After packing up my truck we were so eager to head out. Our drummer’s dad was having a party and needed some music. He had asked our band to entertain them for the night. This would be one of our first chances to play in front of a crowd. Even though this was not some huge concert like Warped tour we were going to be playing at, there was still an impulsive feeling of excitement as we prepared ourselves for the night. When we arrived we scoped out the back yard. Who knew his house would be a perfect scene for a concert? As you looked out the back of his house, two small hills laid side-by-side, creating a small valley where they met and were complemented with a pool of brown, crackling leaves. Trees straight ahead and creeping to the left created a wooded back drop, except the two outcasts. Standing on each of the hills was a single tree with a zip line going from one end to the other. The crackling leaves created a perfect landing zone for the end of the ride.

Winter was coming up soon and you could already feel his presence approaching. During the day the sun, a bright bulb of light, allowed the property to be visible and had that true fall feeling. As it became dark the ground turned into a canvas of black, forcing you to squint and stumble around if you wandered too far from the glow of the camp fire and the light that was escaping through the windows.

Waiting for nightfall, we just hung out, swam in the leaves, and set up our stage. Our drummer’s dad had pulled a flatbed trailer about the size of a small fishing boat around for us to set up on. We made a small fire behind it to keep warm when playing. After the sun had gone down my guitar was ice on my skin and the strings became razor blades to my fingers as I pressed down to strum the notes. When the drums pounded and the bass guitar roared you could feel it in your chest. Being on stage is so much different than being in the crowd.

None of our songs were actually fully completed. We needed a singer so we did not write any lyrics to our songs. We enjoyed playing punk/metal instrumentals whether they sounded good or not. When you are playing to a group of intoxicated adults none of that matters anyways. They just started throwing money into an open guitar case we had sitting in front of the stage. I believe we made about thirty dollars when it was all over.

Even though the night had an arctic chill, the experience outweighed the pain of not being able to feel my feet. This is a simple example, yet, it still relates that sometimes you have to overcome pain or discomfort to achieve or experience something you dream of doing.

The whole day is still very clear in my mind. I do not think I will ever forget it. Hanging out with your friends and band all day, then jamming together at night, creates a sense of connection that can not be created any other way.