Do you ever have moments where you realize that many years have passed without even realizing it?
11 years ago my love affair with Ryan Shupe and the Rubberband began. I fell fast and I will never forget that first concert at the Provo Tabernacle with my roommates. Kiely and Corinne were huge fans and they introduced me. Corinne framed a picture of us with Ryan Shupe from that night. I have it in my room. :) It was the first month of our lives in Provo...wow, 11 years.
The love grew and the group of people that loved Shupe grew as well. Over the next several years Shupe concerts became a huge part of our life, especially the fall show at Thanksgiving Point. Somehow, during a time that I spent $15 per week on groceries, I found the money to attend as many Shupe concerts as I possibly could but our favorite became Thanksgiving Point. We met more people and found that they too loved Shupe, or were open to learning about this interesting band and we started going.
We would get ready, bring sweatshirts and blankets, pile in cars and drive to Thanksgiving Point chattering the whole way. We would get there really early so we could be in the front row. The crowds were pretty large and we had to fit a lot of people in a small space. We knew every word to every song and sang along, we danced, we cheered and we howled (when told to of course). We knew all of the actions to The Rainbow Connection, we danced around, slapped our knees, clapped and sang during Walk the Walk and Devil Went Down to Georgia. We swayed back and forth and sang along to Dream Big. Even Superman always made me think of Josh, 10,000 Lakes always made me think of Ryan, Amy and I never liked Phideaux and 2 Year Old Attitude but we still knew all of the words. We always sang the bah bah bahs in Oh How I Miss You and sang the loudest during Corndogs. We would lay in the grass or on our blankets and look at the stars during the slower songs. There was so much joy at the concerts and we were always so lively. Everyone around us was also. Everyone knew the words to all of the songs, people around us got up and danced in front of the stage.
After the concert sometimes we stood in line to talk to the band and have them sign CDs or random pieces of paper, maybe they would remember us from the front row of their last show! Then we would pile back in cars, listen to Shupe on the way home, stop for JBC's at Wendy's or go home and eat ice cream and we were always on top of the world because the night left us feeling so happy.
Fast forward 11 years. I randomly post on Facebook that Shupe is going to be at Thanksgiving Point and I want to go, does anyone want to join me? I get a call from Amy, she'll be visiting from St George and she and Josh were going. I was excited to join them!
I left work and drove to Thanksgiving Point all the while returning phone calls that I missed while working with clients all day. I meet Amy, Josh and Josh's family and we find seats, closer to the back. The front row now has chairs that cost more and it just doesn't feel right to sit in chairs at Thanksgiving Point. Amy and I chat and catch up, it has been months since we've seen each other. The concert starts and the energy isn't as high but I still felt so happy. Their music has a way of making me smile. They play some old favorites, we sing along but not many other people do. They do Phideaux and 2 Year Old Attitude, Amy and I agree that we still don't care for those songs but we still know every word. They didn't play some of our old favorites, they changed the arrangements to others. (We didn't mind, we still sang along). We still cheered but we didn't get up and dance as much. I still enjoyed watching the stars and feeling like I was getting away from it all. There sure is a lot more to get away from these days...
We observed that no one really knew the words to Corndogs, people around us didn't call the band members by name they said "that guy over there" or "the one playing the banjo". The dynamics of the people attending the concert were different, people were older & there were a lot of children. The crowd of college students wasn't there, could it be that everyone that knew and loved Shupe has moved on or moved away or *gasp* grown older? Amy and I agreed that we were so happy and the music still made us feel such joy. I was the only one in my group to get up and dance for Walk the Walk, I had to, it felt wrong not to. After the show we walked out, hugged goodbye and I got in my car and drove to my very own apartment in Salt Lake.
As I drove home I listened to Shupe and felt really happy and was swamped with all of the memories I shared above. I see myself attending Shupe concerts for years to come because of how happy they make me but I realize that it will never be the same. There are parts of the old memories and todays events that are similar but there are far more that are different. Amy and I both agreed that we felt a little bit sad as we walked out, it was such a different experience. We also agreed that we mostly felt happy because how could you not after such a great show? Sure it was just the 2 of us left, the music was different, the crowd was different, heck, we were different. But it was a great night.
I loved the flood of memories. I'm the kind of girl that hangs on to friends and keeps them close to me (in some form or another) always. These memories are usually at the forefront of my mind, I always said I would never forget my Raintree years. But I guess as the years pass and life gets busier and new memories are made the old memories fade to the back. I loved the crisp air, familiar music and familiar setting that brought those things back. So to my old Shupe friends, Corinnie, Kiely, Laura Foxy, Rach, Rach, Josh, Ryan, Lori, Ben, Lora, Jay, Amy, and I'm sure there are others that I am missing; I thought of you all, the you of 8-10 years ago, tonight and missed you. And also, most importantly, felt grateful for you.
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