I refuse to just "live the moment"

Concert performance with a singer holding a microphone at center stage, wearing glasses, while a guitarist plays under bright blue and purple stage lights.

In 2008 I went to a concert with a friend. It was my first time seeing a big band live and my first time going to a concert without adult supervision. It was amazing. But then I forgot almost everything about it. I mean yeah, sure, I remember I had a great time and all, but I cannot remember speciffic moments and how they played my fav songs.

Keep in mind the year: I did not have a smartphone yet, not even a dumb phone with a camera! I for sure did “live the moment”, but my memory is shit sometimes and I ended up forgetting important details from that amazing concert. The same applies to other moments of my life.

The truth is that without external support, on it’s own, my memory sucks. And that’s a big problem for me, because I love remembering good times with highest possible detail. Of course, I do have many memories that didn’t depend on cameras or text, but when it comes to live events and intense moments that have a heavy sensorial component… Belive me, I’ve learnt the hard way that not recording or taking pictures is a mistake.

10 years later I went to see the same band. I bumped into them by chance when they were getting out of their tour bus in front of the venue where they would be playing that night. I didn’t hesitate asking them for a photo. To this day I still cannot believe how lucky I was, and if it wasn’t for this photo I would probably forget this even happened.

Three band members from "El Cuarteto de Nos" and me, standing close together and smiling for a selfie on the street, with a large tour bus in the background.

This time I took many pictures and videos, which I rewatch to this day.

Enhanced memories

This might be a very personal fact, but i’ve noticed that for some reason capturing these moments not only allows me to relive them but also enhaces the quality of said memories. I have much more vivid memories from the shows I captured something that from the ones I didn’t.

Barbie Williams, one of Siamés lead singers, is lying on the floor singing while reaching one arm upward as the crowd stands around watching.

2 months from now I am going to see my favorite band live for the first time. I’ve been waiting for this moment for 20 years. Can you Imagine not capturing anything? LOL. Coudln’t be me, sorry.

Dichotomic bullshit

Besides, the part that pisses me off the most about this is how it’s always presented as a dichotomy. Like you have to chose one thing or the other and it isn’t possible to do both things: be present enjoying the moment and capturing it through pictures or video. Come on. Holding my phone steady for two minutes isn’t gonna take me off reality. Hell, I won’t even look at the screen much. You can literally just hold your phone facing the stage and… Look at the stage instead of the screen… Like… Hello?? Not that hard.

Idk, just kinda tired of this white & black thinking fueled with failed attempts at flexing what some consider to be some kind of higher values. It is in the extremes where the problem is. Filming a whole concert would be stupid, but so is forcing yourself to not capture a single thing.

I will live the moment. But I will also capture it to treasure it better.

I still look at my travels photos, and still rewatch the videos of my favorite bands playing my favorite songs. When going back to those pictures or vids, knowing I’m the one who took them, makes them into some kind of token that means “I was there. I lived that”.