Josh Dun imagines

The Rock Show

(for Tumblr user josh-dun-stan)

This was my favorite part of being home from tour. Just getting to wander around Columbus again was exactly what I needed. There was something calming about being back in your hometown that I never understood until I wasn't there anymore. I continued to walk down random streets, being reminded of the times I spent here with friends and family, creating memories that would last a lifetime.

Tonight, however, I was alone, my hood pulled up to cover the bright yellow beacon that was my hair. Not that I didn't love the fans or anything, I just didn't want to be noticed tonight. I almost missed what it felt like when nobody knew my name.

The nightlife in town was in full force. Music could be heard from almost every building, bars were overflowing onto the street, drunk people stumbling everywhere. I looked around for a place to sit, settling on one of the more hole in the wall bars that was advertising a live show.

I dipped inside, looking around and finding a spot at the almost overcrowded bar. I slid into a stool between some people that couldn't care less of who I was. Perfect. Alone in a crowd of people.

The stage was still being set up for the band that was going to perform so I ordered a drink while I waited. As I slowly sipped on my coke, I decided to scroll through Twitter. I huffed as I read post after post of all of my friends doing cool things, releasing albums, making movies. It felt like I was in a slump, live shows just weren't bringing me the same joy like they always had, and it seemed like Tyler was stuck with his writing. Maybe thats why I was wandering around alone. I just wanted to feel something again.

Luckily the lights dimmed before I started thinking too much again. I turned my stool so I could watch the band that had now taken the stage. They had a decent crowd huddled up waiting for them to begin, making me think that they were regulars around the city. It was a simple setup, a lead singer, guitarist, bassist, and drummer. I grew more excited by the second to hear what they had to offer. I was always in the mood to find some new music.

The moment they started playing it felt like I was alive again. The drums rattled the entire building and they had the sound system turned up so loud it was hard to breathe. And I was in love. Their songs were somehow exactly what I needed to hear. I found myself tapping along to the beat of songs that I'd never heard before, but at the same time it felt like I had been singing their lyrics for my entire life.

The farther they got into their set, the closer I moved to the stage. First I moved from the bar to some tables near the center of the room. Then I crept up to the back of the crowd. And soon enough I was dancing along with everybody else.

The set ended all too soon, and before I knew it the lead singer was announcing that it was their last song. I made the most of the four minute and twenty-three second song, but couldn't help but wish they could play forever. I found myself looking back at the singer more often then I had been the entire night. I could tell they were passionate about their music with the way that their eyes squinted shut as they sang and the slight swaying to the beat. And there was undeniably something very attractive about it.

They thanked the crowd one last time before exiting the stage and I came crashing back down to earth. The rush and excitement of live music was starting to dissipate as the crowd thinned out. Its strange how quickly a group of people can come together and fall back apart all because of music. I looked around and spotted a makeshift merch booth that caught the attention of a few others. I quickly made my way over and bought the EP they were selling before pulling my hood back up and making my way back out to the cold city air.

xxx A Few Days Later xxx

I couldn't stop listening to this CD. I memorized all the words to the six songs in a matter of hours. Somehow, my life now revolved around these twenty-three minutes and seven seconds. I was never the type of person to listen to songs on repeat for fear that they would get old too quickly, but there was no way I was ever going to get sick of these.