The MonumenTour Was Monumental!
"You are what you love, not who loves you!" Fall Out Boy (Save Rock & Roll)
First off: the MonumenTour was the best concert I had the chance to go to since Paramore headlined the Honda Civic Tour in 2010! Not only did I get to rock out in the pit, only a couple of feet from the stage with my two favorite bands but I received words of inspiration. You know when you go somewhere and the person speaking seems like they took some insight from your life before forming their speech. That was the entire night for me this past Saturday.
A major theme of the night was don't give up and any dream is possible no matter how stupid it may sound. The lead singer from New Politics stated, "this all started with a stupid dream but I am here today to tell you that sometimes stupidity is all you need!" WOW! That was the start of the night. Paramore and Fall Out Boy continued with their encouragement.
After suffering from countless rejections from literary agents, jobs, and the old fashion feeling of self-doubt, this message is exactly what I needed. It was almost as if I was meant to be there other than any other place in the world. As silly as it may sound, I felt singled out from the crowd. It was an emotional experience.
Paramore lit the place on fire when they sang Last Hope, Let The Flames Begin, and Part II (it's part 2 of Let The Flames Begin) back to back. All three songs are 'keep the faith' records that will keep you holding on even when your palms are bleeding. It's safe to say that everyone in the building felt the power and energy that poured out of the band. Those performances made me feel silly that I ever even thought of giving up. Just hearing over and over the lines from Last Hope, "it's just a spark but it's enough to keep me going," rebooted the motivation that I needed.
"This is how we'll dance when,
When they try to take us down
This is how we'll sing it.
This is how we'll stand when
When they burn our houses down.
This is what will be oh glory!"-Paramore (Let The Flames Begin)
I thought I had all of the encouragement that I needed until it was time for Fall Out Boy to take on their set. Can I just say that I have always found Pete Wentz to be one of the most inspiring people of our generation? This guy has openly battled depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, and suicidal attempts and somehow still managed to stand in front of a crowd and tell them how great life is. Multiple times throughout the night Pete reminded the crowd that giving up is never an option; most notably when he said, "we were just four crummy kids from the suburban parts of Chicago, so if we can do it, so can anyone in this crowd!" My favorite part was when he said, "you just gotta remember that sometimes before it gets better, the darkness gets bigger," quoting a lyric from their song Miss Missing You from their newest album Save Rock and Roll. That lyric has always set my heart on fire but something about hearing him say it in person meant a lot more. At that point, I was so revved up, giving up was no longer on my list of options. By the time the band went into Save Rock & Roll I was ready to fist pump and chant over and over, "Oh no! We won't go! 'Cause we don't know when to quit!" Something about that part of the song is now stronger than it's ever been.
"You know time crawls on when you're waiting for the song to start
So dance alone to the beat of your heart"-Fall Out Boy (The Phoenix)
The MonumenTour was not just a concert that was meant to be fun with loads of energy. It was more than just head banging and fists pumps for me. It reminded me that you can't wait for a perfect time because there's no such thing. Like Fall Out Boy says, "dance alone to the beat of your heart." That same night Pete Wentz tweeted, "Don't stop 'til you get it." It felt like a personal message from him to me because it was exactly what I needed to hear. I needed to hear that they were only four crummy kids with a dream because I'm one crummy kid standing alone in hundreds of rejections with a dream in my head and in my heart. It was good to know that New Politics thought that their dream was too big and stupid because that is exactly how I feel. Seeing each band live out their stupid dream made me believe in stupidity and stupidity is the best motivation you can have! Don't give up until your breathing stops!