Storming of the Bastille

By Mona Mirmortazavi

This weekend, my roommates planned a great trip to Gettysburg to experience one of the most powerful moments in American history and appreciate the multitude of President Lincoln statues.  It’s a truly humbling experience, rich with history, and makes you think about how, after all we’ve been through, the US still remains divided today.

But I went to a concert instead because it’s much more fun and way less educational.

Over the summer, the London-based band Bastille announced their sophomore album, Wild World, after three years of waiting, and a mini-tour along with it.  Originally, the tour was supposed to go to three cities in the US, one of which was in Colorado.  Being a Colorado native, I was so excited – but that lasted for less than a second, as I realized that it would be in October, and I would be in DC doing the WMI program for the semester.  I seriously considered postponing my relocation to DC because of this.

I didn’t end up doing that because it’s a ridiculous reason to delay moving to a different city.  And then, as if to reward me for not making a colossal mistake, Bastille announced a few more dates, and one was in DC.  Thank you, concert gods.

While DC is usually a ghost town on the weekends everywhere but the National Mall, 1,200 people showed up to the 9:30 Club to witness one of my favorite performers. Thankfully, the venue is so small that it didn’t matter, and you could get a great view regardless of where you were.

The band was incredible, but that’s nothing new.  I have seen Bastille three times now, and they never disappoint.  The entire band wants you to be involved, not just standing and nodding along.  They want you to scream the words, clap and jump along all night.  They ended the concert with a rendition of Pompeii, their usual closing song, and I’ve never experienced so much pure joy before from a crowd.
The next day, Bastille announced their full tour for Wild World, starting in March.  None of them are in Colorado, but who knows, maybe I’ll avoid making a colossal mistake and get to see them again.

Originally posted October 20, 2016