Basement / The Front Bottoms | 11.16.17 | Emo's
The first time I saw The Front Bottoms was right after my birthday two years ago at The Parish and it's still a show I remember fondly and hold dear to my heart. Their shows are what I would best describe as a spiritual experience. The energy that they put in and the energy the crowd gives back is something very, very special. I've been to my fair share of shows and the type of enthusiasm isn't always present, or at least as palpable.
After The Front Bottoms had announced their new album and the tour in support of their new record, I saw they were slated to play in Austin the night of my birthday and I knew I had to try and shoot it, or at the very least go and simply enjoy the show, sans camera. Last year I had forgone a show I wanted to go to on my birthday and I promised myself I wouldn't do that again. This past year I haven't shot nearly as many shows as I would have liked, so I especially wanted to celebrate my birthday this year in the photo pit. I bought a ticket just in case I didn't get approved to photograph the show. Turns out I not only got approval for the show, but my mom also had that day off of work. I haven't celebrated my birthday with my mom in years, and I remember reading a quote somewhere that says "make time for your mother on your birthday, it's her special day too" so I couldn't think of a better way to spend my birthday with my favorite person, doing one of my favorite things.
I also finally got to see Basement live, which I was super stoked about! I've been wanting to see them for a couple years now and they definitely didn't not disappoint. It's going to be far too long until the next time I see them but that was also the icing on the cake for a really great birthday.
This past year has really been rough, and it's a really great feeling to look back and see what a different, better place I am in. I've made some serious strides to take care of myself and change things that really needed to be changed. It's still a process, but I'm happy and have no regrets with the measures I had to take to get where I am right now. This day/ the previous week had been really special because I can't remember a time I had felt that loved and appreciated.
