Jon

Last night I went to see Bryan Ferry. I’ve been a fan of Roxy Music and Bryan Ferry since my teens, and I’d seen him live a couple of times before. So I was excited when tickets went on sale.

Still, I paused before buying the tickets, because I wasn’t sure who I’d go with. K wasn’t interested, observing that Ferry has never written for Broadway. But VV, a friend, tweeted that she really wanted to go, so I made it happen.

I like to think I would have bought the tickets anyway and worried later about finding someone to go with.

As much as I’d been looking forward to the show, when the date came, I was a little ambivalent. It’s been a busy week, and I’m fighting off a cold, so I was tired and uncomfortable. If I hadn’t made plans with my friend, there’s a non-zero chance I would have talked myself out of going.

I’m really glad I went. They started with an old-time Roxy Music song (“Re-make/Re-model”), which got me in the mood. And the next one (“Kiss and Tell”), from a mid-80s solo album, really energized me.

The performance itself was really good. Ferry can still sing, and his backup musicians managed to be faithful to Ferry’s sound while still putting themselves into the music.

I can’t say that it was objectively the best performance I’d ever attended, but I have never enjoyed a concert as much as I enjoyed that one.¹ Part of it was that it was an excellent show. But mostly, I think I was just ready to enjoy something, more ready than I’d been in years. I was finally in the right place, living the right life, listening to music that I’d loved for nearly thirty years.

For all of my ongoing issues and anxiety, I’m finally whole, and it’s wonderful.

¹A very slight disappointment was the lack of showgirls. Previously when I’d seen Roxy Music or Bryan Ferry live, there had been a point in the show when two women in showgirl costumes—spangles, giant feathers, and all—came out and flanked the stage. I had been looking forward to seeing something along those lines at this concert because showgirls.