He was seventeen, standing three rows from the barrier at the Newport Music Hall in Columbus. The room smelled like stale beer, floor wax, and desperate anticipation. Beside him, his best friend, Sam, was bouncing on his heels so hard Matt could feel the floorboards vibrate.
They tore through “High of 75°” and the crowd sang every word about the perfect fall day. When they hit “Who I Am Hates Who I’ve Been,” the singalong was so loud Matt couldn’t even hear the band anymore—just three thousand voices screaming about wanting to be someone better. In that moment, surrounded by strangers all yelling the same confession, he felt less alone than he ever had in his quiet bedroom.
And for the next six months, until the next concert came along, it was. relient k live
“They’re gonna play ‘Sadie Hawkins,’” Sam yelled into Matt’s ear.
It was chaos. Beautiful, holy chaos.
“They’re gonna play everything ,” Matt yelled back.
The highlight came halfway through the set. The band shifted. Thiessen walked to the piano. The chatter died down. A slow, familiar arpeggio began. He was seventeen, standing three rows from the
The sweat on the back of Matt’s neck had nothing to do with the Ohio humidity and everything to do with the five minutes he’d been waiting for the lights to drop.