In my place

So, Coldplay is absolutely amazing live. It was such a spectacle, their show. For the better part of one and a half hours, they went absolutely nuts, putting everything they could into every song. Which usually happens once or twice at most concerts I've been at. But one of my favorite parts about the concert is that Coldplay got the crowd incredibly involved. Before the concert, we got bracelets that lit up throughout the show, which was SO COOL when it actually happened. It made me feel like a part of something bigger, which is what I want to talk about in this post. I was thinking about this on the ride back from the concert, this joy out of feeling a part of something bigger than you. Coldplay completely reaffirmed one of the few items on my sports bucket list, which is to watch USA play in a World Cup game. At first, I just wanted to be at a game, to just experience the emotion and cheering for ninety minutes, but I would much rather support my own country/team.

So what exactly is this, this "part of something bigger than you?" If you asked Maslow, it would probably fall in love/belonging. The beauty of sports is that it gives us an opportunity to put our faith in something that we have no control over - yet, we hope for rewards from this faith, coming in the successes of the team. We need to love and be loved. Sports and music are perfect venues for that interaction, and in music at least, I can't think of a better interaction than Coldplay. It was so easy to see that we were all there for the experience, and to just take in all of the energy the band had. Which they got from feeding off of us, creating a positive feedback loop. Which, of course, makes everything incredibly awesome. Yeah, their music was great, but this concert was much more of a show, an experience, like any other one I've ever been to. I would see Coldplay dozens of times before I even thought about getting tired of seeing them. Sometimes I couldn't help myself but to just shake my head and laugh and how amazing everything was. It bordered on the ridiculous, but in a good way. If you ever get a chance to see something that exciting, whether it be sports, music, or any passion that you have...go do it. It's going to be worth it every time.