Football and Folk Music

“A lot of the time it feels like… music is some sort of excuse to be a human. It’s kind of like people need that excuse to go and put their arms in the air and sing their hearts out.” 

-Marcus Mumford

One thing I've learned so far in London is that you don't need excuses. You don't need an excuse like studying abroad as your means of seeing the world. You don't need an excuse to justify eating that extra scoop of ice cream. You don't need an excuse to dance wildly while staring up at your favorite band - or for dancing in your room to no music at all. As long as what you're doing is making you happy...there is no need for excuses. Just go out and do it. 

Last night I stood in the fourth or fifth row of a stadium holding 60,000 screaming people watching some of my favorite bands and I needed no excuse whatsoever. First to take the stage were two bands I hadn't heard of - Bear's Den and Laim. Next up was Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros. You might know them for their song "Home". Edward Sharpe was definitely the folkiest and most personable performance of the day. Right as they stepped on the stage with top hats on their heads and bottles of wine in their hands I knew I would love it. The two lead singers, Alex Ebert and Jade Castrinos, didn't only put themselves in the crowd, but put the crowd in the band, letting fans dance among them.

Following was Ben Howard. More of a calm and soothing artist (and because our feet hurt from standing), we took a seat in the grass and listened along. Next was Vampire Weekend, another one of my faves. Vampire Weekend's music sounded great but they weren't as involved with the crowd as Edward Sharpe was. Nonetheless, I sang and danced along to every word. 

Finally, after standing for what seemed like days in the hot sun, Mumford and Sons took the stage. Mumford and Sons originated in London so seeing them play in their homeland just made the experience even more exciting. Also, one of the band members, Ted Dwane, just recovered from having brain surgery so the band was very excited to be reunited and playing for all the London locals. They said we were the largest crowd they'd ever played for. They also said we were better than Glastonbury. Keyboard player, Ben Lovett, said, "Were any of you lot at Glastonbury last weekend? It was a very pleasant experience... [but] you guys are shit loads better than that gig ever was." The band's banjo player Winston Marshall added, "Probably because you haven't done as many drugs as the people there."

For me, Mumford and Sons is similar to a modern-day Beatles. With both bands being from London and with the trendy fashion these days being rooted from the Woodstock Era, at one point in the performance I felt like what I was experiencing was very similar to how people felt in London listening to The Beatles as they emerged and blew up in the 60s. It was truly an experience I will never forget and I'm not sure if I'm embarrassed or proud to admit that I cried.

Mumford and Sons loves collaboration. After their encore, they invited all the bands up on stage and performed Fleetwood Mac's "The Chain".

The place was a madhouse, though. So. Many. People. It was bad enough being crammed in the park, but imagine all 60,000 people leaving the park and heading toward the same destination - the tube station. Packed like sardines, we finally boarded our train and made it home.

My favorite song performed was "Below My Feet," but a song that sums up my experience both at the concert and here in London is "After the Storm".

"And there will come a time,
you'll see, with no more tears.
And love will not break your heart,
but dismiss your fears.
Get over your hill and see
what you find there,
With grace in your heart
and flowers in your hair."

This place is my hill.

The show was definitely the highlight of my week. 

However, other memorable moments included:

• 4th of July themed Pub Crawl - there's just something about celebrating your country's independence whilst in the country you gained the independence from.

• Tour of Chelsea Football Club - their "backstage" facilities didn't even come close to comparing to the Ducks. But then again, they don't have Phil Knight on their side.

• Tour of Lord's Cricket Ground - Cricket is actually the second most-played sport in Great Britain!

• Standing in the front row and holding hands with Alice Katz, member of the band Youngblood Hawke, at KOKO Nightclub.

• Last, but certainly not least, sitting in a pub full of London locals, drinking cider, and watching Andy Murray - the first Brit in 77 years - win the Wimbledon Championships. So cool to be here during this exciting time. Thank God that Kate didn't have her baby during the finals because this city wouldn't have known what to do with itself.

That's all for now, folks. Stay tuned!
P.S. I apologize for the poor video quality. Blogger isn't the most revolutionary when it comes to handling videos.