I had the pleasure of watching one of my best friends do something new on 2nd October.
She picked up the hobby of drumming which is fairly random, but if you know her it tracks.
We arrived at the venue as the performances were in full swing. These are all people who are in their late twenties or older following their passions in singing and playing musical instruments. There is something beautiful in people trying to find their passions later in life, because it gives me a glimpse into what they could have been if they had been provided the resources to pursue their interests as opposed to being cogs in a machine which converts human resources into shareholder value.
My friend is a new mom, so it goes without saying that I am proud of the fact that she has not only managed the delicate process of nurturing an actual new human in this world but also not lost her own individuality in that endeavor. A lot of that has to do with the fact that she has a supportive partner who makes sure to take care of the mental load and in some cases take over when she needs him to without her having to ask him to.
I have just seen small snippets of her playing the drums on instagram, never seen her play the full thing and I didn't even know the song which she has selected. Now armed with her phone camera I am seated in the front row like an eager parent excited for their kids first performance.
The first funny thing which happens when my friend gets on stage is that my niece aka my friends child lets out a bone chilling, spine curling shriek. She has seen her mother and needs her like people need oxygen.
Her husband has to do the unfortunate thing of taking his child out of the auditorium, meaning that he will be missing her performance live. This is one of the realities of parenting sometimes you will have to sacrifice things to make sure someone else is happy. Therefore the pressure is on me to make sure that the video I take is steady and clear so that they can relive the performance as many times as necessary with the knowledge that it will never live up to the real thing. No pressure, obviously.
The song is "Rolling in the deep by Adele" She will be drumming to the song, making sure to keep the beat.
What follows is basically best described as a beautiful wild fire. Because she is playing the drums it is the most exciting performance of the night by virtue of being the most loud. As humans there is something primal about percussion, hence the overwhelming response to beats on a drum.
I can tell that she has been practicing this song for a few months now. Initially it is almost perfectly on the beat. Elevating the vocals of the song. The lights are going crazy, the fog machine is setting a mood. The audience sits quietly enraptured by the percussion. She is lost in the rhythm, it is exciting watching someone perform with true passion.
I can imagine a future where she keeps this up and is able to do a solo without needing a background track or a past where this is her hobby and it lets her make friends easier by being one of the cool kids in the rock band.
She starts rushing her beats in the middle, you can tell that she has a tendency to interpret the song at a faster pace than it actually is. But it doesn't matter. This is her first performance in front of a crowd which is already an achievement because overcoming stage fright is something most people can't do. Besides, perfection can only be achieved for one moment, and she has already done that during the first portion of the song.
Recovering her pace, she keeps the beat and winds down the song to applause. People loved her performance, of course she has not a lot of time to take in the applause. She has to go and check in on her child and husband who could not watch it with her. That's also a reality check in being a parent.
It is fun to watch someone who is still honing their craft, you can see the areas which they have nailed and the areas which they will eventually perfect. Watching people pursue creative interests is something which I personally love because you never know what is someone's true calling. Maybe drumming is the thing she will find the most joy in and be creatively satiated, maybe this will be the small spark that will be the actual wild fire of new creative ways to express herself.
I hope that eventually when her kid grows up enough to have opinions she chooses to be passionate like her mother, and makes art she is passionate about instead of losing herself in this weird capitalist hellscape. I hope to encourage her weird art whether it be finger painting the mona lisa with ketchup and chocolate sauce. As long as she is happy making things.
That is all that matters.