By Janet A.

I went to the No Doubt show last night. It was my first concert in over a year, and one that I had been counting down for. I’ll admit the opening act, Paramore, was the true reason for my ticket purchase but by the end of the night, I was filled with something more than just the joy of seeing two great female-fronted bands.

It was my first time sitting in upper deck (a.k.a. the nosebleeds), so the view itself was something brand new. As I belted out the words to Let the Flames Begin, I stood there and stared at the crowd. From up there I could see the entire floor crowd, bouncing up and down, like tiny little ripples in an ocean. It was like nothing I’ve ever seen before. Throughout Paramore’s 50 minute set I, along with fellow fans, became enthralled, caught in some sort of excited trance, that made us all wreck our voices and dance so hard we’ll probably end up with hip problems.

After their set was over, it was time for No Doubt to come out. My ears were ringing from the crowd’s excited screaming. The intro music started playing and the place went absolutely berserk. The band members’ silhouettes danced across the white curtain in front of the stage as the the green, red and blue stage lights ran across the crowd.

From my seat I could see the entire place, get up from their seats, screaming and dancing like the world was going to end tomorrow. Once the curtain dropped and Gwen Stefani began to sing, it seemed the entire universe had disappeared and all that was left was this place, these people, this moment and this music.

It was at this concert, sitting up in my upper deck seats that I saw the true power of music. About 9,000 people from different backgrounds and walks of life, all different ages and interests gathered together for one common love: music. The music that moved all of their bodies and moved their lips. It was something extraordinary to be apart of. And it amazes me that a group of musicians write out their emotions, put them to sound, and somehow it results in such a captivating experience for this crowd. This crowd left whatever differences or life issues they had at the door. They came, they danced, they sang and basically lost themselves in song.

“This is how we’ll dance when, when they try to take us down, this is how we’ll sing out.” – Let the Flames Begin, Paramore.

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