Music-lovers stand jam-packed in the arena
Surrounded by my musical family of all creeds, races, and ages
Differences discarded like last season’s fashions
Jubilation spills forth in grins matched like handbags
to shimmering eyes

Airborne snippets of snatched conversation propagate like viruses
‘Did you hear?’
‘First time in years…’
‘Oh My God!’
‘Thought they split up…’
Grows into a buzzing kaleidoscope of noise

Excitement tinges the air
Lights dim
Then a flash bang of light
In the distance a drumming beat begins
Conversation drops deferentially to animated whispers
A clap, a whistle
He struts onto stage - this Demigod of rock
Potently powerful, -his charisma is a powerful force

‘WOOOOOOHHH! He’s here!!!’ a voice screams next to me
I flash a quick grin and cheeky wink at my neighbour
My stomach clenches
My heart begins to beat in unison with the drums
Lub-dub…lub-dub…lub-dub
‘Good evening, Londonnnnnnnnnnn’ he screams
His microphone transformed into a sceptre of sound
And launches into a song

‘Celebration’ we chant in unison to the thuddering chorus
And it is a celebration of sound
An explosion of noise
This universally chaotic happiness
We are joined into one mob, a crowd, a movement even

‘Celebration’ we chant louder like acolytes
I begin to jump, my hands thrown in the air
All we care about is his voice, his music
All control gone as we surge noisily to the beat
Bobbing around in a sea of ‘Rock horns’

‘Celebration’ we scream frenzied now
A crescendo, it gains momentum
Reaching that final climax
The final drum solo begins
A war horse on its way to certain death

‘Celebration’ the last chord thrums into silence
Momentarily quiet, the calm before the storm
And then a resonating roar of sound
Screams of joy split this rock made temple
Claps and wolf whistles pierce the air

I manage a strangled ‘HooolllllllllllyyyyyyyyShit’
Through scream twisted vocal chords
My heart echoes everyone else’s excitement
Released from its drum-bound beat
And I become one with this celebration of music

Calming down I drink my beer
Breathing begins to slow
‘I’m sure you know this one’ he breathes into his microphone
The drum starts again
Like the beginning of the rollercoaster
That I can’t get off (Here we go again)