> CD #72: No guilty pleasures

Last week I did a manuscript consultation with a 21-year-old who was working on her third novel, part of a fantasy trilogy. The writing was a little rough, but she was very receptive to my feedback and genuinely interested in learning how to make her piece better. (This is not always the case.) I’ve been thinking about her a lot, partly because of her unpretentious vibe and total willingness to develop her voice, but also because she was wearing a Joy Division t-shirt.

I would like to wear a Joy Division t-shirt—but that would break my hitherto unwritten rule that I will only wear a band tee if I’ve actually seen them live in concert. It is a silly rule, but I rely on this kind of nonsense to maintain a semblance of order in a chaotic world. Plus, rules and limitations are my jam.

A good concert is transcendental, I think, because when you experience live music, you not only hear the sound, but you feel its waves pulsing around and through your body. And the body can’t help but respond in a deep, primal way.

Here are my top five concert experiences, in no particular order:

• U2 (BC Place, Vancouver, 2017) — It was their first stop in a worldwide tour commemorating the 30th anniversary of The Joshua Tree album. I don’t believe in guilty pleasures when it comes to music, so while U2 is beyond passé, their early work still gets me every time. The first few bars of “Where the Streets Have No Name?” Come on. It is the only stadium concert I’ve ever been to, but it somehow felt intimate because of my close relationship with each song. The Joshua Tree was the soundtrack of my childhood (that, and maybe Huey Lewis’ Fore!—no guilty pleasures, remember?). Plus, it’s very rare to see a band play through an entire album from start to finish. 10/10 recommend.

• Stars (Vogue Theatre, Vancouver, 2018) — I’ve seen Stars live three times, but this was the best one. The setlist included all but one of my favourite songs by them, including “Hold on When You Get Love,” “Dead Hearts,” “Elevator Love Letter,” and “Wanderers.” The band was loose and giddy that night, and the venue, a fancy old theatre, was made for them. The only damper on the evening was the couple standing next to me who left before the last song in order to “beat the traffic,” which means they left just before a mind-blowing performance of “Your Ex-Lover Is Dead.” I’m not sure I can ever forgive them.

• Suzanne Vega (Richard’s on Richards, Vancouver, 2007) — My brother and I flew out to see Suzanne Vega years ago in a small, legendary club that no longer exists. She gave a stripped-down performance focused on the purity of her voice and the force of her lyrics. Even then, I remember thinking how lucky we were to witness it.

• Blue Rodeo (Wyckham House Student Centre, Calgary, 2001) — Why yes, I have attended concerts in my own city, sometimes even in what was essentially a glorified food court, lol. This concert stands out because of the way it ended—or rather, its endlessness. Instead of sticking to the standard two-song encore, the band just kept responding to the audience’s cries for more, returning to the stage again and again. Nobody wanted to leave.

• Japanese Breakfast (3TEN ACL Live Theater, Austin, 2022) — The band was the final act in a standing-room only, three-hour showcase of varying talent, and I was exhausted by the time they went on, but it was worth the wait. Michelle Zauner is the real deal. I don’t think I’d ever seen an Asian woman command a crowd (many of whom were also Asian women) like that before. She was bold, powerful and joyous. Walking back to the hotel through the streets of Austin at 1:30 a.m., tired out of my mind, I felt lighthearted for the first time in years.

Wearing a band tee can leave you feeling a bit vulnerable (see: Haruki Murakami and his Ramones shirt) because you’re inviting public judgment on something quite personal. But it is 100% worth the scrutiny when the shirt points to a transformative experience—a reminder that, sometimes, we feel most like ourselves when we are a tiny voice in a crowd of others, all singing along to the same song.

:) Teresa

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