June 4, 2021

“Come on, try a little
Nothing is forever
There’s got to be something better than
In the middle
But me and Cinderella
We’ll put it all together
We can drive it home
With one headlight”

The band The Younguns played the Wallflowers song One Headlight and I sang along filled with joy. I swayed to the musical rhythm that filled the air. Everyone could feel the songs as the energy flowed from the band on the stage. It was amazing to be surrounded by sounds that caressed the ear and lifted everyone’s spirit. Friday night in Osoyoos on the patio at the Spirit Beach Cantina, music flowed into the night and we felt our spirits lift with the energy. I felt a release I haven’t felt in a very long time.

Live music is a connection between an audience and a musician that cannot be recreated in any other way. For the last year, we have been stuck in a mostly virtual world. It was a breath of fresh air and a lifting of spirits that everyone sitting on the patio felt. It was a beautiful evening waterfront at the Nk’Mip Campground. The connection was in the air as the three bandmates played for the fortunate music lovers. 

It was their first performance in over a year and they scrubbed the rust off their instruments and played their hearts out.

And I danced my heart out. 

I was told at the start of the show dancing was not allowed. 

“Can I dance in my seat?” I asked the masked waitress.

I could see the smile in her eyes and she laughed. “Yes, you can if you remain in your seat. But you can’t mingle with other tables and please wear a mask when you do get up.” I could see her spirit wane slightly, the absurdity of the coronaverse has been wearing on us all.

So there I leaned and swayed on my stool. The live music filled my soul and I sang to the heavens.

The rock and roll heavens that surrounded us.

Brad, Tim, and Matt played their instruments in synchronous connection. The whole evening was a perfect storm of musical triumph. Brad even rocked his chops with some AC/DC just because we cheered him on to it. Tim’s fingers danced on the frets of his guitar, it grabbed my body and I felt every note move me. My heart pounded to the rhythm of Matt’s beat and Brad’s lyrics lifted me higher. 

And we sang on into the night. 

The music played into the darkness and we wound down the sounds of glory. The Younguns finished with a flurry of musical ecstasy and we wandered back to our campsite. It was a much-needed release and I felt my spirits fly higher.

Stars filled our vision above Osoyoos Lake; it gave me a feeling of awe. Covid has been a speck in time that paused everything including live music. The live performance Friday confirmed that we can continue to connect with our musical selves. 

I look forward to more live music and the connection that it brings.