Do you remember your first concert? I mean really remember it, down to the smallest detail? My brother took me to my first ever concert, to see a band that I had never heard of. When I got home from school he threw me the City Paper, told me to read up, and asked if I would like to go see them. Hesitant as I always was, I did not initially want to go. He told me, “You’d like them.” So I went with him.

Let’s get this straight; The Melvins are not a quality first-concert band. I don’t care how into loud music you are; a person needs time to adjust. As hard-core as you think that a band can be, The Melvins top that. Not mentioning the fact that they had two drummers, that first concert is to this day the loudest noise I have ever heard. My hearing never fully recovered, and neither did my attitude.

For the first time in my life, I realized that it was okay to be imperfect. I looked around and saw people who generally enjoyed being who they were. I wondered to myself, “Why can’t I be like that?” And that’s when things started to change.

I can be friends with the weird kids. I don’t need to wear the same clothes as everyone else. I can listen to whatever bands I want and disregard the rest. No longer did I feel the need to have everyone like me. I could be me, and I could be happy being me. This didn’t happen over night, of course. It took a very long time to come to terms with the person I was to become, the person that I am today.

When people say that you have to love yourself in order for others to love you, they’re not kidding. Why should anyone respect me if I can’t respect myself? I gained respect, not only from myself, but also from those surrounding me.

That one concert changed so much about me, from my appearance, to my outlook on life, and I don’t even listen to The Melvins! They acted, should I say, as a “gateway band.” They took me away from listening to what I was told to listen to and closer to what I listen to now. I feel as though the music that I listen to now inspires me to do whatever it is that I need to do, whether it be getting my homework done, or making it through tougher challenges.

To this day, I am overjoyed with my choice to go to that concert with my brother. If I ever need help with making a decision, I look for inspiration from the part of myself that first decided to go to that concert.