Last Wednesday went a little something like this. An early morning spent going to class as per usual, then a quick race home to pick up three of my closest friends and make the 6-hour drive to Salt Lake City, Utah. Donned in a crop top, jeans and sunglasses, I hit the gas, ready for the adventure that lies before my friends and I.
We had a purpose. LANY was playing a set in-between Coachella weekends in SLC and it was its biggest headliner to date. How could we miss this little milestone for a band we’ve watched grow? It’s only six hours and honestly, who needs sleep right? Call me crazy and I’ll just tell you I don’t care.
After leaving at 11 a.m. and arriving in Salt Lake at 5 p.m., we rolled into In-N-Out burger, a staple for us that we couldn’t miss out on while in the area. Laughing over burgers and fries, we were antsy for the show since we had come so far and hadn’t seen them since October. “Can you believe we are seeing them in-between Coachella weekends?! What? They’re about to play the main stage of Coachella in a couple days and here we are about to see them live again,” I mentioned during dinner, feeling a little pit in my stomach, but the good kind, no less. We seemed to scarf down our food partially out of hunger but mostly out of excitement and got back in my car to head to The Great Saltair just in time for doors.
When we pulled up, we were all in shock at the view. The venue lies at the edge of the Salt Flats and the mountains were so close you could see every detail. The view was surreal, even though we are a few Wyoming kids who see the Snowys every day. After paying the small parking fee and getting a spot in the dirt lot, we all got out, grabbing our tickets and getting in the line that seemed to be never ending. I couldn’t believe the amount of people waiting in line for a band I thought was so tiny, especially two years ago when I saw them for the first time in a small theater in Denver.
Pre-LANY group photo.
Doors opened at 6 p.m., but it took us 45 minutes to get into the venue because of how many people were in line ahead of us. It was absolutely insane, but when we got in, we got merch and wandered to many different spots trying to figure out where we wanted to watch the show. It didn’t matter any way, because we saw the back doors were open and decided to go outside and see why. The second we walked out the door, we were greeted by a large grassy area and the Salt Flats at the foot of the mountains. Blown away, we decided to hang there for a little bit and eventually went inside as the openers were finishing up.
The view outside the venue back door.
It seemed like an eternity, but it was finally time for LANY to come on and the lights went out mid-conversation. Up came the rain graphic on the screen and “Dumb Stuff” began to play. The venue echoed thousands of screams that made all our jaws drop because there were so many people there. Immediately we began to dance, completely losing ourselves in the music. A few songs in, we moved from side stage to the back of the venue, catching a full view of the band and the light show that came with it, dancing our hearts out and living in the moment as best as we could. None of us really took our phones out much, which made for the best night because we were all just enjoying the time we had together, dancing and laughing while singing at the top of our lungs. I forgot all my worries and didn’t even think twice about how insane I probably looked. They were on the encore before we could even blink, filling us all with bittersweet thoughts as we went as hard as we could for the last two songs of the night.
LANY during “Super Far.”
The show was so amazing from start to finish, as LANY continues to grow in skill and its sound. We were sad to see the lights come up, but immediately hugged yelling “THAT WAS SO FUN,” as we laughed and joined arms to get through the sea of people. We left Salt Lake at 11:30 p.m., aware of the trek we had ahead of us, considering we all had class Thursday morning and needed to be back in Laramie in time. The ride home started out loud with anxious conversations about how perfect the night went for us all. We reflected on the moments we loved the most as the street lights carried us home. About an hour into the drive, everyone was asleep aside from me and the friend driving.
We stopped in Evanston and I grabbed jerky and some coffee as I told the cashier we were heading back to Laramie. He laughed as he told us it sounded like fun and I laughed too saying, “yeah, it’s pretty cool that we got to do this.” We all got back in the car and continued the drive east, where slowly everyone fell back to sleep. As the drive went on, I still hadn’t slept. I was too busy taking in all the details of the day we just had. It was my turn to drive any way and after several hours, I was exhausted and pulling in front of my house at 5:30 a.m., getting out, throwing my jacket on the floor and brushing my teeth before falling into my bed for a nap. I woke up at 9 a.m. got ready and went to class exhausted, but grateful for the experience I chose to have.
definition of bliss. thx @thisisLANY for making me feel so undeniably happy at ur shows (w/ @jamiejameee) pic.twitter.com/cCEPJIiDdF
— Abbey Williams (@_abbeywilliams_) April 21, 2018
Everyone says I’m crazy when I tell them I do things like this, as this wasn’t the first time I’ve driven to SLC on a school night for a show. I’ve also flown to other states for live shows, which people think is even crazier. Yeah, I may exhaust myself by doing these things and no, it isn’t for everyone, but I can’t even begin to explain the value of these experiences. Nothing beats going on a road trip with friends with a common love for music in mind and experiencing a live show together, dancing your hearts out to songs you’ve spent hours jamming to at home. It’s pure bliss to be in a concert crowd jumping and spinning, singing and laughing. So call me crazy, but I’m always having the time of my life.
Yes, there are more logical things to do than stay up till 5:30 a.m. driving home from another state, but I will always have that experience with me as a story to tell and reminisce on. Every adventure is worth it, no matter the money it costs or the sleep you lose. For others it may be a wild ride, but for me it was another adventure that I’ll hold with me as I plan the next one.