Post-Euphoria

Sleeping difficulties. Thoughts running through my head and only a small portion of it is related to dissertation. Haha.. Very productive for being counter-productive.

I've been thinking about the RHCP concert that I went to last Sunday (2012.06.24). It means to me in many ways; more than seeing my favourite band live in concert with my own two eyes and having the best time of my life. It means realising one of my dreams and how empowering the whole episode felt for me.

I've always wanted to see them since high school, but unfortunately, the chances of them coming to Indonesia were and still are pretty slim. When I knew they were to perform here in UK, the high schooler me would choke me to death if I throw away the chance. I couldn't believe my luck; if I weren't given this scholarship and if they weren't supposed to fly to UK, this high school dream would probably rot and die. So I did my part.

The ticket, transportation and accommodation set me back around £100. Not cheap, at least for me. It's not the financial setback that worried me the most, but the fact that I was about to go alone to a place I had never been to, no one within that area to fall back to (in case of emergencies), to rock out with no one I know (what if I get trampled and there's no one there to save me?). Plus, I'm a bit at disadvantage: I'm a short female foreigner and English isn't my first language. For some, it's no big deal. Me, I had no experience at all on this. Taking all this into account, I know what the risks are. I played some bad scenarios in my head and thought how to tackle them, making sure I didn't chicken out.

Of course, scenarios aren't always spot-on. On D-Day, Sunderland's sky took several heavy piss on us and luckily stopped in time before RHCP came out. Due to bad "weatherproof" jacket, apart from my head, chest and back, everything else was drenched. It seemed to be a minor discomfort at the time, but when you feel cold and smell like a hobo afterward, it's just not fun anymore. Not to mention other health and social issues it may cause you.

I can still remember the look of the construction worker gave me when I was walking to Edinburgh Waverley train station for a shortcut to my hostel. It was chilly (the weather) and suspicious (the look). I couldn't blame him; it was 3 am when I came back from Sunderland.

Weather complaints (and lack preparation thereof?) apart, it was one of the best moments ever in life. My fave band, few ten metres away from me, rocking the stadium. The crowd is as crazy as I thought it would be and I took several unintentional painful physical momenta. What I didn't expect was the crowd, or at least people around me, made sure everyone is having a good time. The much older and bigger guy next to me made sure me and the girls in front of me are alright. The guy a few feet from me made space so the guy (a complete stranger to him) beside him who just went to the toilet would stand in the same place. Bottom line: true fans (and true concert goers) connect and share happiness eventhough they're strangers.

All of these exciting things would be all the more better if my friends were there. To tell the truth, I'm normally not the kind of person who would watch a movie by myself, let alone going solo to a concert. I never thought I'd have the gut to go to a concert abroad alone and have fun, but I did. I gladly took the risks and endured the (slight) downside because I'd regret it more if I didn't go. Sunderland was outside of my comfort zone and the results of going out of it were beyond expectation that I can't help but feel empowered. 

And proud as hell at that. Now I, or my future husband, can say this in the future:

"Kids, in 2012, your mother went on her own in a foreign country far from home to catch her rockstar heroes in concert despite the torrential rain and being smaller than the rest of the people. And she had one of the greatest time in her life."