were playing, so that was pretty unexpected. Cursive was amazing though. I've never seen someone rock a cello so hard. I was hooked on live music.

My friends had a band, so I watched them perform a lot and that was always awesome. They were a great band. Kind of hardcore, but with a keytar. They've since disbanded, so I don't get to go to shows as often anymore. The last show I saw was The Kooks back in November on the day after Thanksgiving at the Newport in Columbus, Ohio. They're coming back in June supporting Foster the People and I really want to see that show. I actually took my best friend/little bro (we're not related in any legal or biological way); it was his first show. Now he's hooked. Originally his first show was going to be the Avett Brothers last spring when they were in Columbus. When we went to buy tickets though, the show was sold out. I posted an ad on Craigslist to find tickets and actually got a reply from a girl in Springfield who said she was to go with her little brother, but he has recently passed away. All she wanted was face value. Unfortunately, my best friend ended up having a double header with his travel baseball team that day so we couldn't take her tickets. The whole thing was very sad and somewhat mind-opening. Put things in a little different perspective.

We're both now determined to see the Avett Brothers live. We'd really like to see them in their homestate of North Carolina. The atmosphere would be immense. But we're not picky. We'll see them anywhere. I first heard of the Avett Brothers maybe a year and a half ago, not long after discovering Mumford & Sons. I wasn't interested at first though. It was the kind of music I liked, but it just didn't click. Then I heard “Kick Drum Heart” on the radio and was in love. I have almost their entire discography, save for some early EPs that are next to impossible to find. It's only been in the last several months though that I would declare them as my favourite band. They're right up there with The Beatles and Bob Dylan. The Avetts are real American music. A band everyone should listen to.

My best friend fell in love with the Avetts at Indians Opening Day 2011. We were sat in the outfield, three rows back I think. It was the Indians vs. the White Sox; the Sox won. They had a big tribute for the late Bob Feller before the game and during the video they showed they played the Avetts' “Head Full of Doubt/Road Full of Promise”. My best friend loved it. He was fourteen at the time, nearing the end of the eighth grade. Not the kind of band you'd expect a kid that age to like. He's pretty eclectic, just like me. I thought it was incredible they chose that song. This was just as the Brothers were starting to get popular. I want to make music like them. Real music. Legitimate music. Music that makes you think. Music that makes you feel.