Saw Frightened Rabbit Concert Thursday Night!

Alehouse, down the street from Knitting Factory. Great time with Jill. Frightened Rabbit is from Scotland, and I've been a fan for a few years. His lyrics are power packed and poetic, and their sound is intense and expressive. For some reason their songs give me a feeling of transcendence, awe, joy, and thankfulness for life and music. I feel odd saying that though, since they sing about their atheistic beliefs and all kinds of suffering and sad times in their life. I guess I am moved by perspectives that accept and deal with the harsh realities of life, as well as find exuberance in the mysteries of existence and the things that make life so joyous. One of the reasons I like concerts is that there is interaction with the crowd. I yelled out, "Tell us about Scotland!" and he talked about walking around the streets of Glasgow, going to the bars and walking death marches back home after having overdone it, scared to face his girlfriend. Then he sang one of my favorites, "Late March, Death March." The lyrics to that song seem sad at first because he talks about how since there is no God we are on a march to death. However, accepting that helps us live every day in the present, doing all we can to enjoy life and be happy. And it is nice not to have to worry about whether we have prayed or fasted enough in order to convince God to do something or change someone or rescue someone from eternal torture. What a relief. Life is good. So good. Suffering is around the corner, and so is death, but who cares. That is what life is and when we accept it, life is so much more enjoyable. Joy is easier to obtain through suffering this way, rather than try to find joy in suffering while begging some imaginary power to do something about it.