Madeon concert proves to be a success
The lights come on; I’m standing, nervous, in the photo pit surrounded by people much bigger and much more professional than I. They have fancy harnesses, multiple cameras and big lenses. I have my little strap, attached to my consumer camera, with my little black lens. I feel small compared to the rest, not only in actual size, but in experience as well. Breathe in, breathe out… in… out… I can do this. This a big first for me: I’ve always loved taking pictures, but this time I’m doing it in a completely new — and hard — environment, and I have to actually show people my pictures. Stakes are high, which means nerves are high. The music starts. All the nerves that had filled my body just seconds before have now disappeared. I can feel the beat in my chest, and my 15 minutes in the pit go by in what feels like seconds. I walk out of the photo pit, completely oblivious to my surroundings and go find my friends. I have the biggest smile on my face because that was the most fun I’ve ever had. How am I ever supposed to get a boring desk job now when I know I could have that much fun?
I’m not going to lie; before seeing Madeon live, I didn’t know a ton about his music. I had listened to him because my best friend loves him, but my knowledge of him and his music stopped there. Now, he is all I can listen to. He is an electronic dance music artist, or EDM for short. I didn’t listen to a lot of EDM before Madeon, but his concert opened me up to a whole new world of music. Music and emotion are very strongly connected for me, and all I could feel at his show was pure joy. He, his music and his audience radiated happiness.
The music and the lights drained any ounce of nervousness, drowsiness or doubt left in my body. The concert has turned into a blur of emotions and sounds in my memory this point, but I remember one specific moment very clearly, the first few seconds of Madeon’s song “Pop Culture.” I remember looking around, being surrounded by strangers, people I knew nothing about and probably never would know anything about, but in that moment none of that mattered, and we were all connected. We were connected by the music, the happiness and the experience. Now, I know one thing about them, and we share that one experience in common. That is why I love music so much: It connects people; it brings them together.
Madeon is not only an amazing artist, but he is also a huge inspiration. Most teenagers think that they have no power, that they can’t do anything to work towards their passions, but Madeon has proved them wrong. He is 19 years old and traveling the world doing what he loves. He showed me that age is not a barrier blocking me from my dreams and aspirations and that all it takes to be happy is to follow the path carved by passion.
His show was exactly what I needed after a long, hard week of school. It gave me four hours to unwind, it allowed my mind to wander away from the constant stress of school, and it gave me a new found sense of motivation to work towards what I’m passionate about, taking pictures, and capturing emotion with the click of a button.
![Festival goers gather on the Zilker Park lawn for a day of kite flying, entertainment, and food at the ABC KiteFest Sunday, April 14. “It was super fun to watch people flying their kites and also fly my own,” Tucker said. “[KiteFest] is always a highlight of my year and I plan to return every year moving forward.”](https://westlakefeatherduster.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/kite-600x450.jpeg)
![The Wind Ensemble, conducted by director Kerry Taylor, plays in the Performing Arts Center Wednesday, Mar 27. “Some challenges we face with our music are always solved through our weekly sectionals,” Qadan said. “They are helpful because it gives each section the chance to work with one another on their weakest part of the music and fix everything that needs to be [fixed].”](https://westlakefeatherduster.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/band-1-600x450.jpeg)
