5 Things I Consumed Last Week (whatever it takes 💪)

without music life would be a mistake ~ Friedrich Nietzsche

Apologies for not showing up last weekend. I had a mind-bending concert experience at Lollapalooza India and I needed more time to soak it in. This post is an experiment (among others for this year), it’s also very personal, I hope you enjoy reading it :)

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Amidst most fiddly junctures in life, if something has remained constant then it is MUSIC. I owe a lot to some artists who have uplifted me time and again, not only through tough times but times when I felt lost or else time when I was jumping with joy or in the words of Nick Cave:

Of all things, music can lift us closer to the sacred. Music has the ability to lead us, if only temporarily, into a sacred realm. It is the art form that can most effectively fill that hole, because it makes us feel less alone, existentially. It makes us feel spiritually connected. Some music can even lead us to a place where a fundamental spiritual shift of consciousness can happen. At best, it can conjure a sacred space.

One of such music artists is Imagine Dragons.

My first acquaintance with Imagine Dragons was in college. Thanks to YouTube. The year was 2016 and ‘Demons’ was still a popular track (since 2012). The song starts off with Dan Reynold's vocals as he sings to us about the days, the dreams and the human soul. This song is all about addressing the ugly reality that each and every one of us has secrets that we are not proud of. The song is emotionally rich and hits all the right chords.

Don't get too close, it's dark inside; It's where my demons hide; It's where my demons hide.

Intrigued and impressed by the vocals, I delved into the album ‘Night Visions’ and landed on ‘It’s Time’ - which is probably one of those songs now that I play before getting my hands on something new (the shubh-mahurat {pious occasion} song I’d say). The song’s inspiring lyrics comes together as one rousing story, carrying an etched-in-your-mind melody and message.

It’s time to begin, isn’t it? / I get a little bit bigger, but then I’ll admit / I’m just the same as I was / Now don’t you understand / That I’m never changing who I am

2017 was the year when the album Evolve was released. 'Believer,' the epic track serves as this album's 'Radioactive.' Sick vocals, deep bass synths, pounding drums - this track has everything it needs to be a massive Imagine Dragons anthem.

'Walking The Wire' does much the same, its anthemic vibe and intense vocals pair together perfectly. I recently watched this unofficial video and it broke my heart.

Music expresses that which cannot be put into words and that which cannot remain silent. ~Victor Hugo

The album has some of their best classics - Thunder and my mantra - Whatever It Takes. 2017 was the year when I was struggling to clear an exam. I used to wake up at 4 everyday to study and this song has motivated me since then to do what it takes - so much so that it is my mantra everywhere on my socials. Maybe it was the daily grind or maybe it was just the right time for me to experience this song and hence I related to every lyric, it is almost an escape, almost transcendental and almost everything I believe in.

If I could list all the mentors in my life, this song would definitely be in the Top 5. If you believe in a glass half full mentality this song is for you - it’s an ode to ambition.

Or in the words of Friedrich Nietzsche

Music unites all qualities: it can exalt us, divert us, cheer us up, or break the hardest of hearts with the softest of its melancholy tones. But its principal task is to lead our thoughts to higher things, to elevate, even to make us tremble

Whatever It Takes has done exactly that for me. It has pushed me to run on those cold winter mornings, has pushed me to stay awake and tick off the last time on my to-do, to sail through difficult times and whenever I felt alone - I knew I had something to fall back on.

Music expresses that which cannot be put into words and that which cannot remain silent. ~ William Shakespeare

So, when I got to know the artist line up for Lollapalooza I knew I had to go. I didn't take the early bird passes cause I thought it’s an expensive gig but I kept checking passes on Insider for almost four months until one week before the concert when I saw his live performance on YouTube and I just knew I had to go.

It is not just the music but his energy is cathartic. I have been to a lot of concerts and most of the artists are either high or they just perform and leave without establishing any connection with the audience but Imagine Dragons changed that for me forever.

Before starting the concert Dan asked people in the audience if this was the first concert they are attending and he gave a whole speech on how he would do everything to make this concert an unforgettable experience. If concert performance ethic is a thing - Dan gets all the brownie points.

Music, the combiner, nothing more spiritual, nothing more sensuous, a god, yet completely human, advances, prevails, holds highest place; supplying in certain wants and quarters what nothing else could supply. ~ Walt Whitman

It is not just the shirtless acts (or maybe it is, but no that’s not the point, okay it is), he sings with conviction, you can almost feel his humility and energy engulf you. He sang for 90 mins straight, every section in the act had a prelude and an inspiring speech followed by mind-fuckin vocals and a guitar synth you can almost never forget.

When it comes down to it, Dan Reynolds really is the driving force of the show.  His passion, his stage presence, and the emotion he puts into his performance gave this show life. I am going to be forever grateful to have experienced this.

After silence that which comes nearest to expressing the inexpressible is music. ~Aldous Huxley

I believe we only remember certain peaks in life, a concept I read in this book called ‘The Power of Moments’ and this concert was certainly one of those peaks or in the words of Virginia Woolf

That is the quality which dance music has — no other: it stirs some barbaric instinct — lulled asleep in our sober lives — you forget centuries of civilization in a second, & yield to that strange passion which sends you madly whirling round the room — oblivious of everything save that you must keep swaying with the music — in & out, round & round — in the eddies & swirls of the violins. It is as though some swift current of water swept you along with it. It is magic music.

If you are new to Imagine Dragons, I hope this will push you to experiment with a new playlist and if you are a fan, time to tune back in :)

(You can check out this random YT channel I found for the live performance in Mumbai - only because I want you to see the visuals)

Until next time fellas, do whatever it takes!

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Head banging my way through life,

The Hummingbird🌺