The Concert And The Violist

My friend asked me to come watching his band, Annemarie*, playing in a small concert on Saturday afternoon. "I don't have much thing to do", I replied him, and then said, "I'll come." It's a charity show named Shining-something, I wasn't quite sure if it's Shining Hopes or Shining Soaps or none of it, but the name wasn't really important anyway. I didn't even know what kind of charity they'll do, and I didn't really care about thing's happening. Maybe there was a bomb explosion again? Or Tsunami part 2**? I tell you again, I knew nothing about what's happening in the world outside and I didn’t really care either.

The band would play there alongside other indie band, which is quite interesting. There's nothing more interesting than an indie thing, because they provide you (sometimes) with a fresh and better things. They don't depend on the market's judgment to create new things; it's just their own style. That's why they called indie which comes from the independent word.

But when later I knew that the concert is held at Sky FM, I changed my mind to go there already. Well, I never went there before, but I knew that the place is small and clustered, so I think it would be boiling like hell in there. And the acoustic of the place isn't really good either. But I have already made a promise to my friend. And Frank said, "Never make a promise you can't keep," as the third rule***. Promise is a very important thing, and you'll hurt somebody's feelings if you don't keep your promise.

So I tried to think good things happening there to encourage me to come. Hmm, it actually didn't sound that bad like I said before. I mean, the place is BAD, but the show is quite a thing. I like to come to a music concert actually.
The sound, the beat, the rhythm of the music gather at one, mix into one specific response received by the nerves and delivered it to the brain. If the brain likes it, it will respond to the nerves which are sending it to all over the body, and resulting a lefty-righty-shaky move at the body and the head.
What's happened if your brain doesn't like it?
Simple, it will give commands to the foot to leave the place at once. Or maybe just a single words of, "Bollocks****," or, "Shut up, will ya?" is enough.

And so, that is the story why I am here now.

Standing at the back row, luckily I'm tall, I watch Annamarie playing Wonderboy. It's the third song I think, I'm not quite sure. But I enjoy the music; I heard their recordings often if you ask me. And the music is nice.

Come to the place, it's like I think before: small (I think the festival area is about 10m x 10m), clustered, and crowded. But what I feel weird is: all the people sitting in front of the stage area, the moshing pit. Hey, aren't you supposed to be dancing like crazy and just go insane? The music is pop and the beat is nice, for God's sake; it's as if they are listening to a jazz concert because they don't even shake a single thing on their body. Come to think of it, it's better to listen to jazz concert, I think; it's like they're attending a seminar actually, just sitting there and looking to the front attentively. Even when the indie rock and roll band comes up later, they do the same thing. Well, if they're not deaf, they surely don't have a good sense of music. Nevermind the bollocks*****. They're pathetic anyway.

The song has finished and I hear some people clapping their hands. The band is preparing another keyboard: Banyu, the guitarist will be the second keyboardist for their last song.
Hmm, isn't this the time when she plays the violin? Where is she anyway?

[Huh? You're playing violin?
Yep. She smiled to me funnily. It's her favorite pose which makes her looks even lovely.
Are you guys serious? I thought I heard no violin in the songs...
Then new arrangement it is, said him, my friend who asked me coming here.
Experimental, huh?
Well, it worked at TRL. So why not try it here?]

I look around searching for her but she is nowhere to be found. But few seconds later she's on the sideway and come to the stage. She holds the violin gently in her arm and play along in the next song.

This is the first time I watch her playing on a stage. I know she's a violist and I have seen her practicing few time. I always love the violists, I mean look at the way they play. They stand with their head face the violin on the left shoulder beautifully. Look at the way they moved the right hand elegantly gorgeous. Look at when they swing their body to the follow the tempo. Combine all of it with the beautiful sounds of the violin. What could be more beautiful than that?

But this time when I actually see her live on stage, I never know she would be that stunning. How speechless I am, not even a single word comes out from my word. The image of her at that moment leaves a great admiration and comes out that I find her very attractive. And just because of that, suddenly I feel to fall for her.
Isn't it funny, the way how we could fall for someone else?
She keeps watching her left fingers moving on the strings. One time she closes her eyes and has a little smile on her face as if they're nothing left in this world except her and the sounds of her violin.

One moment, I think she looked at me with inquiring eyes. But maybe it's just an illusion. There are a lot of people in the crowd here, why would she see me anyway, although I could see her well from here and she could too.
Anyway, the band has finished the song and they go backstage. I follow them there and congratulate them, "There's nothing I could do about the sound (yeah, it's pathetically frustatic...) but all of you did a nice performance up there."
I sit there and join them watching the videotape that Rani took and having conversation with others. I know them quite well and they are nice, most of them are my friends already before they formed Annemarie. I'm going to be their additional player anyway; Dian is going to focus on the college studies. He and I are in the same major, will take the same class next semester this February. But I do not quite like the idea on focusing on the studies, so I become their additional for a moment.

Later when I just sit around, she, the violin player, come to me with her funny smile again and said,
So? How did I play? I tried asking you; I looked at you but you didn’t even look at me...
I smile, then said, You played perfectly nice, I enjoy it really...
She chuckles. Thanks.
It's the nice chuckles I think I want to hear it every morning I wake up.
You’re very welcome...

So she looked at me back then. That's fair enough; consider how I look at her all the time...









Footnotes:
* They playing some like Swedish music, and already made an album in Sweden on the indie label called MusicIsMyGirlfriend.
** The sequel of tsunami on Aceh on 26 Desember 2004.
*** Frank Martin, played by Jason Statham, is The Transporter.
**** The word is a Brit. vulgar slang, means (1) the testicles, and (2) treated as nonsense; rubbish.
*****Nevermind The Bollocks by Sex Pistols, released in 1977 on the Virgin label.