avatarSude Hammal

Summary

The author was excited to attend their favorite band's concert, Green Day, after years of anticipation, but the pandemic led to the event's postponement twice, causing mixed emotions and a reflection on the unpredictability of life.

Abstract

In September 2019, the author was thrilled to learn about their favorite band Green Day's upcoming worldwide tour, a chance to fulfill a long-standing dream of attending a live concert. Despite previous missed opportunities, the author, now grown and settled, secured tickets for a June 2020 concert in Milan, Italy, alongside their sister. The anticipation was palpable as they planned every detail, from attire to potential on-stage participation. However, the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020 led to the concert's initial postponement to 2021, and subsequently to 2022, due to ongoing global health concerns. The author's emotional journey oscillated between devastation, acceptance, and a philosophical outlook on the transient nature of plans and dreams.

Opinions

  • The author has a profound emotional connection to Green Day, stemming from their teenage years, viewing the band as a source of comfort and identity during formative times.
  • Despite the author's music taste evolving, Green Day remains significant in their heart, though not as frequently listened to currently.
  • The author initially underestimated the severity of the pandemic, believing it would pass quickly, but later acknowledged the necessity of postponing the concert for public health and safety.
  • The repeated postponements led to a mix of disappointment and understanding, with the author recognizing that enjoying the concert in a chaotic environment would be challenging.
  • The author reflects on the pandemic's impact, considering themselves fortunate compared to others who faced worse circumstances, while also acknowledging the personal heartbreak of delayed dreams.
  • The experience has taught the author not to take plans too seriously and to accept life's unpredictability, suggesting that over-attachment to future events can lead to mental distress.
  • The author remains hopeful about the concert happening in 2022 but chooses not to dwell on it, adopting a more flexible and accepting approach to the future.

I Was Finally Going To Go to My Favorite Band’s Concert, Then the Pandemic Happened

Two times postponed concert and crushed hopes.

Photo by alex bracken on Unsplash

It was September 2019. It feels like yesterday, yet it almost has been 2 years since that day, which still shakes me to the core.

My favorite band from my teenage years announced they were going to do a worldwide tour. As soon as I got the news, I was certain I would attend that tour.

I’ve missed plenty of their tours and concerts already. I never really got the chance to attend any of their concerts. Now was the time to finally go there and have the time of my life.

You tend to have a strong connection with the bands you’ve listened to during your teenage years. After all, they were your shield to all the hardships you’ve faced; they were the cure to your self-consciousness and your teen-hormone induced life crises.

They were the bands you went crazy about when talking about them with your friends. Even if you don’t enjoy their music now as much, you have a special emotional connection with those bands and their music.

That one band for me was Green Day. Back then, I was crazy about them, not just about their music but their whole existence as a band. I knew all the lyrics to their songs, I would blast the songs at high volume and sing to them at the top of my lungs and bothered my sister while doing so. I knew all the trivia about the band. I still have on my bookshelf all their albums in CD format.

Yet I never was able to go to any of their concerts. In their more than 30 years of career as a band, they went to many places, but they just couldn’t come over to my country. And because of my age, I couldn’t travel to see them live, it was just impossible. Even if I traveled, no one would come with me anyway.

That’s why when they announced in late 2019 they were going to do another worldwide tour in 2020, which still didn't include my country, this time, all grown up and having my life settled, I was determined to go to this concert. Even my sister was willing to travel abroad with me to see them.

As we heard the news, we quickly purchased 2 concert tickets, on June 15th, in Milan, Italy. We were going to travel to one of my favorite countries to see not only my favorite band — which was more than enough by itself — but also another great band, Weezer. I was screaming with joy and started to make plans about the concert already.

In the coming months, I daydreamed about the concert. I pondered on what clothes I would wear for the concert. I decided to practice and hone my electric guitar skills in case Billie Joe Armstrong would invite me over the stage — they are known for inviting their fans on stage to play their songs in their concerts.

I considered the merch I’d purchase or the banner I would prepare if I decided to prepare one. I replayed their albums over and over to get myself back to the sensations I felt at the height of my fandom to their music. We even got our hotel room and plane tickets to Milan with my sister in advance. Everything was all set.

Then, In March, the pandemic happened. I even remember Italy being one of the 4 countries that were highly impacted as the world was introduced to Covid. I still thought the pandemic would pass in a few weeks. I couldn’t comprehend the seriousness of the situation just yet.

In the coming months, as the situation was becoming worse and worse, I started to get anxious to hear from the band what they’ll do about the concert. Would they be able to make the concert in such circumstances? Would this situation worsen even more?

In May, they announced they wouldn't be able to do the concert in 2020 and postponed it to 2021. I was devastated by this at first as I waited to see them for years and years, and this pandemic happened when I was finally going to see them, like a big joke.

I bawled my eyes out, not understanding the situation and being overly emotional. But when I came to my senses, I understood that postponing was the sensible thing to do. I thought all of this madness would be over in 2021 already and I would enjoy my concert a year later. Oh boy, was I wrong.

Fast forward to this year, 2021, as the pandemic was still continuing to happen all over the world in all of its seriousness, I was already hopeless about the odds of the concert happening. This time, I wasn't enthusiastic to go anyway, as the environment was still chaotic. I thought I wouldn’t be able to enjoy the concert in such an environment.

And again, approximately a month ago, they announced they will postpone the European concerts to 2022, yet they decided to do the U.S part of the tour. I wasn't mad this time. I understood. I could patiently wait till 2022 and have a proper concert experience instead of being anxious about getting infected with coronavirus and prepare myself for the concert in the midst of this chaos.

The saddening part is, I don't even listen to them that often anymore. As I grew up, my music taste has reformed, and I listen to different stuff. I was mad because I missed my chance to see them at the height of my fandom.

I still have a special place for them in my heart, but I just don't listen to them that often. They were an amazing part of my teenage years, but their music doesn't create the same effect in me now.

Does this mean I won't have the time of my life when I finally go to that concert? Heck no. It will be the time of my life, you can be sure of it. But it’s still heartbreaking that my years-long dream is getting delayed further and further and there’s not much I can do about it.

You might think boo-hoo, first-world problems, grow up girl. Yes, not being able to go to a concert during the pandemic may be the least of the problems where most people deal with much worse. It’s really no big deal. And I acknowledge all the pain people went through. I consider myself from the lucky ones in the course of the pandemic.

Even if a lot of shitty things happened in my life and my mental health took another low probably like anybody else in this period, I know there are people who went through much worse. I’m aware of that, and I’m grateful for spending this time with my close ones, safe and sound, even having the chance to be productive with my time.

But this doesn't change the fact that my heart broke a little because my years-long dream still didn't happen. Thinking that I was so close to it.

But life happens. You can’t control what the trajectory of your life is going to be like. You’ll make exciting concert plans and then boom, a totally unthought, unexpected event happens that affects people worldwide.

Maybe this was the reminder that I shouldn't take things too seriously. Plans can crumble and fall apart. Don’t always dwell on future plans.

The concert will likely happen in 2022 as the world is getting vaccinated and the cities are opening up once again. But I don’t dwell on it. I don’t know what’s going to happen next, and I can’t meticulously plan my future.

Maybe, don’t wish for something like your life depends on it, because life may have other plans for you, and then you may feel crushed.

Life can go unexpected, and crash your dreamy plans down. And you’ve got nothing else to do than accept, go on with your days, and don’t take anything too seriously to not harm your mental health. As cliche as it sounds, everything happens for a reason, so don’t hurt yourself over these matters. This was the lesson I’ve extracted after such an experience.

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Music
Concerts
This Happened To Me
Travel
Pandemic
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