Her Campus Logo Her Campus Logo
live music concert
live music concert
Photo by Danny Howe from Unsplash
SBU | Culture > Entertainment

My Very First Concert

Alexandra Iannarelli Student Contributor, St. Bonaventure University
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at SBU chapter and does not reflect the views of Her Campus.

Over this past summer, I was able to attend my very first concert, ever. I know it may sound crazy that at nineteen years old I’ve never been to one, but this was truly a first-time experience for me!

During the spring semester this past school year I heard that Zach Top, one of, if not my favorite country artists, was coming to CMAC in Canandaigua in August. The second I saw that he was going to be performing at a venue near me, I bought the tickets immediately. 

I have been a Zach Top fan since I can remember. I grew up listening to 90s country music so his style has always been something I’ve been interested in. When he started to gain popularity, I fell in love with him.

I find his backstory so interesting as an artist. Like a typical country man, he grew up on a farm working with livestock. He later worked as a licensed general contractor and construction worker before starting his singing career, which I find so random and hilarious that that’s where he started. He started releasing videos of him playing the guitar and singing covers of classic country music, which therefore struck a love for his voice into everyone’s hearts, including mine.

I mostly fell in love with the Bluegrass style of country music he was releasing when his music career first started. The best way to describe Bluegrass is American roots music with a fast-pace and high-energy rhythms. It originates in the Appalachians, which when you listen to Bluegrass you immediately get struck with that classic country twang. 

When arriving at the concert venue, I immediately had Zach Top memorabilia shoved in my face. I ended up buying a t-shirt to commemorate the night, which I don’t regret spending that 45 dollars on one bit. 

The opener, Wyatt McCubbin, was just finishing his set by the time we got to our spot on the lawn. Personally, I have never heard of him before that night, but I was surprised to find out that he actually helps Zach Top write some of his songs! Which makes sense based on McCubbin’s songs, they were pretty good and sounded similar to some of Zach Top’s songs. 

About an hour later, Zach Top finally came on and I was ecstatic. It has been my dream to see him live and after every song concluded, I prayed that my favorite song, “Use Me,” would play. 

Towards the end of the concert, I heard it. The first couple of notes started to play and I freaked out. 

Out of the entire concert, this was the one song I didn’t record a video of. I knew that if he played that song, I would just take in the feeling of finally hearing my favorite song. Just reminiscing about listening to this song live gives me goosebumps. It was actually such a serene feeling hearing his beautiful voice sing the song I before only heard blasting out of the speakers in my car. 

Overall, the concert was fantastic. I will forever cherish hearing one of my favorite artists live. If I can see Zach Top live again someday, you better believe I will be buying those tickets.

Alexandra Iannarelli

SBU '29

Alexandra Iannarelli is in her second year with Her Campus! She is a sophomore at St. Bonaventure and is majoring in public health, minoring in health science, and is in the occupational therapy masters program! Alex will be writing weekly articles about anything in her life or even silly things happening around campus.

So far she has been involved in Her Campus, of course, and SBU Power Yoga. Beyond the clubs she is in, Alex also works on campus as a math tutor and loves to help and teach people.

In high school, Alex played volleyball, ran and did hurdles for the track team, and for about 9 years was a competitive cheerleader! Although quiet at times she is pretty outgoing and loves trying new things when the opportunity arises. Traveling is her favorite and she hopes to travel the world one day! Little things about Alex include her love for collecting records! She has multiple genres of music in her collection and she hopes to continue to expand said collection. Another little hobby of hers is going to the gym and doing yoga. Alex is into yoga, pilates, and she has been going to the gym for a little over two years now. She has been known to be somewhat of a health-nut, in her dorm there are protein bars galore and many other typical healthy snacks. She can't wait to continue her years in Her Campus sharing her stories.