My Friday nights are usually uneventful; I spend the majority of my night listening to newly released albums on Spotify, analysing and forming opinions on whether listening to an artist’s work is an enjoyable break from life, or an hour of time wasted. This week, however, everything changed.
My peaceful music bubble was harshly popped with the news of the atrocious acts of terrorism and violence that occurred in Lebanon, Baghdad and France. The attacks in Paris were a shock, not just due to their close proximity to my location in the United Kingdom, but also due to the venues of the attack. Over one hundred innocent people, of all backgrounds, ethnicities, and religions were all victims of the attacks. It appears to be random.
The attack earlier this summer in Charleston, NC had a specific purpose of racial discrimination. The attack in Paris earlier this year was in direct retaliation to the use of a newspaper’s freedom of speech. But the events that occurred on Friday, November 13th appear to have no exact target, no specific group of importance.
The choice of restaurants, a sports dome and a music venue as stages for a terrorist attack are the most frightening aspects of the events in Paris. The specific choice of a concert hall sends of horrifying message to the public because of what concerts represent to myself, and fellow concertgoers. Live music is a place of a certain type of worship and unity. It represents an area and time that people of all different characteristics can unite for an hour and a half as they sing and dance as one. Concerts are my happy place, the one place where I can let go of all troubles and inhibitions to be safe and feel free. A piece of this has now been taken from me, and millions of people all over the world who share my philosophies.
The fear that has been a result of these events has already caused acts such as The Foo Fighters and U2 to cancel their upcoming tour dates to Paris, as well as other celebrity appearances set to occur throughout the country. Musicians and music lovers all over the world will carry this tragedy in our hearts every day, because music is a daily necessity in our lives. The introduction to fear being associated with the art of music is a new concept to the world, one that has permanently created a dark corner in our souls. To some it may be prayer or worship, but to myself and countless others, spirituality and comfort is found in the notes of a guitar or the passion of a crowd in the midst of a chorus. This will forever be changed by the acts against Parisians, and subsequently, humanity as a whole.
Jenna Machin