When I think back to high school, my fondest memories come from the dozens of concerts I attended with my best friends. I spent the majority of my time back then sharing new bands and artists with my friends and saving money to go see those bands live. I’ll never forget the memories I made at these shows and just listening to certain songs bring me an indescribable feeling of nostalgia.
I saw one of those bands, Twin Peaks, live a few weeks ago for the first time in three years, and it was there that I realized just how important the music I listened to back then is to me.
I attended the show with one of my best friends from high school that has still remained one of my best friends. I remember listening to their album, Sunken, with her in the car when we both first began driving and it became our go-to driving album.
Seeing a band like that again is a weird experience because there were younger people in the crowd that reminded me of myself and my friends. It took me back to having to convince my parents to drop us off at a concert venue one to two hours away and proceed to wait for me until the concert was over. It reminded me how grateful I am to have parents that are willing to make an effort like that because I know it wasn’t always convenient.
The younger people in the crowd made me feel old. I’m probably not much older than them, but I know how that music makes them feel and I know how they’re feeling because I felt the same way. I still feel the same way, but it’s just slightly different now.
It’s also strange to hear how the band’s music has evolved. Most bands tend to stick to the same kind of sound but they improve and adjust to a somewhat different sound. It’s interesting to hear their old music sprinkled in with their new music during a set because the growth becomes so evident.
In high school, my friend and I had designated one song specifically as “our song” and towards the end of the concert, they performed it. The song is called Irene and it’s pretty, mellow song that was perfect to drive to when the weather was nice. We danced with each other and both felt the same way we felt junior year. In that moment I realized that without this music my friend and I wouldn’t be as close as we are today. She’s one of the most important people in my life and part of the reason I’m lucky enough to call her my friend is because of this band and the other bands we constantly had played in our speakers.
Seeing one of your old favorite bands live again reminds you how much has changed in such a short amount of time but allows you to reflect on how much growth took place. Nostalgia is a weird feeling because it can be either good or bad. In this case, the nostalgia that a concert brings is a good feeling and since then I’ve not only rediscovered a band, I’ve rediscovered a part of myself that I’ve been neglecting.