Last August I attended a concert of Sound Tribe Sector 9 at the Showbox in downtown Seattle. STS9, as they are often referred to, defines themselves as a “Santa Cruz-based, 5-piece electronic jam band fusing live instruments with electronica. It was the first concert I had ever attended at the Showbox. It was also the first electronica/hip hop/rock/jam band I had ever seen.
I was kind of nervous to go because I am not really the type of person who listens to hip hop music or goes out to shows regularly, but I had an amazing time! The fact that I’d put myself into an environment that I don’t normally go to allowed myself to be a different person for one night. More than just the music, STS9 creates a specific mood and experience with their use of lights. The light show combined with their sounds totally tantalized my senses.
I loved dancing to the continuous stream and heavy beats. I danced grounded and sharp and full-bodied. I forgot to think. That night when I got home I wrote in my journal, “Tonight I totally let myself go and surprised myself with the ways I moved.” All I could do was feel the music pulse through me. All I could do was experience being part of a crowd that was moving as one body. It was the closest to a trance state I have ever been.
Awesome! I love going to shows that it feels like the crowd is one. Everyone’s love for the music, excitement, and energy radiate into the space and make the experience 10 times better. I’m glad you had such a great experience when you tried something new. I’ll have to check them out since most of my family lives there and I visit multiple times a year!
Maia-
I loved the vivid imagery that you use here. I feel like I am moving at the concert with you. It is fun to put yourself out of your confort zone and try new things sometimes. I love going to places where I dont know anybody and being someone different, like an alterego! It is through those experiences with pushing your limits that you figure out more of who you really are. I would encourage you to keep going to concerts and discovering more about yourself and your dancing.