Don’t let terror affect your life
Today I want to write about a very serious topic. It’s one week ago since the cruel mass shooting in Las Vegas. I was very shocked when I heard it in the news. My thoughts go out to all the victims and to all families who lost a loved one.
For me it’s obvious that America needs a new gun law. I think James Corden found some great words in his show. For someone who comes from a country where you need a gun license to buy guns it’s shocking to see that all the guns the offender used for his shooting were legal!
But I don’t want to discuss America’s gun laws. I want to discuss something else. It was the third time that there was an attack at a festival or concert. The first cruel terror attack happened 2015 at Bataclan. I still remember how shocked I was. I was watching the football match between Germany and France that night and suddenly the commentator said that there were explosions outside of the stadium. Later it was reported that many people died at a shooting during a concert of the Eagles Of Death Metal. The attacks of Paris were a very craven, shocking crime. Since then many more terror attacks by ISIS happened, especially in Europe. And the second attack at a concert happened this year in Manchester at Ariana Grande’s concert where so many young innocent teenagers had to die. Again I couldn’t believe it. I still can’t. Who does this? I once read an interview with Aerosmith where they said that they’re afraid of playing in Europe but they still keep playing because of their fans and because they don’t let terror change their lives. Brandon Flowers said something similar the other day.
Since I love going to concerts, no matter if it’s in an arena, a small club or in a stadium, I questioned how safe it was to attend a concert these days. I know that we shouldn’t be scared by the terror, instead we should be brave and stand up. But it’s not easy when these terror attacks intervene your daily life because the ugly truth is: it causes fear.
Since the terror attack in Manchester happened you aren’t allowed to bring anything to a concert or festival in Germany. The safety standards have been increased since then. No bags allowed (except of a small fanny pack), no drinks (you were allowed to bring a Tetra Pak to a festival). You’re only allowed to bring yourself, the ticket, a phone and some money.
Just a few months after the Paris attacks I went to a concert by The Libertines. While I was standing in the crowd I was watching two guys who didn’t take off their jackets. It was very warm in the club so it didn’t make sense to me. So I caught myself watching these two guys for a while because I wondered why they didn’t take off their clothes. It was conspicuous for me. It didn’t make sense. Maybe they planned something. Maybe they hid guns or something else in their jackets? My mind was going crazy! In the end I saw the guys singing along to the band and nothing happened. Maybe they just didn’t want to waste their money at the checkroom?
Since then I attended a lot of more concerts and I never felt unsafe. No matter if at the Red Hot Chili Peppers concerts in a big arena or in small clubs. I NEVER felt unsafe. Until June this year.
I went to the Rock im Park festival in Germany. It has the same line up as Rock am Ring at the same weekend. It just takes place in Nuremberg, far away from Rock am Ring. So I was there this year. The first day was great. Sunny weather, great bands and atmosphere. Until midnight. We were waiting in line to see the late night headliner Kraftklub, one of my favorite German bands. Suddenly my friend looked at her phone and told me “Okay, so Rock am Ring was evacuated due to a terror threat”. I was shocked. At the same time a guy from the staff entered the stage and told us about the news. But he also told us that nothing happened at Rock am Ring. People stayed peaceful and left the area. Nothing happened. The organizers and the police were still investigating. There was no terror threat for us at Rock im Park, he told us. But I noticed that many people in the crowd were looking around and it was a weird atmosphere. Many people left the area.
My friend and I also discussed whether we should leave or stay. In the end we stayed. We even enjoyed the show and the rest of the weekend. It was a great festival weekend! Even Rock am Ring could proceed at the next day.
But I have to be honest, for one short moment I felt scared and watched every person who passed me. I watched the security guards and the crowd. I watched the exits and forgot to look at the stage. It took some time. I mean, there wasn’t a terror threat for our festival but since it was the same organizer and it was located in the middle of a city, something could have happened.
In the end I’m happy that we stayed. We didn’t let the fear destroy our weekend and I didn’t let it destroy my joy for concerts and live music. I will keep going to concerts. I will be cautious of what is happening around me, but apart from that I will enjoy the show. And I think we should keep enjoying activities in a crowd of people. No matter if at festivals, night clubs, musicals, carnivals or other events. Don’t let the fear stop you from living your life!
