28 Years Ago...

To say that music is a huge part of my life is an understatement. Almost every waking moment has a soundtrack, and seeing live music is my absolute favorite way to spend my free time. 28 years ago today, I remember the gut punch that was the death of Kurt. Nirvana was my favorite band. I spent days afterwards re-watching their Unplugged special and mourning the loss of someone I didn't know personally but whose creative contributions had a profound impact on my existence. 

Kurt was an incredible songwriter and musician, but it was obvious he was unhappy with both his fame and other aspects of his life. His pained expression when he looks in the camera at the end of "Where Did You Sleep Last Night" is a testament to that. If there was any glass half full you could apply to his death, it could only be that he wouldn't have to suffer anymore. 

I never thought I'd be that affected by the death of a musician again, but 10 days ago, I was.

In cosmically ironic timing, I learned about Taylor Hawkins' death just a few minutes after watching Nirvana's Unplugged for the first time in over a decade. 

I saw the Foo Fighters only one time, headlining a festival in 2005. It was the end of a very long day out in the hot sun, and as amazing as they were, I wasn't able to fully appreciate it because of how exhausted I was by the time they took the stage. Each new album from them has become anathematic, their lyrics and melodies weaving their way through so many parts of my life.

Last summer, I tuned into the live stream of Lollapalooza in Chicago to watch a few minutes of them closing the show, and I instead sat there for over 2 hours to watch the entire thing. It was a perfect performance filled with energy and emotion that you could feel even hundreds of miles away watching on TV. Particularly memorable was when Dave took over the drums so Taylor could sing his own version of Queen's "Somebody to Love." 

We went to go see the Foo Fighters movie as soon as it hit theaters. Dave's biography was up next in my book queue. For their newest tour, I was in the virtual ticket line as soon as they were available. I was so looking forward to seeing them next month. 

Instead, I'm right back where I was 28 years ago. Watching old performances from a musician that touched people's hearts and left us way too soon.