I am an avid concert lover and goer. As of this past Tuesday, I have gone to over 50 concerts since October 2021 (my first concert). That’s on average more than 10 concerts a year. So, when I tell you that these two artists had a high bar to hit, they truly did. The amount of concerts and talented artists I’ve seen truly backs up how well these two concerts were if they made it into my Top 10. Yet they did and I’m here to tell you all about it!
The Neighborhood: I saw A LOT of “OG” fans complaining about how little millennials there were and how young the audience was. And I could understand if the crowd seemed dead, boring or intolerable. Yet, it was quite the opposite. I went to their Madison Square Garden concert this past Tuesday, which was already a lot bigger than the majority of the venues they were performing on this tour. The best part? Every seat was filled. I got there just in time to see the opener and like all the tiktoks I saw prior, I really wasn’t impressed but that didn’t dampen my experience. When The Neighborhood came on, the entire arena roared. This concert had one of the loudest crowds I have ever heard, I could barely hear myself singing. Throughout the concert, it was just hit after hit, favorite after favorite for me. I seemed to know all the words to almost all the songs and screamed my heart out which made my night so enjoyable. From them playing my favorite song “Compass” as a surprise song, to hearing “Sweater Weather” live and recording the whole thing for my dad who had me listen to that song my entire childhood, to seeing the lead singer cry while singing “Pretty Boy” the night truly was unforgettable and one for the books. For someone who didn’t study the setlist prior, I can attest that it was a phenomenal set and I highly recommend anyone to go. I was constantly singing and dancing the whole night and left there feeling like I was on cloud 9. Although I was basically in the nosebleeds, my view was great and a great time was had so it didn’t even matter to me. If I could see them again, I would go 10 more times and never get sick of it!
Raye: Although this was not my first time seeing her, it was definitely my best. I was actually taken away by how impressed I was by this show, given I saw her live for her last album, which I knew more of. But her artistry in this tour was out of this world. It was like I was watching a musical. There were acts, narrations, a huge live band, jokes and of course, her phenomenal voice. Her vocals truly are incomparable and just gives you goosebumps. But what’s even crazier is it runs in the family. She had her two younger sisters, Amma and Absolutely, open the show for her and they too were amazing. Not only is it a sweet and great honor for her to have her sisters on tour for her but you can tell that it wasn’t solely based on “nepo-sibling” privilege but how much these two girls also cater to Raye’s fan base. All three of them are truly astonishingly talented and all gave me goosebumps as they sang. The energy and crowd was truly amazing for this show and really enhanced the concert even more. From the back and forth banter, the loud singing and the multiple and very long standing ovations for Raye, everything about this show was so unforgettable and wholesome. Lastly, the pure talent and rawness of her songs and voice took me away. There has only been one concert out of the many that I have truly cried until now. She had moments during this show that really made me full on cry and really take what she was saying or singing to heart that I truly have never felt at any of my shows before. I felt seen at this concert in so many different ways and got so emotional that it became a top 5 concert for me. Her range, her lyricism, and creativity to fully produce a whole theatrical show was out of this world and she deserves her flowers.
All and all, these two artists are very different, and sing about different things, yet left me leaving both so impressed and becoming such a memorable week for me. I am so honored to have seen both of them and cannot wait to see them again, whenever I do.