Dear Readers,
Thanks for taking the time to give some of your valuable attention to my latest ponderings. Follow this link if you’d prefer to listen. It might have to be brief today as I’m low in energy because of the dreaded Corona virus. It has taken a lot out of me, but I do feel a shift taking place that will hopefully see me right as rain in no time. And to think that I was on such a high this time last week after one of the best weekends I’ve ever had in my life! But isn’t that just how life is? The highs and lows. Who can live without them – I ask in all honesty!
What mosh pit?
When we managed to secure tickets earlier this year to the highly anticipated Coldplay concert which was organised by our state premiere as a way to stimulate the local tourism economy, we couldn’t quite believe it. The booking system took a powerful hammering as soon as it opened, and the 67,000 tickets sold out within about ten minutes. Himself and I were both logged in to the race from different computers in the house and he won! When we told the kids that we all had one of the highly coveted tickets, they jumped around the kitchen with joy. But that was way back in the year. Life went on and it sank into the furthest recesses of my mind. It was only a couple of weeks ago that my daughter asked me how I felt about going into the mosh pit. I looked at her stupidly. What mosh pit, I asked her. She said she was a bit worried about me, that I might not enjoy being with 15,000 other Coldplay fans, many of whom would be drinking and/or under the influence of drugs and acting accordingly. She had visions of me being squashed, definitely having my feet trampled on, and no doubt struggling – all five feet two inches of me – to see above heads to even glimpse the superband in action. I suddenly had this uncomfortable feeling wash over me like a wave of seasickness. When was the last time I was even at a big concert like that? Oh, yeah, I can just about remember now, it was the Eagles in Dublin sometime in the nineties – I was heavily dosed up on alcohol and weed myself so I would’ve been well numbed to the potential threats that come with being in the middle of a massive crowd.
The gift of awareness
I am indebted to my daughter for sharing her concerns that day. She has become a regular concert goer in recent years and being in the mosh pit is second nature to her by now. Isn’t it just brilliant though that she is able to imagine how it might be challenging for some people, especially an old fart like me? I realise now that in expressing what she did that day she gave me the gift of awareness. She gave me the opportunity to contemplate how I might feel in those circumstances and what I might be able to do about it. Without that contemplation, I’m not sure I would have been able to enjoy myself as much as I did. While I’m all for living in the now, being grounded in the present moment, I am also a strong proponent of being well prepared. If we spend a little bit of time anticipating the challenges we might face in life, we can build up our mental, physical, and spiritual strengths to help us get through them. There’s no point in worrying about the future, but there is plenty point in being prepared for it. There is much comfort and peace to be had in the present moment when we know that we have done our very best to protect ourselves against the things that are within our control and then, beyond that, to trust that everything will be okay. Here I am with my gorgeous daughter queuing up with thousands of others about five hours before Coldplay came on stage.
Everything was more than okay!
As it happened, the whole event from start to finish was like a dream. I couldn’t have imagined that it would go as well as it did. Having gone into it with my eyes wide open, a heart full of hope, and a head full of acceptance about what would be would be, I was overwhelmingly surprised. Himself and I danced for six hours non-stop. The support bands were brilliant in their own right, but halfway through the third act I was ready for Chris Martin and friends to appear on the stage just ahead of me. I was so excited because I could actually see the performers on stage. I was beside myself at the thought that I was going to be so close to the man who has sang most of the best songs that make up the soundtrack of my life over the past twenty years, basically the soundtrack of my marriage.
I remember training for my first marathon with Himself back in early 2003 and sharing headphones as we ran side-by-side with Coldplay providing the rhythms from my MP3 player. Years later we had their songs blasting during long car rides with the kids, so that by the end of the trip the kids knew all the words off by heart. When my daughter started piano lessons at the age of seven, the first song she asked her tutor to teach her was Clocks. Matilda learnt to play and sing it and even entered a talent show at school with it. So, you can see, this band has been an integral part of our family music life. What I also loved about this concert was the general demeanor of the crowd that it attracted. While there was drinking going on and I could smell weed everywhere, the patrons were generally very civilised and kind to one another. I was glad that I wasn’t drinking or smoking weed. There are two main reasons for that. One: I didn’t have a full bladder and not once did I have to push against 15,000 people to get to a toilet and then push my way back in the hope of finding my family in the crowd again. Two: I remember every single moment of the event. Check out the photo of the stadium for perspective. If you can see the black dot that I added just to the left and close to the stage… that’s where I was within the mosh pit with my family!
Perth, November 18th 2023
Higher Power
The band opened with their song Higher Power as the lights on our snazzy complimentary wrist bands lit up in synch with the music. The crowd went insane. Huge colourful beach balls were released into the mosh pit and people bounced them in the air to and from each other. Everybody felt the love and sang with all their might as the meaning of the lyrics went deep into their hearts, as though finding joy again after being in a dark place. It just confirmed how connected we all are through our shared suffering, and our shared joy.
At one point, Chris Martin spoke to us to acknowledge the love that he felt in the 67,000-strong crowd. He said that despite the awful things that happen in the world everyday, in this space where we were gathered in harmony, all these people were joined together in love and joy. It was truly magical. I loved that my kids were there to feel it too. They told me afterwards that it was the best night of their lives so far!
Everyone is an alien somewhere
People were wearing Coldplay t-shirts they’d obviously bought from the ‘merch’ tents on the way in which had the words ‘Everyone is an alien somewhere’ emblazoned across the front. Coldplay’s world tour is called Music of the Spheres, as illustrated by the featured photo which is a screen grab from one of my many videos. By getting us to to focus on the outer world of the universe, it aims to explore the human experience and encourages us to look at what unites us, not what separates us.
I’ve been saying it for years that it will take aliens to finally reveal themselves to us for humanity to pull together as one. If indeed there is such a thing as alien life. We just don’t know, do we. I prefer to remain open-minded about that and live in a state of wonder and awe at the incredible universe that we are such a tiny part of. It is worth celebrating this wonder whenever we can.
I wish you all the best, that you live in a state of awe and wonder and feel joy whenever you can. Until next time, take good care of yourself. Love, Gill x
