Have you ever been to the Calgary Stampede? Only the Greatest Show on Earth (and if you don’t believe me, my city is very humble in it’s description of the event because we use that phrase as the brand tagline!). Our city is recovering today after the last 10 days of the midway, carnival food, traditional western events like rodeo and chuckwagons and, my favourite, the concerts.
The Stampede Concert series is one of the best things about the event because event organizers bring in incredible live music from all kinds of genres of music, including (of course!), country music. Tim McGraw was the closing concert last night and I, along with my sister, my “other sister”, and a few close friends, got to go.
Watching live music is another one of my most joyful moments – I love it! The electric crowd, the elaborate stage set-up and audio/video presentation, singing at the top of my lungs…oh and Tim sang too. I apologize to anyone I may have offended with my “should-only-be-reserved-for-my-car-and-the-shower” singing talents but man, belting out those classic tunes makes my heart feel good. I even put Tim’s all-time hits on repeat in the car for the drive home last night.
Between concerts, I forget how live music makes me feel. How uplifting and joyful and hopeful and super-charged I get. There is so much freedom in just singing, chair dancing and letting all cares and complicated thoughts melt away, to be in the moment…in that crowd…in that seat. To let myself be swept up in the moment, to worry about nothing and to just enjoy the joyful moment.
At one point, Tim asked the AV peeps to turn down all the lights and asked the crowd to turn on their cell phone lights and hold them up, waving while we all sang his Elton John remake, Tiny Dancer. We lit that Saddledome as bright as the daylight, reverently singing the words every single one of us knew.
Talk about a powerful moment.
Just awesome.
I need to go to more concerts. More live music events. Even if I go by myself, which is also a really powerful experience. I just feel happier, more energetic, confident and inspired at the end of a good concert, a joyful experience that makes my soul sing.
Now, if you’ll excuse me…I have tickets to buy.