Everyone has something that gets them through the first semester of college. You’re far away from home, with people you’ve never met before, and longing for some form of comfort. For me it came in the unexpected form of a singer from the Land Down Under. It was about a month into the fall semester, far enough along that I had begun to settle in, yet not nearly long enough to call myself a New Yorker, though, honestly, who am I to claim such a lofty title? When I had a free moment from the crazzzyyy Barnard student life, I found myself where many of us do when we have time: scrolling on Instagram reels. I was blessed with a post from one of my favorite comedians, the Connecticut Queen herself, Mary Beth Barone, who revealed she had been in a music video. Always one to support the girls, I searched up the video having no clue who this guy was. Immediately I was taken to a fun, campy, Wild West scene, filled with fourth wall breaks and angelic singing. And no, before you ask, this wasn’t Sombr’s “Homewrecker”, the video had actually come out months before, October to be exact. This piece of absolute cinema was for a song called “Wild Guess”, a song off Australian pop artist Ruel’s sophomore album Kicking My Feet. In the words of the Jonas Brothers I was a sucker for you (the album).Â
Five minutes ago, I had no idea who this blond Aussie beanstalk was, and now felt myself frothing at the mouth. Like a raccoon with rabies, and the only cure was more songs. Through the next couple days I went through his entire discography. Spotify, ever the enabler, gave me a blessing in the form of a notification announcing his tour, a message that said he would be stopping in NYC. I stopped my weekend stroll right there on the corner of Broadway and Grand, pulled myself over so as not to get trampled by the fast NYC walkers, and I took a gander. The tickets were relatively cheap (under 50 bucks… in this economy?). I am usually the type to heavily consider before I purchase something, but not this time. I had never been to a concert before and if his vocals were this strong on the album I couldn’t even fathom what he would be like live. I went ahead and purchased two tickets, because who wants to go to their first ever concert alone? For the next couple of months I listened to more of this Aussie Angel on Earth, and even got one of my friends back home hooked. We were texting our favorite songs of his (“Cats on the Ceiling”, “Wild Guess”, “Destroyer”, “You Against Yourself”) back and forth. We were the ones kicking our feet over this guy. My friend was so enthralled with the music, he started making plans only a month before the concert, traveling just to see Ruel in NYC. Suddenly the very guy that made me feel a little more at home in the city was going to be the reason a piece of home was brought to me.Â
What ended up happening was one of the most fun, jam-packed weekends I’ve ever had. When Friday night finally came, I was so nervous. I had no idea what to expect, and even less of a clue that this weekend would become one of the most unforgettable moments of my life. The main attraction was the concert, and from the moment we stepped into the venue, everything felt electric. The space was intimate, the performance was incredible, and we screamed so much we probably ruined every video we took. I got to experience my first ever concert with a friend I’d known since I was 7, and an artist who made me feel more okay about being on my own. Seeing Ruel live at Terminal 5 felt like opening a can of sunshine in the middle of Manhattan. It was warm, radiant, and worth every penny.
While you of course should always stop and think… sometimes it’s better to take that jump you don’t want to be stuck “Only Ever” thinking about what could’ve been. Buy those concert tickets. See that Broadway show. Go to dinner with someone you don’t know that well. Go see Ruel in concert! (he’s so underrated guys we have to support our king). You might just end up seeing one of your favorite artists live with some of your best friends on a night you won’t be able to stop talking about for years to come. And don’t forget to stream Kicking My Feet #notsponsored