The Front Row Is Not For The Fragile!

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Ok, so this isn't the exact album version of T.Raumschmiere's odd-yet-beautiful rock anthem, but it's the best I could find.

This will be the opening track of my Music Mix 2009. The uncommon time signature of the chorus and how effortlessly the vocals and guitars carry over, along with the gutsy percussion makes this a shoe in and one of the best songs of the year.
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The front row is the most intimate area of any concert. It is a full-on religious experience. If you're IN the front row, you either paid a sum to get there (and didn't mind paying it at all), or pushed and shoved your way there. Regardless of HOW you got to the front row, you got there. The how isn't important anyway, the why is. If you're seeing your favorite band live, the best seat in the house is the one right up front, where the action is visceral and real. You can see the sweat, the emotion, everything pouring right off the performers. You show your love by belting out every word to every song, putting as much of yourself into their music as they do. You feel it. In concerts for heavier styles of music, the front row also becomes one of the most dangerous places to be. The ebb and flow of the crowd can crush a person. The crowd surfers, the mosh pitters. It's also the furthest from the door in the event of a fire. So when T.Raumschmiere's front man sings "The front row is not for the fragile, baby!", it's with an air of absolute truth. You don't go there if you can't handle it.

I feel this idea also applies to people. Being in the front row of someone's life, being close enough to see their face and the whites of their eyes, knowing enough about them that you can feel what they feel, that's not a place for a fragile soul. But unlike a concert, it's hard to buy your way up, or push and shove your way in. The front row is invite only, and forcing your way is the best way to get forced away. It's hard for me to remember that. I need those mental boundaries, the ropes and the guards that keep the crowd from mobbing the performers. I can't be in the front row for everyone I know. Sometimes I can't even make the show. But if someone lets me, I'm going to consider it an honor and give them someone worthy of their front row. Someone who ain't afraid to get a little rough and dirty. I ain't fragile.