the great equalizer

tonight embodied what i like to call "the realization of the great equalizer". it happens every now and again for me, usually once about every two to three years. it usually occurs with hanson or some musical act i hold to extremely high standards.

so what is the all seeing realization? it is the realization that great music and i mean really, really great music is just that: great music. it doesn't mean you have to marry the person who creates it. it doesn't mean they have to be single or like the same color as you or hell, even discuss their favorite color in interviews. great music is meant to be taken with a shake of the hip and a brushing off of the shoulders. let go of those bands that inspire you because of the way you want to get into bed with the lead singer (although they can be fun live, too) and hold onto the ones that just inspire you. period. full stop.

tonight was one of the most epic realizations of my life when i wound up (thankfully to a lovely friend named jill) at the same bar as taylor hanson and andrew mcmahon both of who are earth shattering musicians for me. they embody all that i imagine heartfelt music to be.

so there i was, at this bar, and it was bliss. it's nice to be reminded that great music can be a form of a religion: it's nice to just be in the place of worship. granted, the place of worship is USUALLY a concert, with an alter of musical talent spread before you and a chorus of apostles singing back the words to you, but it can be any location which reminds you of why you love the acts you love. and tonight i was reminded. i didn't need a picture or a smile or a hello or anything i just enjoyed being there. i just basked in the glory of knowing that: first and foremost, since i was 8 years old this moment in my life had been set in motion. second: that i was capable of appreciating music for what it was and appreciating the people behind the music without needing photographic proof that i do.

i don't know how to explain the moment when you realize your life is everything you've ever wanted it to be. i don't know how to describe how it feels to realize what it truly is to love some silly little piece of music some much it hurts (if you will) and i surely can't express the way in which i felt tonight but i can tell you this: when you encounter greatness in your life. whether in artistic expression or in a person or where ever you can possibly find it, you should and will be able to accept it for what it is, enjoy being in it's presence and need nothing more then to be aware that in it's presence you are something more than you ever dreamed you could be. i could have easily screamed, cried, asked for a picture or an autograph but instead i allowed myself to just enjoy remembering that greatness comes from normal people. great, normal people but normal people nonetheless. they won't remember you from the person sitting to your right in that smoky bar or venue but you will remember them and isn't that enough? fandom is a force to be reckoned with. we are faith, they don't need to see it to believe it. and i don't ever care if they do, it's good enough for me to be there, in their presence and vice versa.

maybe i'm just hoping for some talent to rub off on me.