The night that made me feel young

I'm going to be honest, I couldn't tell you what songs were sung, what chords were played, what time sig the drummer was going to. But I can say that I felt young again for a brief moment. And it brought a smile to my face.

Standing at the bar in the back of the small Talking Head Club, I waited through 3 alright openers. Some were catchy, some were noisy, some I just didn't get them, but at 11:00 pm, they finally walked on-stage.

Ladies and gentleman, here was Fucked Up in flesh and blood. Looking surprisingly young, I didn't know what to expect; youthful energy and chaos, elder statesmanship of playing punk rock, or something else. Listening to their records and singles for the past year, I was expecting something that would at the very least, be epic.

And that is exactly what I got. Playing back and forth to the crowd, giving as much as they were taking, I stood in amazement at this six piece coalition. Rummaging through a multitude of songs, some I can remember hearing through the fuzz on my headphones, I could do nothing but begin to the nod to the beat, stare the band in the face, and take a step forward and join the bedlam of the pit right in front of them. Swaying through the mess, knocking people over, picking people up, I can say that was the most comfortable I have felt in a long time. Packed in with a group of strangers, not knowing one person to the next, I let go. Following the singer parade through the crowd, stand on top of the bar, swing aimlessly in the crowd, give random kids piggyback rides to and fro, I was young again. The stamina was there, the muscle were not sore, the sweat and blood did not bother me, I was young.

That is what I remember about Fucked Up, they made me feel young again. No band has done that for at least two years. And it happened for the first time on the East coast. For me, Fucked Up were transcendent. I will see them again, I will listen to them more closely, and I will be more prepared.