Personal Narrative Essay: Rock And Roll In Paradise City

When I think of term rock and roll, I remember watching MTV and seeing Axel Rose scream into the microphone with his whinny voice the lyrics of “Paradise City” while dancing across the stage in his ridiculous outfits. My father would nostalgically reminisce of the epic guitar solos of the Eagles, Don Felder. My father being a teenager during the height of the rock music era afforded him certain opportunities to see the big hair bands perform live during their prime. When I was still a boy, he would tell me stories of concerts he had been to and rock legends he had met. I had always wanted to have such an experience and last month my wish was finally granted.
I called some friends to come over and help me assemble a pool I had recently purchased. They countered my offer of manual labor with a free ticket to the Orion Rock Festival at Bater field in Atlantic City. The pool didn’t get assembled on that day. The roads that led to
A bottle of Jack Daniels whiskey in one hand, and generic cola in the other, I made my way to the crowd around center stage. While I waited in quite anticipation consuming my beverage faster than I intended, the crowd grew from a decent mob to a daunting army of rock enthusiasts. People kept pushing by, eager to find the best position to see the stage. Soon I started to notice that people were staring at me. This isn’t unusual being 6’4’’ I have a habit of sticking out in most crowds. Then I began to realize how ridiculous I must look to them as they did to me. Any of my would-be critics could have been an extra in any of the “Mad Max” films, wearing ripped up jeans and shirts that resembled mini billboards for different bands. I was subsequently wearing a button-down, with khaki shorts topped off with the dreaded flip-flops. Now, having reflected back at my outfit I probably should have changed before heading up to the