Dear Wayne, Steven, Michael, Derek, and Kliph,
Last night I saw you guys perform
in Costa Mesa, California at the OC fair. Right now I’m visiting my friends in
LA, and a couple days ago I heard that you guys were performing, so I convinced
my friends to make the 2 and a half hour drive to Costa Mesa. I saw you guys in
my hometown at Houston Free Press in 2012 and I wasn’t going to miss a stellar
concert like that. So after beating the heat and driving through LA traffic we
were excited to be at the show.
As you
guys started to set up, I started to notice several people behind us and around
us talk really negatively about the design of the stage. I brushed it off, and
continued to wait for you guys to begin.
To my surprise, the people around
us had not quit their talking, and as the concert continued they started to get
louder and louder and say meaner things about the band. It surprised me so much
because I’d never heard of anyone hating on the band so much, because I figure
there’s a Lips song for everyone. But they kept on insulting Wayne’s voice and
the songs the band were playing. They criticized everything about the
performance and started to “boo”.
I’m a musician myself and I love to
perform. But my music hasn’t always gotten the best reactions. My lyrics have
been misinterpreted often, my voice has been butchered by people, and the
feelings I’ve tried to convey have been completely ignored. Everything these
guys were saying about you, have been said about me, and I can only imagine about
countless other artists all over.
When you guys got to “Turning
Violent”, I decided to turn around. I looked at them and said “If you guys are
just here to hate on the show, why don’t you just leave and get your money
back? You don’t have to stay here and be so fucking negative”. One of the guys in the group replied “How can
you like this band? This music sucks so much.” I said “whatever” and turned
around. I noticed that the crowd wasn’t being responsive and a lot of people
were ignoring the performance. I could only wonder if everyone in the crowd
shared the same thoughts as the people around us.
Then you guys said goodbye.
I felt so bummed in that moment. The screen flashed the word “Love”, but that’s
not the vibe I felt at all. It felt like they had gotten their way. Like their
hate had won. The concert was over.
I sat down in my chair and looked
at my friends. They seemed to also be a little down. Then I noticed a guy a
couple chairs down. He was a blonde guy, dressed in black. He kept cheering even
though everyone around us wasn't. Then he started to drum on his chair really
loudly. He looked at us and said “Come on, help me the fuck out!”
It felt like a weight had been
lifted from my heart. We started to drum with him and soon more people joined, and
then it seemed like people all over the crowd had joined us. It amazed me so
much. We kept on for a couple minutes and you guys finally came back out. I
screamed so loud and cheered for everything that was happening.
While you guys were playing “Do you
realize?” I looked at my friends. They had never heard your music until that
day, but they were jamming out and singing the songs as if they had always
known your music. They understood everything you guys were saying and it meant
a lot to me. It put me at ease and made me remember why I came to the concert.
I turned to the people behind me and said “I love you.”
And I did. I felt compassion and happiness
for everyone around me, and I felt at home in the music.
I've never had such a bad concert
experience, but that’s only because I've never heard so many critics at your
concerts. In the end, it was also the most rewarding concert experience I've
had. You guys have inspired me to continue pursuing my art and have taught me a
valuable lesson about self- expression.
Thank you guys so much and good
luck on the rest of your tour.
With love,
Anthony
No comments:
Post a Comment