The Dismemberment Plan, part 2

They were smiling. I was smiling. Everyone in the crowd was smiling. Not just an expression on our faces; it was a feeling in the air, radiating from our bodies. Any band could reunite and perform a handful of sold out shows, but The Dismemberment Plan did it with so much obvious grace and pleasure that what songs or how long they played weren't factors in the equation. Travis stood at the mic to say 'hello' to everyone, and his face was absolutely beaming. Something I hadn't imagined over the years I'd been proclaiming them as my favorite band was how much fun they had playing in front of an audience. It brings a tingle to my face just picturing him standing there. He looked out at the crowd in a way that was pure appreciation. There weren't an embarrassed slew of 'thank you for coming out's or 'we're doing these shows because's, just a simple story about his nephew seeing "uncle Travis" on TV (they had perfmored on Jimmy Fallon a month earlier) before the opening keyboard notes to "Spider in the Snow".

The earthquake that sound sent down my spine is unexplainable. A band whose songs I'd listened to more than any others was performing right before my eyes. I was struck with the sort of awareness you only achieve when you realize you are experiencing something that you will never forget. I couldn't - wouldn't - stop myself from singing along. The tears that came to my eyes were a mix of awe, emotional resonation and sheer happiness. I could only akin the experience to seeing LCD Soundsystem this past October, but whereas their music specifically connected me to the summer of 2010, The Plan's impression spans my entire adult life.

Now, simply remembering that night sends a surge of excitement through my body, wishing I could live those moments again and again. I have added a piece to my life's puzzle that I never thought I would; that I wasn't even aware was on the table. I have discovered not only satisfaction, but that some of my life's possibilities are still unseen, and there for me to find.