Encore

Pic of Caleb Followill (lead singer of Kings of Leon)
taken with Hubby's camera phone

The Kings of Leon concert I went to last night was excellent as expected. A live performance by the group is an amazing experience and I found myself craving to hear more of their live music today.
Nearing the end of their performance last night I began wondering, almost anticipating, if there would be an encore. Of course I was going to be disappointed when they exited the stage – but I nearly knew they’d return for a few last numbers. And indeed they did take the stage again for 3 final songs.
I find it a little bittersweet that the encore has become predictable. The past 10 concerts I’ve been to have all included an encore at the end. This tool has lost all its excitement. I have no clue as to when or where this concept of false finality began, but I’m sure it originated as a true surprise. I try to imagine the birthplace of the encore. The fans of this historical concert event probably had already filtered out of the arena. I picture only the diehards remaining, still clapping their hands numb, when the band returns for one last song, making their wildest dreams come true.
Now we’ve come to expect the encore. We don’t even flinch as the band leaves the stage. As fans, we trust that the performers will come back for our listening pleasure. And they in turn trust that we’ll wait for them in the stands as they head backstage to shotgun a beer. They know we’ll keep our seats in undramatic fashion, putting on our facade of worried applause.
But hey, I keep playing along. Whatever it takes to get the Kings of Leon back on stage.