A New Era

inspired by a concert that I went to

The band hadn’t played a live show for more than a decade. Each person having taken their own route for a while, becoming successful solo performers, but none of them made it as famous as they were together. Times changed and technology advanced, changing the music industry in an innumerable amount of ways. Their greatest hits could still be heard on the “modern” music stations, just mixed differently and with a stranger talking over their hard work, but because of one newer performer they were still very well known, even amongst the younger crowd.

It was dark backstage, making it a dangerous obstacle course of wires and Techies. Lights momentarily flashed backstage from the performance that was currently going on. Twenty something kids, jumping about failing arms and legs alike, screaming incoherently. Today’s music was a mystery. Applaud and cheering shattered the second of silence after the deafening music stopped,  showing that even though it was strange to the older band, it was loved and adored by the children.

The cheering continues for several moments before lights turn on backstage and music plays from their pre-selected list. The cheer eventually erodes away, leaving a rumble of voices behind as people talk with their friends or complete strangers. The band that had been on stage now carefully makes their way through the jungle that was this audio and visual nightmare. Smiles are worn with earnest on the young faces and are quickly changed to awe. The singer reaches out his hand, “Good luck, not like you guys’ll need it, I think the crowd might be ready for you.” Our drummer worked his way past them to his seat.

Minutes passed, sound faded, the backstage lights went out while the fore stage ones came on. I strummed my guitar, feeling the vibrations through the fingers on my left hand, starting one of our most famous songs, the one in fact that was mixed over and became famous again. People screamed and cheered loud enough to shock all of us still backstage.

I began to sing, “Captain Clark welcomes you aboard,” my rich voice carrying in a slightly ominous way. “This journey on Flight 23, good ladies and lords.” People went crazy that night, over this return of ours. Now that we were on stage, and song followed song, I could look out and see that there was more than twenty something kids, there were also people my own age, the ages vaired from those young enough to having grown up with my music, to being old enouh to be their parents.

The last song began, a slower one. Not five seconds in to it lights began to appear in the crowd. It was nice to see some things never changed as people held up lighters. I focused for a second beyond the words now escaping my mouth on the people before me and what they held up. It truly is a new era, those lights were cell phones, not lighters, what an interesting twist.