“Are you Michael Jackson?” asked a shy, young kid. We were waiting to tour Rickwood Caverns yesterday with the children from work. I was confused by his question, and I responded the only way I know how - snarkily.
“Do I look like Michael Jackson?”
He thought a moment.
“Kinda.” Touche, little kid. Touche.
The tour actually went pretty well. The children were well behaved and seemed to enjoy walking through the narrow, meandering paths of the cave and seeing the formations. A group of the kids were fascinated by taking pictures of themselves “planking” on the boulders. For the unhip, planking is a new craze sweeping the internet where you post pictures of yourself laying horizontally in strange places. Really. That’s it. You lay like a board on things that you normally wouldn’t. It looks silly, especially if you’re viewing it out of context with just a stiff body on some random object. That’s why I’ve created the next new internet craze - a game where you try to decide if it’s Planking or a Homicide®:
Answer Key: A) homicide B) homicide C) double homicide D) boating accident
After the cave tour, we swam, and then I changed back into my jeans and t-shirt. I somehow lost my pair of socks while in the bathroom, but it was no matter. I had more important things to worry about, like getting to Atlanta on time to see two of my favorite bands – Thursday and the recently reunited Taking Back Sunday. I discovered these bands around the same time in high school, and they opened me up to a whole new way of connecting to music. They have been huge influences on me and a lot of my friends, especially Taking Back Sunday. We would sing along to every lyric from their first album, and we tried to emulate their sound in our garage bands. To many of us, they were The Beatles.
Pictured: Beatles fans forming a mob outside of my apartment for that comparison
Taking Back Sunday’s lyrics are biting and sarcastic, and they perfectly encapsulate the angst of being a teenager. Their music is driving, and it breaks into soaring choruses. Thursday’s lyrics are more poetic and complex, and their music is a controlled frenzy. Both bands have matured along with their audience over the past ten years, but I knew they would be playing some of their old stuff. Sixteen-year-old Nathan would have been very jealous.
Accompanying me on this trip was Cameron, who is also a big fan. We met Alex, Justin, and Luc at the venue, and we eagerly piled into the crowd at Center Stage and watched the first two crappy bands. I think headliners purposefully put crappy bands in front of them to make their performance seem that much more awesome. At least I hope so, because I am currently available to open for any major-label musicians touring this year (I’m looking at you, Taylor Swift. Not too intently, though, as mandated by your restraining order.)
Cameron soon retired from the floor to the stadium seats, otherwise known as the Lepers, Elders, and Weenies Section, having two out of the three qualifications. Thursday came on stage, and the pit opened up. I took the opportunity to weasel closer to the front. They are always very energetic live, and the crowd was singing along and moshing. It was about this time that I felt something on my ankle. I reached down to investigate and felt a lump under my pants leg. My socks! I hadn’t lost them, I had been merely wearing them under my jeans for the past few hours. I didn’t know if I should awkwardly pull them from my pants and put them on my feet, or hold them in my hands, so I just decided to keep them where they were and hope no one noticed anything suspicious bulging around my ankle.
Thursday’s set ended, and the crowd was growing impatient for the headliners. It would be worth the long, hot wait. Taking Back Sunday are behemoths on stage. The crowd was a jumbled, rioting, singing mess, and I was happy to be right there in it. I was sixteen again, belting the words to “Cute without the E” and “You’re So Last Summer”. Adam Lazzara, the lead singer, did his signature microphone swings and tosses effortlessly, and if he ever missed a lyric there were hundreds of voices there to fill in. They played for an hour and a half, and when it was over I was covered in sweat, most of which wasn’t even mine. Cameron and I got into my trusty Saturn and headed for home. It was about midnight when we left Atlanta, and both of us had to get up early this morning for work. It was absolutely worth the trip though, even if we are struggling to stay awake today. Because you're only young once.
The funniest thing you have ever written!Hillarious doesn't even begin to describe it!
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