urban beets

Now there’s a reason why I sing…

It might have started with Burnout 2 on the PS2 or with the multiple AMVs, but as soon as I heard “Give It All”, I fell hard for Rise Against. 

Being in South America—specifically Bolivia—comes with a lot of limitations regarding concerts. First, it’s very unusual for my favorite bands to come down here. And second, even if they do, they tend to skip over Bolivia in their “South America tour”, hitting cities all around but never here. 

…like, WTF! 

The first time I managed to track down Rise Against was in 2014, in Colorado. I specifically bought a ticket to RIOT FEST just to see them.

Rise Against had just released The Black Market, and the song that hit me the hardest—in a good way—was “Tragedy + Time”. The concert was an absolute blast, and it was my first music festival which even had carnival games and food! All hail giant turkey legs! 

One cool memory about their concert is that it rained a lot and there was this one guy sweeping the stage with a squeegee, it was Rise Against that started cheering for him! 

After a while, you could just hear the crowd chanting, “Squeegee, squeegee!” 

Then, the concert started… I was going through a lot of uncertainties and changes at the time, and music has always been a guide for me. The lyrics, the beats—they set me on firm ground, help me take a breath, and get ready to keep going. 

During the festival, I discovered A Day to Remember, met Dropkick Murphys, saw The Cure, Bring Me the Horizon, Slayer and unfortunately missed 3OH3!. It was unforgettable—my first big music festival. I had a 3-day premium pass, which included unlimited cider (as Arrow was an sponsor, I think). I don’t know if it was the adrenaline or the excitement, but Arrow will forever remain as my favorite cider. 

Now, 10 years later (literally—time flies so fast!), I got the chance to see them again, this time in Milan! (Thanks Circolo Magnolia).

I caught a train at 5:40 a.m. because I had to do some migration paperwork beforehand (ugh, bureaucracy), but that also meant I could arrive early to the arena so I was eager for it. I got to the arena around 12:30-ish and was number 5 in line (note that 5 is my favorite number). I expected way more people, but it got crowded eventually. 

Number 1 was very peculiar, but for sure a cool guy, and number 2 was not what you’d expect—a really buff punk rocker. You’d imagine him in a chain jacket, pushing people around, but he was actually a florist and a super chill and nice guy! His favorite Italian band is Talco, and they were the openers. 

Numbers 3 and 4 were a super cute couple—really friendly— I regret not getting their contacts. (Their numbers and attitudes made me think of Codename: Kids Next Door, Cartoon Network I’ll forever miss you) 

Number 6 was this cute GrEEK girl whose life I wish I had. Let’s start with the geek part: she’s a hardcore gamer that loves RPGs (we had that in common, and also 2 of our top 3 Rise Against songs). One of her favorite games is Final Fantasy Tactics Advance, which I adore, being my 2nd fav game only after Tales of Symphonia. 

But seriously, she rocks—and I mean that literally. She’s the biggest concert fan I’ve ever met! I’ve never known anyone who’s been to so many concerts and has such amazing stories. 

After her, I lost track of the people who were arriving. I guess I don’t have ‘normal’ summer flings, but I think I fall in love at concerts the way others do in the summer.  As time passed, some of her friends from previous concerts arrived (I love those re-encounters). 

It seemed like our day was going to be just like any other concert day—just a little (or a lot) of waiting around—but these fans were really intense (which I love bc I’m also kinda toxic myself xD). We ended up stalking the band before the show, getting shooed away by security a few times but having a blast with it!

What started as a HOT summer day quickly turned into a rainy, windy thunderstorm, but the organizers at Circolo Magnolia were cool enough to let us shelter in a nearby closed stage. 

After a while, we were back in line, and when the gates opened, we all ran to the stage. Okay, let’s be honest—everyone was walking fast but civilized until I started running, and then it became a full-on race to the front row. 

TALCO opened, and they were absolute heavy hitters. The saxophone player was the star of the show—a high-charisma bard with a punk attitude and some sick moves that made the sax look cool af. I’m really glad to be discovering so many awesome Italian bands lately. 

And then, Rise Against hit the stage. The feelings that washed over me were incredible. I had hoped they might play “Tragedy + Time”, but we had discussed the setlist earlier and knew it wasn’t likely. Still, the concert was absolutely amazing. I even managed to snag a guitar pick! I’ve always loved getting cool mementos from concerts. 

Sometimes I battle the urge to run into the moshpit because there’s where I feel the deepest connection with the music—where you let go the wheel and just flow with the beats. But I didn’t want to give up my spot at the front, and it turned out to be the right choice because at one point Tim came right up and litetally sang in front of us! 

Towards the end of the concert, I felt someone tap my shoulder—a guy asking if I could give him a bit of space at the front. I switched spots with him, and he looked so baffled and grateful. I love those unexpected moments when people just smile. I had fun jumping around during the last song. 

After the concert, you could see people helping each other find lost wallets and phones. Man, I love this community—everyone looks so tough, but they’re all incredibly kind. 

So… that’s where my Rise Against adventure ended, I had to run to catch a train back to the Airbnb. I hope to see my concert buddies and the cool GrEEK girl at the next one. I even made a silly comment about she owing me a coffee— just as an excuse to set the universe in motion and find her again. 

Have you made and met friends just at concerts? What are your experiences with it, let me know and if possible, let’s plan a concert date!