once in a lifetime

it's entirely possible that i'm the worst music fan ever (the possible exception being this lady). that isn't to say that i don't like music, or that i don't know anything about band x / its members / music in general, but rather that i have a history of being decidedly unmotivated when it comes to going to concerts. case in point: i've been a fan of Bad Religion since i was 14 or so, but for some reason or another i never got around to seeing them live. i'm sure that i had a (questionably valid) reason for not going to see them on the few occasions when the opportunity was afforded, but in retrospect it seems pretty ridiculous that i went almost 10 years without going to a concert of a band that holds a solid place in my top ten.

fortunately, i managed to end this musically-apathetic streak recently when Bad Religion made an appearance at the 9:30 club in DC a few weeks ago. i went in expecting a high-energy show, but even so i was thoroughly unprepared for what actually happened. as they took the stage there was cheering, a little banter between the bad members, and the customary thanking of the crowd, pretty standard concert procedure. however, what happened next took me completely by surprise. the guitars and bass strummed a few slow, opening chords that lingered in the room, slowly dissipating into silence. but just as the final note was fading away, the opening riff of 'Fuck Armageddon' crunched to life, and the room of 1000+ people exploded into action. just as a flock of birds flying in tight formation somehow intuitively knows exactly when and how to move as one form, this room of people was unified in that moment of rock-fueled mind-melding, and what resulted from this groupthink was a pit of epic proportions. i was standing just at the brink of it, and it was truly an amazing sight to behold. the people at the front were doing their best to press as close to the stage as possible, and the people at the back were enjoying the music in relative comfort. but in the middle, in a roughly 30' x 30' area, a crowd of maybe 100 started running, shoving, and dancing with reckless abandon. i hesitate to even call it a mosh pit, for based on my personal experience, people in mosh pits seem to actually want to hurt other people in the pit. i've been at shows and seen people with black eyes, broken noses, even a broken arm once (although maybe this is more a function of awful music like slipknot or limp bizkit [ugh. even typing that makes me a little queasy] and it's predliction towards the angry / bitchy / whiny / "daddy didn't love me" mentality). however, the pit at the 9:30 club seemed to be more oriented towards, dare i say, camaraderie? noone seemed intent on actaually hurting one another, simply reminding each other of their respective presences and shared appreciation for punk rock.

all in all, great show, i'm very happy that i finally got to see them in concert. i feel just a little less apathetic than i have in the past (at least with regards to music), and perhaps in the future i'll put a more concerted effort into seeing bands i love.

here's a few pics.