It was the first time I traveled by myself. I was exploring Boston, meandering along the red line that winds its way from one historical site to another, while the discman in my purse blasted Air. The red line (aka The Freedom Trail) ends at Bunker Hill. The sun was brilliant on that June day and I lay in the grass, squinting up at the clouds. Cherry Blossom Girl started playing. I watched a little girl do somersaults in the grass and dance. Her tumbles were in perfect time with the soft rhythm of the song. The little girl was pure joyfulness. She found a feather in the grass and for some reason brought it over to me and said “This is for you.” Then her dad called to her, telling her it was time to go home.
That was seven years ago. I’ve written about this before, how music becomes so connected to moments in life, how songs can bring back smells and emotions that would otherwise be long lost in the tangled mess of experiences we have over a lifetime. The music by the French band Air is so fluid and hypnotic. It glues itself to beautiful moments that forever stay ingrained in our minds. Air performed this past Friday at the Fox Theater in Oakland, as part of a tour to debut their new album entitled Love 2. With their classic electronic beats against a trippy slide show backdrop, there wasn’t a single audience member whose eyes and ears weren’t completely super-glued to the stage. AM, opened for Air and played everything from classic rock to Brazilian classics — new album Future Sons and Daughters came out last month.
I still have that feather from the little girl on Bunker Hill. It reminds me of summer, sunshine, and that feeling of floating on air.