That was a direct quote from me last weekend as we attended JazzFest in New Orleans.
I’m not saying that simply going to concerts is a replacement for therapy. Let’s make that clear up front.
What I was referring to was the healing power not only of music but also of the shared experience with a crowd of similarly minded people.
Let me share a couple of examples.
- On Friday evening, I watched Lorde perform “Liability”, a beautiful song about being too much for other people, and how they pull away. It’s heartbreaking to listen to and to see her performing it. It was also heartbreaking to realize that tens of thousands of people were singing along because the subject matter resonated with them. Tens of thousands of people who feel like they are too much for other people. The irony hit me hard. Yes, many of the audience members were young women, as you might expect, but it resonated with plenty of folks who are not, myself included.
- I also got to watch many of those same people sing along to “We’re on each other’s team,” most of them singing it to the people they were with, which seemed like the perfect antidote.
- On Saturday, Stevie Nicks sang Landslide. Another experience that broke me a little bit. It was nice of her to conjure up rain at the time so we all had some plausible deniability about the tears shed, but it was still a song that resonated with tens of thousands of fans. Again, the irony of so many people who likely feel along with their feelings being in the same space as that many other people who also feel alone with their feelings.
- There was also a rainbow in the sky when Stevie sang “Don’t Stop (Thinking About Tomorrow),” which, again, seemed like the perfect antidote and a healing moment.
Those moments stand right alongside seeing Frank Turner earlier in the year sing about being at a show, “This is my culture, man, this is my home,” and watching the smaller crowd feel every word of the Silversun Pickups’ Circadian Rhythm (Last Dance) as they sang “There’s nowhere else to go, stay with me.”
Every one of these was a shared experience. It wasn’t just me sitting alone at home feeling the things that this music brings to the forefront; it was a whole bunch of strangers and me, who I may never see again, but who shared this moment of humanity with me.
I think we have a loneliness epidemic because we don’t have enough of these moments. I’m glad I have prioritized them in my life. I also recognize that not all of you can make it to New Orleans and pay the ticket prices for some of the shows I just mentioned. That’s ok. Find a free concert in the park or a local pub with live music. Make time to drop by local festivals that cost little to attend, just to vibe to some music and be with other people. Because we need each other, even if it’s just to remind ourselves that I’m not the only one who feels like too much, and if there are others, we can be too much together.
That’s the thought that occurred to me while listening to Lorde. There are a lot of people who struggle the same way I do. There’s comfort in that.