In addition to being a celebration of one of my favorite desserts, pie, today is the 25th anniversary of the first show of one of the greatest things to ever happen to my life (and let's be real, to the world too!), No Doubt! I can't believe they've been around longer than I've been alive. I'd like to think that in some sort of blobby spiritual gob of ethereal Joey form, I was at the first show. Just kinda there, being a spirit, boppin' along...
I often get described as a No Doubt "superfan." Some mean this as a compliment but others have more sinister intent behind their words. To that second group of people I have this to say: So what if I'm really into a band?! It's my life!
... And yes, that ND reference was on purpose.
But really, superfans often get a bad rap for being so intensely invested in their music and I see absolutely nothing wrong with that. You see, a lot of people on the outside haven't ever had an experience like we have with music. For them, I feel bad. Worse, however, is those who haven't had an experience like we've had with anything.
To me, and so many others, No Doubt is about more than just the music. Yes, that's a huge part of it but there's more to the story. There's the experiences. Seeing a band you love live, along with hundreds, thousands, or even just a handful of other people who feel the same way, knowing all the words and singing along, and just plain letting go is something that my words will never be able to adequately capture.
No Doubt has been therapy to me and so many others. Just listening to Gwen sing about exactly what I'm feeling... It lets me know that someone out there gets what I'm going through and has lived through it. And not just lived through it, but has something to show for themselves. It give me hope that things will get better. I know many other people who've gone through similar experiences with No Doubt and with other bands. It doesn't matter who it is, really. It just matters to them that someone out there got it, got them, when they needed it most.
Most importantly, however, there's the PEOPLE. I've made so many connections with some of the coolest people out there through music. My good friend Carly and I first became friends because of No Doubt. A few years later, we were front row seeing them in Minnesota. There's Kenda, the sassy silversmith from North Carolina who I would have never met if it weren't for our mutual ND love. There's Merrijoy, my awesome Asian lady twin, who I randomly decided to follow on Twitter one day when she tweeted about Metric. And there's Alex and Amy and Kara and SO MANY OTHERS, too many to list, who I know because we share a love of the same bands. My life wouldn't be the same without the musicians that I love.
So you can call me, or anyone else who loves their music, crazy but I truly feel bad for you for not having the same experiences and meeting the awesome people I have. Yes, we sit in line for ridiculous amounts of time. We spend a ton of money on tickets and anything and everything with our bands' names on them. We get tattoos. We travel around the country and world to see them. We collect magazines and photos and treasures from shows.
But you know what? We enjoy every moment of it.
Not just enjoy it.
We have a fucking blast doing it.
