I haven’t been to a Duran Duran concert in two years. I realize that for many of you out there, that’s nothing. Some of you haven’t seen them in maybe six years, perhaps even more, so please don’t think I’m trying to make the point that I am somehow suffering. I can assure you, I’m not. I’m merely putting this post into some sort of context before I get going.
Do any of you remember the last time you saw the band? That rush of adrenaline as they took to the stage? The way you may have felt standing (or dancing) right there on the floor as Simon looked your way? Do you remember how you felt when you heard the opening chords for Rio and how you knew it was the last song of the night – that drained, but happy sort of elation as the band left the stage?
What about that feeling a day or two later, when your heart, mind and (likely at our age) body, caught up with you? That shroud of dread that seemed to coat like a blanket you couldn’t quite toss aside. Post-Concert Depression. It’s that down feeling that comes after one realizes the show is over, you’ve gone home, and now there’s nothing until “the next time”. I think we’ve all felt it at one point or another, right?
Well, I haven’t felt that for two years. Or maybe I’ve been feeling it all this time? Maybe I’ve gotten so used to not having a Duran Duran show that I just don’t even notice the emptiness now. I’m not sure. I just know that for two years, in my case anyway, I haven’t seen too many mentions of it. At least, not until this past couple of weeks.
I follow a Twitter account called @ConcertWeirdos, and just recently I saw a few tweets about post-concert depression. Then I saw someone on Facebook, a Duranie, say how they almost welcomed the feeling now because it meant concert life was returning to normal.
While I know that this pandemic isn’t through with us yet, I have to say – we’ve really come through something when we are saying we don’t mind that post-concert let-down! As I sit here typing, I have to admit that I haven’t missed the post-concert feeling, but I certainly miss the elation of seeing Duran Duran. It is completely unlike anything I’ve felt towards any other band.
-R
