By Jackson Knight
What do you expect every morning when you wake up? The reasonable thing to expect
is that day will be like any other. Same usual routine. Same 50/50 shot at it being a
good or bad day. But something about waking up in Washington D.C. on Oct. 24th was
different. There was something in the air that could be felt on the walk through the
National Mall towards the ever looming Washington Monument. It could be felt by every
tourist, construction worker, cop, and politician that surrounded the area. As thousands
upon thousands of punks gathered around the monument waiting in anticipation for
Turnstile to put on a once in a lifetime show in support of Palestine, Sudan, and
Lebanon.
Anyone who was able to get in line early should have considered themselves very lucky
as the many lines that formed to get into the hardcore haven carved out inside of the
National Mall had started to wrap around every corner and stretch far down the road.
The wait was hours long on a cloudless day standing the whole time in direct sunlight,
not just to get into the venue but also to wait in a shoulder to shoulder crowd for the
band to finally take the stage. That patience would be rewarded.
The moment the sustained G chord for the opening song BIRDS reverberated
throughout the 60,000 people swarmed all around the stage the energy shifted and
everyone waited desperately for that chord. The moment it did the crowd that had been
standing so patiently before erupted into a beautiful chaos of movement. There is a real
sense of community felt when you feel absolute joy pushing the closest 5 people around
you and you know they feel it too. It is something that you have to be in to really feel.
The energy seldom stopped at any point in the show as a near endless barrage of
Turnstile’s greatest hits kept blasting throughout the entire National Mall.
This is not to say that the other reason why 60,000 people had gathered around the
Washington Monument had been forgotten either. A love of Turnstile was just one of the
things drawing people in but there was also the desire to support an event that was set
up to help families who have been struggling throughout Palestine, Lebanon and
Sudan. Throughout the crowd the Palestinian flag could be seen flying from the
monument to the pit, even adored at one point by Brendan Yates, the front man for Turnstile.
It cannot be understated how important an event like this is, gathering to show the support of those who do not have an opportunity to have a voice themselves.
It will be a very long time before something like this is seen again and it is something
that anyone who was able to participate in will tell you felt unreal in the moment. This
will be something that will stick in the minds of every single person on the lawn of the
National Mall. So a thank you to every single person who made this happen and
especially thank you to a community that may seem rough on the surface but has never
felt anything but loving and supportful.
What is left to feel after this legendary experience was not just how amazing it was to be
among a crowd of what might be the most passionate people on this pale blue dot and
the pure joy of seeing a mosh pit open up under the Washington Monument, but instead
its what was said by Yates loud enough to be heard by the White House as the show hit
its peak. “Free Palestine, Free Sudan, Free Lebanon, and always, always, keep it
moving.”