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Molly Deck

Dr. Cassel

ENG 1101-219

8 October 2019

A Concert of Agony

The first concert I ever went to was also the concert that made me realize it would be the

only concert I would ever be able to attend. The brittle wind was making my teeth chatter and I

could smell the stinging rain pelting against my skin as I anxiously waited to buy my ticket for

the concert. The building was tall, big, and brown. There weren’t any windows from what I

could see. The line was a mile long and my group was close to the very back. My youth group

leader, Jill, is a very kind person who is also the best dresser I know. She decided to take us to a,

For King & Country concert, but we had to buy our tickets the day of the concert. My sister,

Macey, and our friend, Kylie, also decided to go. I am so fortunate to have Macey for a sister.

She is such a kind and compassionate person. She set my bed up out in the family room after my

surgery for scoliosis so I wouldn’t have to walk all the way back to my room. She also retrieved

everything I asked for. Kylie is a quirky, funny, and generous person. She visited me numerous

times during my recovery. I had never been to a concert before, and I couldn’t wait to get inside.

The throbbing of the bass pumping inside from the music they were playing while people waited

for the event to start could be heard from where we were standing outside. My feet were aching

already, and I knew this was a standing room only concert. After waiting over an hour, we finally

entered the building.

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There was a huge stage straight ahead as soon as you stepped foot in the room. It was

black, long, and the center of attention. When you looked down you saw large, black, laminate

floor tiles that were peeling up from the floor. The room was already packed full of people

wearing an array of different colors. Glow sticks were being handed out, and I saw flashes of red,

orange, green, yellow, pink, and blue. I could see them all talking excitedly, their anticipation

evident in their animated movements. I saw people talking excitedly, waving their hands, and

making wild gestured. Some people were literally jumping in enthusiasm.

Of course, since we were at the back of the line we were also at the back of the room

where the concert was being held. I was restlessly walking around, looking at all the

merchandise and food they were selling while I waited for the band to start. They were cooking

hot dogs, and I could hear the creaking of the wheel as it spun. Popcorn assaulted my nose, so I

turned my head until I spotted the it, tucked away in the corner. I walked closer, hearing the

kernels popping, and watched as the overflowing kettle spit out popcorn. Walking over to the

merchandise table I saw it was full of CDs, posters, t-shirts, bracelets, and many other things.

Suddenly, I hear the deafening yelling of the crowd. I turn around and see the lead singers and

the rest of the band coming out onto the stage.

As one of the lead singers walked up to the mic he shouted, “Good evening Cincinnati,

Ohio! I am Joel Smallbone and we are For King & Country!”

He introduced the rest of the band, and he said the first song “Proof of Your Love.” As

the song began to play, I felt the bass from my head to my toes. It was one of the greatest songs I

have ever heard. As they went into the second song, I realized they had a lot of bass in their

songs. Suddenly, I felt a twinge in my back. Ow, I thought, what was that? It didn’t stay very
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long, so I didn’t think much of it. Then I felt it again. Oh my gosh what is that? I’ve never felt

anything like it before, I thought.

I have scoliosis, and I received surgery for it when I was in 7th grade. It wasn’t as bad as I

was expecting, but it took longer to recover than I hoped it would. I received metal rods in my

back on both sides of my spine to make and keep it straight. One thing you should know about

me is that I hate taking medicine. I used to hold it in my mouth forever until I either finally

swallowed it or my parents told me I could spit it out. I had to take the largest pills after my

surgery while I was in the hospital, but as soon as I got home, I stopped taking them. I have a

high pain tolerance, so it wasn’t too bad of a recovery. It still hurts occasionally, especially in

winter when it’s cold, but most of the time I don’t really notice it anymore.

During the concert I could feel the energy in the crowd and in return it fueled my own. I

remember seeing everyone around me start to jump during one of their songs, so I joined in. At

one point, one of the lead singers stepped off the stage and climbed onto a platform they had in

the middle of the room and it took him up into the air, almost all the way to the room. A sea of

flashlights came from the cellphones of the crowd. We waved them back and forth as they

reached the crescendo in the song. However, all throughout the concert I felt the small twinges

turn into a dull ache and from a dull ache it turned into excruciating pain that ran up and down

my back. I have never felt anything like this! My doctor never said anything about this awful

pain, I thought to myself. At one point during the concert my sister turned to me.

“Are you ok?

“Yeah, I’m fine!”

“Are you sure,” she interrogated.

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“Yes! I’m trying to enjoy the concert. You should be, too.”

She turned away from me and I let a grimace cross my face as I felt the pain increase.

When will it be over? Finally, they stopped playing, but then I hear them announce they’re going

to take a 30-minute break and that they’ll be back. I thought to myself, I have to sit through more

of this? My back hurts so bad! I just want to go home.

Kylie turned to me, “Hey, do you want to go buy something at the merchandise stand?”

“I don’t have any money.”

“That’s ok! I’ll but something for you if you want.”

“Thank you! I appreciate it.”

We walked over to the table where she proceeded to buy two bracelets, one for me and

one for her. Kylie asked me if I was thirsty, so we walked over to the food table and bought some

sodas. Maybe this refreshing Mountain Dew will keep my mind off of the pain, I thought as I took

a drink. It didn’t. We walked back over to the group and waited for the band to return. When

they finally came back, I breathed a sigh of disappointment. I want to leave, I thought. My back

was hurting really bad, and I wasn’t even enjoying the concert anymore. Instead, I was waiting,

watching every excruciatingly painful minute tick by. They started playing their music, and

again there was a lot of bass throughout the songs. When it was finally over, I almost cried in

relief. Thank you, God, I thought. I can’t stand anymore of this. My back hurt so bad and I just

wanted to cry. I shuffled along slowly in the back of the group and didn’t speak on the way

home. No one really noticed since they were all tired and fell asleep on the bus. When we finally

got home, I ran into the house and told everyone goodnight. I went to bed and I cried myself to

sleep. The next day the pain was so bad I didn’t want to get out of bed. I am never going to go to
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another concert again. I had my mom bring me a heating pad and stayed in bed the rest of the

day.

“When did your back start to hurt, Molly,” my Mom asked after she came into my room

to check on me. She’s a nurse so she’s knowledgeable about medical issues.

“I’m not sure. It started when I was at the concert and it kept getting worse as the night

went on”

“Maybe it was the bass in the songs?”

“Come to think of it, I did feel the bass vibrating my back all night. I bet you’re right!

That’s probably what’s causing this awful pain!” Knowing that’s what caused it broke my heart.

I’m never going to get to see any of my favorite bands play live, I thought. The next couple days

were spent the same way, and I realized I would never be able to go to another concert. I still

have never been to another concert other than my first one.