January 2012
The excitement could practically be tasted in the air. The winter air whipped around you, taking your hair carefully in its invisible hands. You stood in the long queue for the show that you had spent over half a year excited for - You were going to see your favorite band tonight.
Arctic Monkeys.
You had their fourth album on repeat lately, Suck It And See. It was an album that illustrated a tale of deep love, lost love, and love slipping away... Naturally, Alex Turner was an amazing songwriter, and those songs were poetry, despite the line in the titular track "I poured my aching heart into a pop song; I never did get the hang of poetry." Well, that was a bald-faced lie... Yet one couldn't help but wonder if Alex Turner had actually wrote those songs based off of his true feelings - The lovely song Cornerstone wasn't based on a true story - Yet the headlines as of late, had been blasting Alex Turner's personal life, and all it's juicy details... Suck It And See didn't seem so fictional after news of his breakup...
Yet you were the type who didn't really give a shit about what made the music, you just cared about the art. It often felt like Alex Turner soundtracked your life, why would you need to picture those songs being about someone else when you could relate to them? It's the same thing with many other celebrities, like Taylor Swift (Who was releasing a new album this year, and you couldn't be more excited!)... You had been lost in thought the entire time that you were in the queue, daydreaming about this day to finally see your favorite band.
It was slightly nerve-wracking, you were a little scared that the line wouldn't move fast enough for you to get inside on time, and the sun went down, so it was cold in dark - But that's a normal anxious feeling, and it was soon quelled as the groups in front of you went quickly. The queue stretched around the venue, and the fans were so excited... They held signs with lyrics, or asking the band members to marry them, and tons were wearing leather jackets, or had gelled their hair, after Alex Turner's latest look change. He had been known for being a 'cute boy' for years, his hair getting fluffier and fluffier as the years went on - Until at the end of 2011, when he made a drastic change in his style... Gone was the haircut you had dubbed 'Mushroom Head', and now came this biker wannabe, a biker who was acting like he just walked out of the 1950s, as if he would fit in with the characters from a film like The Outsiders. Yet it was an exciting change... You felt like this era was only getting better and better - From interesting music videos that focused on the drummer Matt Helders, to a fake band for B-sides known as 'The Death Ramps', who also did collaborations with Richard Hawley and Miles Kane... And the band just felt more mature and in-tune than ever.
Your hand delicately handed the ticket to the scanner, the greeter outside of the venue. She smiled at you, and wished you a good time. You responded that you knew you would have a great time. And how could this night not be great? You had grabbed an amazing dinner and pint from a downtown pub, were dressed to kill with the coolest, most unique style on this side of town... Makeup that would make anyone jealous of your skills, and beauty that you were aware of, just never flaunted. You were so beautiful, but you never needed someone to validate that for you. But they still did. You complimented several people on the way to your seat, and they all responded sweetly, saying that you looked stunning! That validation was sweet - It was like life was falling into place - Like you could love yourself, and people could love you too, but you didn't *need* it. You were a beautiful person worthy and everything was enough for you.
Like tonight.
You didn't need to grab a drink or food, you were already full, and you really didn't want an emergency bathroom trip to ruin your concert experience or make you miss anything!
Settling into your seat wasn't hard - You had snagged a seat that wasn't exactly the pit, but wasn't the nosebleeds. You had a great view of the stage. The anticipation was killing you, you hadn't even looked up the setlist - You pondered what the opener would be, the finale... You played with the items in your bag, coming to a concert wasn't always the safest, and England wasn't always the safest, but you knew that you lived in a safer area, and you were prepared for anything... The security guards were fine with everything in your clear bag, and you scrolled through your phone, through Tumblr, mindlessly scrolling in anxiety yet excitement.
The opening band, The Vaccines walked onto stage, and they played a great opening show.
Fidget, fidget, fidget.
You kept fidgetting, way too excited for the band you were finally going to see, after months and months of hoping, and wondering how this was gonna play out.
5 minutes. 15 minutes. 30 minutes after The Vaccines had walked off... Until, the band finally walked on... The crowd lost their shit. Matt played the first few beats of 'Library Pictures', and the crowd wouldn't stop cheering for the next hour or two. You couldn't help but smile for the whole fucking show, singing along with so much passion, you knew every single lyric, and you were dancing, feeling the music through your body. The people around you smiled and complimented you on your looks and dancing, and none of them minded that you were having a great time - They all wanted to share that experience.
A little over an hour into the show, the band played 'The Hellcat Spangled Shalala'... The most ridiculous title of a song for such a bop - Alex Turner was acting all cute, interacting with the audience, forming hearts with his hands and arms, blowing kisses into the audience, singing with passion - His muscular arms practically bulging out of the black T-shirt he had picked for the night, and sweat gracefully dripped off his body. His hands and fingers masterfully playing the guitar and his cheeky smiles shined through as he sung the lyrics he put his whole heart into writing - He was truly trying to hide the heartbroken man he truly was deep down. His eyes kept scanning the crowd, and his eyes fell on you... You were a bit far away, his eyesight had to slightly strain, but your distinct style and wondrous dancing made him smile. Mentally, he dedicated the bridge and the last chorus of 'The Hellcat Spangled Shalala', to you - You definitely seemed the type to be a hellcat - His heartbroken mind and soul slightly hyper-fixated on you. It's not like he was trying to be weird or random - It was a slight obsession that just fell into his mind because a beautiful person had just crossed his periphery.
"And in a hellcat spangled cavern
When your judgment's on the road
And you're acting like a stranger
'Cause you thought it looked like fun
And did you ever get the feeling
That these are things she's said before?
Her steady hands may well have done the devil's pedicure
What you waiting for? Sing another fucking
Shalalala, shalalala
Shalalala, shalalala"
The crowd sang along with much glee, but you noticed that the crowd wasn't as into it as the other songs... Reminded you of all the middling reviews you had read about Suck It And See... That it was indistinct and there was nothing special - That was a moment were the critical were looking for something bad, not good about it - Suck It And See was kinda the perfect combination of Humbug and the Submarine soundtrack that preceded it... Alex Turner was only getting better at songwriting - But it didn't seem the crowds were clicking with the new album as much either - You could see it from the stage that Jamie's smile faltered, as he played his riff. He quickly regained it and his charisma, as he turned to smile at the audience again. It just seemed the crowds didn't care for Suck It And See... Which was a shame, it seemed the boys had put their hearts into that record... It was an attempt to sound poppier and groovier, and well... Perhaps the next album, if there was one, would expand on that. For a moment, Alex would play his new songs to diminishing returns, and stare at the pretty girl whom had caught his fancy.
Snapping back to it, snapping back to his music, his art, he finished the show with a bang. And you had no idea that the simple bit of eye contact made you occupy his mind - You were realistic - You were a supporter of the band, and you didn't entirely expect the band to hear your individual cheers and gratitude. Which wasn't a bad idea. Alex didn't even know your name, yet you vexxed him.
It was a great night, you went out to the pub from earlier, posting on Tumblr and Reddit your experience and photos from the concert - It was a wonderful night. You ate some greasy chips, sipping another pint of ale, talking with others in the pub about how amazing the concert was - you ate the chips, ordering a dessert - Tonight was all about treating yourself... It was amazing. This night would be a highlight for years to come.
And Alex had a great night. He slumped into his hotel bed in the dim light, and after a few moments, his mind wouldn't allow him the sleep he desperately needed. He got up from the bed and grabbed a pad of paper and a pen... He started throwing together words on those papers in his hotel room, lines about Lone Rangers, Electricity, kisses, time-travel, and the old Valentine's phrase of 'R U Mine?'... Lightning cracked outside, and he separated the paper. One song would be known as 'R U Mine?' the other would be known as 'Electricity'.
And they were both about you.