post concert depression.
3-6-01
not too sure how well this is gonna go. i thought of more things to say earlier but have forgotten them now that i’m actually going to type it. damn it.
through personal experiences and talking to some of my friends i’ve concluded that there is a syndrome called post concert depression. i guess this is something that would only effect music lovers and younger generations. i can’t really imagine a 40 year old suffering from this.
i guess i’d describe post concert depression as the feeling you get when you realize that the moment you have waited for, for so long, is now over. its the drop off of adrenaline to normal levels after a concert experience. it’s the annoyance at your ringing ears. it’s the sitting in silence in the car on the ride home thinking about what happened.
i think you get this, especially if it’s a band that you really like, or a big deal that creates more excitement than normal, partly because of the anticipation leading up to the show. you count down the weeks, days, hours until you can get ready and leave for the show. you stand in the crowd through openers, waiting for the first notes to play. the show starts and you are able to suspend reality, for at least an hour or so. you forget your problems, stress goes away, you have no worries (except maybe getting kicked in the head)…you’re enveloped in something you truely enjoy
then it’s over, and your forced to return to earth….to face life and everything that comes with it…the problems, the stress, the fact that you need to find money to pay for the concert (haha).
the duration of this syndrome is variable. it would depend on just how important the concert was to you. a once in a lifetime concert  experience would give you a higher level of PCD than one of a band you’ve seen 10 times (although this may not be true). it would depend on exactly how good the show was. the show could be crap, and no PCD would result…but if the show was extremely amazing, big PCD.
treatment: find a copy of the show 🙂 video or audio works well to relieve PCD. pictures work well also, but could also worsen PCD by triggering memories of the show and the desire to re-experience it.
i guess that’s all i wanted to say.
update january 2, 2002 – i found out a few months ago after the u2 hamilton show that PCD is not something experienced only by myself and my weird friends. many people who saw u2 shows during 2001 suffered from PED – post elevation depression. i am not alone!!