![]() I spun that thing so much that I needed to buy a new copy two weeks later due to the amount of wear on it. With all due respect, I learned more outside the classroom then I did inside. “Well, do you have any interviews lined up with what you want to do?” Nope, not yet. “Isn’t that why you went to this school? To guide you to this type of job? Nope. “You are not going to pursue ‘the path’?” Nope. I just refused to to look to something I knew wasn’t mine. Don’t get me wrong, I worked extremely hard. The “Big 5” handpicked students from my school. The focus and the end-game were one of two things - you went into their grad school program or you went into finance or accounting. “What are you going to do after graduation?” Every one of my friends knew what they were doing. I knew back at campus and on my upcoming trip home for Thanksgiving, an array of questions were waiting for me. There’s not a listen that goes by that doesn’t chill me all the way through at the line, “constant recoil, sometimes life don’t leave you alone.” I still have a hard time articulating what this song means to me. But there was one that struck a chord I had never heard strummed before. Oddly, the setting I created both matched and was the complete opposite of what’s displayed on the album cover.Įach song was different and evoked a different emotional reaction. Pre - legit navigation, I used my senses to find dark streets to accompany my submersion into Riot Act bliss. “Can’t Keep” - lyrically rich, but sonically smooth, almost like an entrance song into the Riot Act cave.įor the next three hours, I just drove. I start my engine, pop in the CD, and to my surprise, I’m greeted by a gentle opener. Riot Act? “That’s an intense title,” I thought. Other than that, the only thing I really knew about this record was that it appeared to be full of beautifully heavy words. Both on radio and via Eddie Vedder acoustic performances. We had heard “I Am Mine”, the first single by now. What I did know was on that one night, which had now turned to early morning - November 12, 2002, I had my most loyal companion, music. Who was going to be there, who wasn’t, where was I going to live? Again, I had no idea. ![]() What was going to happen in just a few short months? I had no idea. For what it’s worth, “wild” is the perfect word to end that phrase. I had just met my girlfriend (now wife) and was five months from being released into the wild. It was a perfect companion for crossroad ahead where I did not know what other companions I would have. Unwrapped the CD booklet in the store before paying, took pictures on CVS disposable cameras, paid, and then went on our respective ways - off to start our personal Riot Act journeys.įor me, Riot Act came at a very sensitive time. cheerful asked? “You know it,” I replied. One of them looked jubilant, the other terrified. Riot Act was the ball dropping (without Seacrest, sorry dude) in 10, 9, 8, 7,….įinally, as the clock struck midnight, two employees came to open the doors, sporting their signature Tower yellow. On this night, it felt like New Year’s Eve. Sometimes you forgot to even introduce yourself. You discussed the songs you’ve already heard, how long you’ve been a fan, what upcoming shows you are going to, and how many you have already been to. Better yet, just like this particular fall evening, you met like-minded people. Still, nothing compares to the rush that was - going to Tower Records, seeing the CD or record display of music you had been waiting eternities for. Instead of in my hands, I have a new release in my apple music the minute it’s available. Modern day music access certainly has its perks. Pearl Jam’s seventh studio album was five minutes away from being officially released. We lined up at the door, shuffled ourselves around in jittery excitement and even waved at the cardboard cutouts of these skeletons wearing crowns in a dark brownish/orange-lit cave. Twelve of us from twelve different corners of New England congregated outside the windows of what I considered to be a legendary music haven. Love Boat Captain take the reins - Pearl Jam’s ‘Riot Act’ turns 15 years strong
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |