I’ve been going to concerts since I was 8 years old. My very first concert was Tommy James and the Shondells, an oldies singer that I guarantee you’ve never heard of. I remember everything about that night, the smell of the stadium that vaguely reminded me of my school’s gymnasium, the vibrations I felt from the instruments enveloping me in their sound, the excitement I felt from surveying the crowd and realizing I was the youngest one there, and most of all, the collective energy stemming from everyone singing along to each and every song. Ever since then, I was absolutely hooked on concerts.
Here’s a photo of me, my dad, and Tommy James (the artist I went to see!) at my very first concert!
Since that fateful night, I’ve been to at least 40 concerts (that’s all I can remember right now) and I’ve most definitely seen over 100 artists, including Kesha, Lady Gaga, Bruno Mars, Lil Wayne, The Lumineers, the list goes on and on! This sounds like a crazy amount, and honestly, it totally is. But concerts provide something for me that other things cannot. So many people wonder why I go to so many concerts, and honestly, the answer isn’t a simple one.
Music has always been something I could emotionally connect to. Through every hard time in my life, I always turned to a certain song or band for solace. I can distinctly place songs with periods of my life, and they immediately take me back to those moments where I had those specific songs on repeat. When I was in middle school and getting out of bed seemed the most challenging task of the day, I would listen to “Go” by Boys Like Girls to give me strength. When I was struggling with my own self esteem, I would blast “Skin” by Sixx A.M. until I believed every word of that song was true. When I couldn’t fall asleep when I was really young, “Mr. Tambourine Man” by Bob Dylan was my go-to lullaby, and still is. I could literally write a novel on each and every song or band that means something to me. But this is part of the reason concerts are so magical. I get to see these bands live, and I get to hear these songs in person, and connect with them emotionally in a different way. Not only are these songs important to me because of the reasoning behind why I listen, but hearing them live just emphasizes that reason why I love it so much.
Concerts also provide an escape from the real world. The atmosphere of concerts themselves forces you to only pay attention to what is happening in that room at that moment. Why would you want to think about anything else when you’re listening to one of your favorite artists play songs that mean so much to you?
For me, pure happiness is being in the crowd of a concert, singing along with people that understand the songs in the same capacity that I do. I get to scream my little heart out, and it’s totally normal because the person next to me is doing the same thing.
I believe strongly that we as humans feed off of the energy of others, wherever we may go. If you’re in a place where everyone is in a great mood, it’s hard not to also be in that same great mood! Concerts provide a space where the energies consists of only love and acceptance. Nobody cares who you are when you’re in the crowd of a concert. There is only one reason you’re there, along with everyone else, and that is to enjoy some music for the night. Only having that one reason to be there really alleviates any other stress that comes along with being in a crowd of people. That crowd is full of people that can relate to you in more ways than you thought possible, without even exchanging words. You feel a camaraderie with the rest of the audience, and that feeling is honestly inexplicable. I never feel so at home as I do in a crowd of a concert of one of my favorite artists.
At concerts, I can dance as hard as I want to. I can scream the lyrics as loud as I want to. I can laugh and I can cry (and believe me, I have done both.) Concerts are an equalizer in a world that doesn’t always feel equal. Being able to connect with people through music is one of the most powerful forces in the world, and that is why I will continue to spend (probably too much) money on attending events as often as I can. Music is a powerful force if you allow it to work its magic.