I spend thousands of minutes a year listening to music. Whether it be driving to work, completing assignments for class, or walking down Commonwealth Ave., melodies and verses of my favorite artists fill my ears.
It’s every music lover’s dream to see their favorite artists perform live. This year, I was lucky enough to attend four concerts that were delightfully unique in their own ways. Whether it was a smaller crowd or a stadium setting, each show was electrifying.
From my least favorite to my favorite, here is a list of concerts I attended in 2024:
- Sexyy Red
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Boston University’s spring concert hosted up-and-coming St. Louisan Sexyy Red. Tickets for students were extremely cheap, just around $10. My friends and I piled onto the floor of Agganis Arena hoping to sing along to hits like “Rich Baby Daddy” and “SkeeYee.”
The night was filled with dancing and screaming along to Sexyy Red’s lyrics. She definitely put on an entertaining show as she included covers of popular songs like “We Are Young” and “Party in the U.S.A.” by Miley Cyrus.
To be honest, I probably would have never gone to see Sexyy Red in concert if it wasn’t organized by BU’s Student Government. While the concert was a good time, she’s not an artist I usually listen to. For that reason, Sexyy Red takes fourth place on my list.
- Zach Bryan
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Up until my freshman year of college, I was a devout country music hater. However, I continued to expand my horizons.
Today, I consider myself a fan of the fiddles and banjos. As a new fan, Zach Bryan’s “Quittin’ Time”tour was my first experience at a country concert.
The show I attended took place in Newark, New Jersey at the Prudential Center. Bryan’s show was around two hours long, and he jam-packed it with songs from across his discography. I appreciated his ability to capture the attention of thousands with a mere string of his guitar.Â
Unfortunately, the “Something in the Orange” singer is currently facing controversy involving his recent split with influencer Brianna Chickenfry, according to USA Today. Though Bryan will surely find his way into my most listened-to singers in this year’s Spotify Wrapped, I certainly will not be making an effort to stream his songs for the foreseeable future.Â
Although Bryan was my gateway to country music, I feel that my remaining two concerts had more of a feel-good aura, which is why he falls third on my list.Â
- Olivia Rodrigo
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16-year-old me fell in love with “Drivers License” when the music video came out in 2020. 19-year-old-me was able to sing it with Olivia Rodrigo herself when she came to TD Garden on her “Guts World Tour.”
Because Rodrigo is a relatively new artist, she sang all but two of her songs in her entire discography. It was so much fun to be surrounded by so many girls and women who love Rodrigo just like I do.
Her stage design was beautiful; it was mainly detailed with purple (my favorite color) stars, moons, and sparkles. Rodrigo made use of the space on the stage and made sure to engage with each section of the audience. My favorite part of her show, however, was when she performed on a giant floating moon. It truly was magical.
At only 21 years old, Rodrigo looked like a seasoned veteran on her first arena tour. I hope to see her in concert again soon!
- Lana Del Rey
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Rounding up my 2024 concert rating is none other than Lana Del Rey.
I was lucky enough to see her perform at Fenway Park in June. During the days leading up to the concert, I noticed that the estimated temperature for show day was in the 90s. In this sense, it was important to dress light and to drink a ton of water. The last thing I wanted was to get a heat stroke at the concert!Â
Luckily, my seat at the show was covered. Not only did it shield me from the sun, but the covering also protected me from the torrential downpour that occurred at the time Del Rey was supposed to begin her performance. The show was delayed nearly 3 hours due to thunder and lightning, and there was ambiguity on whether Del Rey would even come out.Â
After waiting patiently for the storm to end, Del Rey finally began her performance around 10:30 p.m. As soon as she started singing “Without You,” I knew the wait was worth it.Â
Though the show was shortened due to Boston’s 11 p.m. curfew, Del Rey successfully captivated the audience with her ethereal stage presence and beautiful voice. In the end, everyone knew that they made the right decision to stay and wait out the storm.
As this year comes to a close, I will continue to reflect on and cherish the emotions that all of these performances brought upon me. I hope that 2025 will bring many more concerts for me to enjoy.
Who knows? Maybe Lana Del Rey will bring a crocodile on stage next time!
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