Whether it was Taylor Swift or The Wiggles, we all have a first concert experience that we will never forget. Here are some of ours:
American Idol Live
If anyone asks, I always tell them that my first concert was not until I saw Lorde as a sophomore in high school. Don’t tell anyone, but that’s actually not true. In 2008, my whole family went to see American Idol on Tour. My brothers and I made posters saying how much we love David Archuleta that we proudly held up from our seats way in the back. We chatted the whole way there about how, if we were lucky, we were going to meet these people we loved to see on TV every week. Spoiler Alert: We did not meet them. But, I still remember thinking it was so cool that they were real. I remember proudly wearing my merch t-shirt to school after that and thinking I was so cool for having gone to a real concert.
– Caitlin Boyd ‘24
Fifth Harmony
I wish I could say that my first concert experience was something a little edgier–a concert with a unique story to tell. To be honest, if we’re being technical it was probably some random tribute band. Unfortunately, I have no such story to tell. Pre- their break up I was able to see Fifth Harmony in concert in Boston during the summer of 2016. My mom bought the tickets so that she, my sister, and I could see them amidst likely hundreds of other tween girls and their mothers. Admittedly, the only thing I remember is that I didn’t know many of the songs and wasn’t a huge fan. The concert experience was enough of a thrill, but I think my most valuable souvenir was saying I saw them live before the band split up.
– Hannah Grinnell ‘24
Coldplay
First and foremost, I must mention that I did in fact see The Wiggles when I was a mere 4 years old. But since I don’t have clear memories of that concert I always say that my first, real, concert experience was Coldplay. It was 2016 and the night before Coldplay played in New York City. My best friend at the time called me saying she had an extra ticket and invited me to go, and I could not pass up this opportunity. I was thrilled to go and see Coldplay but I was even more excited to see Alessia Cara perform. I’ve since been to many concerts, but this is still one of my favorites. The set, lighting and, of course, Alessia Cara made this show memorable!
– Dalia Kaplan ‘24
Michael Franti
For my 12th birthday, my family and I went to see Michael Franti. While this may seem like a random first concert, Michael Franti was by far my favorite musical artist at the time. I always listened to his albums “The Sound of Sunshine” and “All People.” Some of his most famous songs are “Hey Hey Hey” (which has always been my personal favorite) and “The Sound of Sunshine,” which is how most of my friends knew him. This concert holds such a special place in my heart because it was with my family and we all had such a great time. At one point, my sister and I were even able to go up on stage with some of the other kids and dance and sing with Michael Franti. I remember being so excited to be so close to my famous artist. After the concert, we hung around and were able to get a photo with him. My sister and I even got two of his guitar picks that he used during the concert. Overall, my first concert set the bar very high, and while Michael Franti is no longer my famous singer, I still love his music and the fond memories associated with it.
– Sarah Hennig ‘24