Last Saturday I ventured out to watch the Foo Fighters take over the London Olympic Stadium as part of their UK tour.
As Dave Grohl promised, they went on to ‘kick [our] butts’ with a 3-hour performance of pure rock and roll.
This was the third concert I'd been to solo and it is slowly becoming one of my favourite ways to experience live music and see my favourite artists.
Now for most of you, it might sound weird to go alone, and considering I was probably in a small percentage of fans who were there alone, you're probably right. But don't let your judgement of this cloud how liberating an experience this is.
Freedom:
Usually most of us like, and need, the company of others to go to events. It creates a safety net for someone to talk to and offers security in a large crowd.
This was me. For many years I’d been someone who wanted to go to live events with friends or family because I was too fearful of experiencing these events alone. Ohh how wrong I was.
My first solo gig was at the O2 Arena in London watching the Kings of Leon serenade us with their plethora of hits. If it wasn't for Coldplay, it would be the best concert I’ve ever experienced.
Now a lot of this could have been because I love their music and the way they perform live is extremely similar to how their recordings sound, but a large part of it was also because I had no distractions of people I knew and therefore an ability to connect with the music more personally.
There's a huge element of freedom you have alone in a venue filled with tens of thousands of people. You have sole responsibility for yourself and can decide when you want to arrive, what you want to do and when you want to go.
You also get to focus on what you came to experience. The music.
Observation:
Concerts are events of great energy and excitement and are usually filled with groups of people looking to have a great time where they can sing their hearts out.
One of my favourite things to do is turn up early and people-watch. There's something quite enjoyable about watching people come alive to music. A part of them that is rarely seen by the people appears when their favourite song is played.
Each song has meaning to someone whether it’s about someone they love, loved or lost there's huge emotion to be felt in an audience of over 10,000.
People wear their hearts on their sleeves and seeing couples embrace and connect during their favourite song reminds me of the importance of our journeys through life and the experiences we have.
Music can pinpoint events in our lives that had a great impact or moments of peace and allow us to recollect and sometimes escape the reality of our lives.
Observing thousands of people experiencing that and being a part of it is quite special.
Silence:
It might be quite ironic to talk about silence when referring to a concert but when attending solo I’ve found I remain silent for most of the time I am there. Maybe on the biggest song I might scream out the lyrics but for the rest of the time I am at peace taking it all in.
Within all the chaos, booming bass and lyrics screaming out towards me there are moments of peace as my mind switches off from the outside world and I am totally in the present moment.
You get to sit with a smile for a few hours riding off waves of energy and you get a break from the overthinking of life.
The silence allows me to process my thoughts and decompress from the day or week I've had.
Comfort Zone:
For most people, the idea of going alone to a music concert seems weird but in many ways, it is as weird as travelling solo.
In both scenarios, you have to force yourself out of your comfort zone to experience places and events and you have to be comfortable to be with your mind.
The experience of going to gigs alone has expanded my comfort zone dramatically as I’ve learnt to be at peace sitting in a stadium surrounded by tens of thousands of people without knowing a soul.
It has given me the courage and belief to know that I can go out and do what I want to do when I want to do it. I can live independently and still enjoy events at the same level or even more so than if I were with others.
Once we start to push out of our comfort zones life becomes a little more exciting as we tread into areas of the unknown. These areas are where we grow the most and learn the most about ourselves.
This is where you learn who you want to be and who you are. It's in moments like these when you see how you respond to the complete freedom you have. It's in moments like these you live presently observing the world.
So, I’ll leave you with this line from the wonderful Foo’s which seems quite fitting.
“It’s times like these you learn to live again”
I am Will Flindall, host of the Valley of Outlaws Podcast where I speak to those who have decided to take control of their life and follow a passion or instinct.
If you feel like you could be getting more from your life, then maybe one of the conversations I’ve had with the Outlaws might help you kickstart a change.
Peace x