In my 31+ years on this earth, I've lost track of the number of concerts I've been to, to be honest. In my early to mid-20's, going to 5-7 a summer was a must, not something I felt fortunate to do. It's been since the summer of 2011 that I've actually been to a concert, and that was simply a concert-and-fireworks night at PNC Park after the Pirates played. So it's been awhile, due to work and the responsibilities of life, since I've truly experienced good music live. And it makes me all-the-more appreciative for those times, both for the music I anticipated when going to a concert, and those bands that hooked me along the way.
When I say a 'Pleasant Surprise', I'm not referring to a concert where the band you were going to see or enjoyed the most was the featured act. I'm referring to a concert where you became a fan of a band you had either never heard of before, or became a fan of after seeing them open for a band you ha previously never seen before. One of the most frustrating things about concerts in Pittsburgh with my friends was that we'ld often buy tickets to see just the featured artist play, and we'ld hang out at a Bar near the Ampitheatre where the band(s) were playing, essentially waiting for the featured band to take the stage. It makes me wonder how many bands I missed out on simply because I had friends who'ld rather have drank then seen the entire concert. That doesn't mean I didn't pick up a few gems along the way.
Back before Cold made it truly big, they were opening for Evanescence, who had just blown up themselves due to their debut album, featuring songs such as Bring Me To Life, Whisper, and My Immortal. I wasn't much an Evanescence fan, but my twin and younger sister both begged me to take them to see Amy Lee and co. for their respective birthdays, which are a month apart. I had heard of Cold before, but was unfamiliar with their music at that time, which was 2002. And I was in for quite the pleasant surprise.
Everything they played was from their recently released(at the time) album Year Of The Spider, which I ordered on EBay approximately 3.6 seconds after walking in my front door when I got home. To this day, the song they opened with, Gone Away, remains one of my favorites:
[YOUTUBE]eT44I5Ga4VQ[/YOUTUBE]
I can say with certainty that it was the first time I've seen a band live and they absolutely nailed every song they performed. My sisters were gushing on our way out the door and the entire ride home about how great Evanescence was, but my brother-in-law and I spent the drive home in our own world, discussing concurrently how it was one of the best performance's we'ld ever seen live. The passion Scooter Ward and his band-mates brought to their performance is something I've yet to experience again to this day.
I've had other 'pleasant surprises' such as this, but none quite as memorable. And to truly open this up, it doesn't necessarily have to be a concert you went to. It can be a live sporting event for a sport you previously had no interest with, an actor/actress or a movie itself you had no interest in, or even a TV show you fell in love with by accident but were pleasantly surprised by and took interest in following.
The floor is yours, just be sure to mention why it was so significant.
When I say a 'Pleasant Surprise', I'm not referring to a concert where the band you were going to see or enjoyed the most was the featured act. I'm referring to a concert where you became a fan of a band you had either never heard of before, or became a fan of after seeing them open for a band you ha previously never seen before. One of the most frustrating things about concerts in Pittsburgh with my friends was that we'ld often buy tickets to see just the featured artist play, and we'ld hang out at a Bar near the Ampitheatre where the band(s) were playing, essentially waiting for the featured band to take the stage. It makes me wonder how many bands I missed out on simply because I had friends who'ld rather have drank then seen the entire concert. That doesn't mean I didn't pick up a few gems along the way.
Back before Cold made it truly big, they were opening for Evanescence, who had just blown up themselves due to their debut album, featuring songs such as Bring Me To Life, Whisper, and My Immortal. I wasn't much an Evanescence fan, but my twin and younger sister both begged me to take them to see Amy Lee and co. for their respective birthdays, which are a month apart. I had heard of Cold before, but was unfamiliar with their music at that time, which was 2002. And I was in for quite the pleasant surprise.
Everything they played was from their recently released(at the time) album Year Of The Spider, which I ordered on EBay approximately 3.6 seconds after walking in my front door when I got home. To this day, the song they opened with, Gone Away, remains one of my favorites:
[YOUTUBE]eT44I5Ga4VQ[/YOUTUBE]
I can say with certainty that it was the first time I've seen a band live and they absolutely nailed every song they performed. My sisters were gushing on our way out the door and the entire ride home about how great Evanescence was, but my brother-in-law and I spent the drive home in our own world, discussing concurrently how it was one of the best performance's we'ld ever seen live. The passion Scooter Ward and his band-mates brought to their performance is something I've yet to experience again to this day.
I've had other 'pleasant surprises' such as this, but none quite as memorable. And to truly open this up, it doesn't necessarily have to be a concert you went to. It can be a live sporting event for a sport you previously had no interest with, an actor/actress or a movie itself you had no interest in, or even a TV show you fell in love with by accident but were pleasantly surprised by and took interest in following.
The floor is yours, just be sure to mention why it was so significant.
