I've always felt that music is a fundamental part of the human experience.
It’s something we all seem to have in common though in many different ways. We all have an appreciation for some kind of musical melody. We’ve all heard “that” song that speaks to us, the one that brought a smile to our face or reduced us to tears. The song that gets us up and dancing and the song that makes us crack a smile and tap our foot, even on our worst days. For me, that song has always been Louis Armstrong’s What a Wonderful World. I know a lot of people pick that one, but it really does have that effect on me. It’s a song that always gets me to grin and step back from the problems of the day, no matter severe they are. This song has been able to make me feel a little bit better on days when loved ones have been lost. If that doesn’t speak to the power of music, I don’t know what does.
Another song that always gets me is Weapon by Matthew Good. It’s an incredible song and Good’s work was always in my Walkman in high school (ask your parents). From Matt Good Band to his solo career, he’s long been one of my favourite artists and I finally got to see him play live for the first time a few weeks back with my girlfriend. We went to the First Ontario Concert Hall to see him and the Ascot Royals open for Our Lady Peace; a Canadian triple-header that made for some incredible performances that I’ll remember for a long time. It was everything a show like this should be: great new music and the greatest hits. I’d never heard of the Royals before that night, but I really dug their songs and stage presence (Evil I Know really sticking out to me) and they perfectly set-up the highlight of the night, Matthew Good.
Everything from Weapon to Wind Me Up was played, all the songs I was hoping for. I felt like a high school kid all over again, hearing Hello Time Bomb and really getting into rock like this for the first time. Our Lady Peace followed, giving a great performance with the hits I remember and some really solid acoustic moments as well. The evening closed on an encore with the bands coming back out for a few more songs. It was simply a fantastic night.
This concert really reminded me of how important music is to us as a species. Maybe it was the smaller, more intimate venue or simply the nostalgic joy of hearing a favorite song, but I kept having that thought about music being part of the human experience. Being able to hear it played live in front of you is definitely a different experience from just listening to it on your phone, so I definitely think you should go to a concert once in a while.
What’s the one song that really hits you where you live? What’s the last concert you went to? Let me know in the comments below! Oh, and I decided to finally share some videos over on D.tube! Check out this clip of Our Lady Peace covering “Hello Time Bomb” in the final moments of the show.
More to come!
O.N.