The Fleeting Feeling of Life's Moments

It happens to me every time. I wait anxiously for the sale of tickets to see my favorite band, then grab them as soon as they hit the internet. Once I finally have them in my grasp- it’s only a waiting game where excitement builds up over agonizing days, weeks, sometimes months. As it nears, the anticipation creates a buzz about me and in my mind. The day of the concert I put myself through torture, standing in line for hours either in the skyrocketing temperatures of an Iowa Summer, or freezing, wearing no coat with the temperature in the teens- all just to be closer to the door. When the doors finally open, it’s a mad rush and I head straight for the barricade, a thin rope that separates me from the the band I have been waiting to see. Once the music starts, the crowd becomes one. We sway together, mosh together, and have a collective “one of the most amazing nights ever” together. Blood pumping, sweat flying in all directions, together with, not only the crowd, but also the artist playing before me. A wave of astonishment washes over me and my eyes fill with awe. It seems as though, in that one moment, that one hundred gallons of adrenaline are surging through my body. I will never feel like this again. I shake it off and continue jumping, bobbing, swaying, staying at one with the people around me.

My first few steps out of the venue feel like I’m walking again for the first time, I’m grinning with a ridiculous passion and I can’t shut up. I just had the best night ever! How can anything ever top this feeling? The question grazes my mind, but I’m already back to thinking about the night’s events, jumping still and singing under my breath as we walk to the car, the rest of our unified group doing the same, the crowd slowly becoming themselves again. On the drive home, a sadness already seems to drape over me. Soon, every memory from that night evokes a subtle disappointment. Why do I feel this way? That concert was amazing… I can’t listen to the same music anymore, or really any music for that matter- it just disgusts me, nothing will ever compare to the concert I just experienced. Eventually I get over this and something changes and I can’t seem to stop wearing the merch I got, nor can I stop watching the amazing videos and pictures I got! I know when I begin to get over it because it is the moment I begin to look for more tickets, just to experience all of this again.

This feeling of sadness after a concert is what many people across the internet are calling “post-concert depression”. But, I don’t think that post-concert depression (PCD) is quite an appropriate name for this feeling. I believe that it should be broadened to match the feelings that every person has when they experience something amazing. We should call it post-experience depression. Have you ever noticed that when you just know that something is going to be great and it exceeds your expectations, you tend to feel quite sad after experiencing it?

For example, you wait all year for another homecoming football game, preparing, nerves growing every day, excitement exploding from you. Then, it is finally here. The big moment. You love every second of it, feeling the unity of your team on the field or you experience this unity cheering with your classmates from the crowd, then it is suddenly over. The big moment you were waiting for is over which brings a sort of sadness to you. This feeling can happen with almost anything in life, like the feeling performers get the night of their final close, or unpacking your suitcase from the vacation you looked forward to all year, or celebrating your birthday at your favorite restaurant with your friends.

As long as we experience fantastic events in our lives, post experience depression is inevitable. You will experience ups and downs, highs and lows, but you must know that it is all temporary. Don’t let the sureness of something like PED stop you from doing something you want to, instead live your life in such a way that you are grateful for the knowledge of things like PED and do what you love anyway. Live in the moment, even if the moment proves sorrow or joy, just feel it. Concert goers everywhere feel PCD, yet continue to choose to huddle in lines for what seems like hours again and again to see their favorite band. Live your life the same way- in the moment, ready to feel and experience all that you can. In life, we have all felt sadness, disappointment, or even extreme happiness and in the same way that our body does when experiencing post-concert depression, our life will balance out too. So, if you’re going through a rough time, you can expect that there will be calm waters ahead, even if they are very far in the distance, unable to be seen, you can know that they will be there eventually.

- Grace Pfeifle