To be fair, Billie Joe Armstrong puts on one hell of a performance. He is and always has been theatric, energetic, and iconic—spitting fire and emotion back into brilliantly sentimental songs. He knew all the right keywords to ignite a ragingly susceptible crowd. I will admit, his speeches were a tiny bit tacky, but I think that’s just an occupational hazard.

I remember nothing from that night but those few, fair words: “Live in the moment! Don’t record this, watch it now! We’re all together tonight, remember that!” As someone freshly enchanted by the concert experience, I was sold. And even now, in 2017, I still want to believe that he was speaking the truth.

Those intense calls-to-action were a reminder to live in the moment, meditate on the present, and be cognizant of a world that’s constantly craving your attention. As a travel blogger, it can be hard to say, “Hey, let’s put away the camera and just enjoy this moment together.” It can feel wasteful. But as every great writer says, you have to read to write. You have to indulge to express. The world is diverse and magical and brilliant, from those sticky concert halls to the vast, foggy coastlines—and everything in between in nothing less than spectacular.

When Green Day came back to town last weekend, bringing Against Me! along as an opener, I immediately bought the cheapest tickets I could find. Andrew and I were perched up in the rafters—far above the mosh pit that I first stumbled into when I was 15. Even so, when the first chords of "Holiday" rang out, I removed my jacket, stood up, and thrashed until my neck was bent and sore. I let go and enjoyed the moment, no matter how embarrassing my outdated enthusiasm was. The older man to the right of me said that he'd been going to Green Day shows since ‘92, and that that night was the first time his daughter had ever seen them in concert. They had a great time together from the looks of it, but I think his daughter was petrified by those ridiculous dance moves. Needless to say, Andrew was equally petrified by mine. The whole room was crawling—smoke shifting, hands flailing, feet stomping. To quote Against Me!'s "Black Me Out," it was truly a “full body high.”

As I sit here typing in the public library on a Thursday night, I realize that I only took one photo on our entire 6 hour expedition, and yet, I am still more than satisfied.