At a punk show, a 70-year-old man taught me that I’m not too old for anything

Unfortunately for them, they were wrong. I’m in my 40s now, have lots of tattoos and piercings, and thanks to the reunion of my favorite bands, I’ve been to a lot of punk concerts lately.

I recently went to see a Bowling for Soup concert in Portland, Maine, and left the venue not only with ringing ears and tired legs, but also with a reminder to keep being myself.

A stranger next to me gave me perspective

While watching the opening act at the small venue where the band was playing, I noticed a 70 year old man sitting by the balcony recording all the songs. I admit I thought he was the father of one of the band members because he stood out in a crowd full of rainbow hairdos and septum piercings.

When the opening act was over, he left and I quickly moved into the spot he left open. I was surprised when he turned around to see the second opening band. He was kind and made room for me to see the scene too.

We nodded and smiled without much interaction at first. I wanted to ask him all the questions because I know my parents – who are the same age – would never have gone to a punk show in their lives.

He knew all the songs

When Bowling for Soup finally took the stage, he was ecstatic. He wasn’t just there to watch a family member play as we thought; was here for the main act.

The band – known for their humor and banter between songs – played well into the night and the man never stopped dancing and signing. At one point they made a joke about men being shit, and when I raised my hands to clap, he looked at me with a sad face and said, “Hey, not all men!” When the band then said that women could be badass too, I jokingly gave them a serious look so they wouldn’t apply.

We became friendlier throughout the night, belting out our favorite songs and singing along. I was transported back to high school when I thought I would never fit in. I wish I had asked him how he felt; maybe a kid introduced him to the band, or maybe he was a punk at heart.

Either way, it reminded me that there’s no such thing as being too old to enjoy something you really love. And that punk ain’t dead.