In the moment

A few weekends a go, a friend received two free tickets to a country concert at a bar on the north side of the city. We had been to this bar/venue previously and were excited to return.

Unfortunately...it was probably one of the worst concert experiences of my life. It was such a shame because the band was so good. It was a combination of the venue and fellow audience members that made it unbearable.  

Let me paint a picture for you. The venue is a bar that has a semi-large concert space in the back. Unless you have VIP seats, it's standing room only. My friend and I are pros at standing room only concerts and it has never been too much of a problem...until this concert. The place was JAMMED. You could barely move and what made it worse was no one could stand still.

"I'm sorry."
"Please excuse me, my friends are in the front."
"Whoops, didn't mean to spill that beer all over you!"

These were some of the numerous comments we heard in the two- hour span we stood and were shoved around. It seemed as if no one came enjoy the concert...they just wanted to be in the space whether that was getting beer, taking pictures, etc.


It got me thinking...in today's  world, do we ever just keep still and enjoy the moment?

Now, I will be the first to admit that social media is a big part of my experiences. When I attend a concert or anything big, I usually Foursquare my location, take a few photos on Instagram, and usually post something to Facebook, or Tweet about it.

But does this take away from our experiences? How much do I miss of the moment by "proving" to everyone that I have a "fantastic" social life.

Many times, our best memories come from those spur-of-the-moment or unexpected experiences. Some of my favorite moments in college were those Friday nights we chose to stay in and talk till 3:00 AM. Or those random dinners where you sat with new people and laughed until the cafeteria closed. No checking-in, no tweets, no photos. Just living in the moment.

I'm kind of a planner by nature so I don't think I'll stop organizing events or taking pictures or collecting points on foursquare. But, this concert did make me realize that it is okay to put the smart phone down one and awhile and sit back and enjoy.

What social media tools do you use when you are out on the town? Do you think it takes away from your experiences?