Ed Sheeran – June 14, 2019
My summer concert series started off with a bang when I got to see Ed Sheeran perform at a music festival in Florence, Italy. Over the month of June, I was lucky enough to study abroad in Florence, as well as travel around Europe. Though my friend and I had to cancel a weekend trip to Mykonos due to travel difficulties, we weren’t all that sad when we realized we’d then be free to see Ed perform instead! Getting across Florence to the festival proved to be a bit of a struggle, as it was nearly impossible to get a taxi, but with the help of a kind Italian woman, we were able to get a cab to the show. Ed was amazing, as usual (this was my third time seeing him), and with our pit tickets, we were able to get closer to see him better in the crowd of probably 100,000 people. What I love about Ed Sheeran is that he is able to demand the attention of an audience that big with nothing but his voice, a guitar, and a loop pedal. One of my favorite memories was during the song “Perfect,” when it started drizzling a little, which was honestly pretty refreshing and it really set the mood.
Khalid – August 10, 2019
Fast forward a couple months, back in the US, to begin my mid-August concert binge. The first show I had lined up was Khalid, which I attended with two of my best friends from home. We were in the GA pit on the floor at TD Garden, so we were able to get pretty close to the stage and had a great view of Khalid. I must say, this was one of the best concerts I’ve ever been to in terms of visuals and interaction with fans. Khalid took a segment of the show to read fan’s signs, give autographs, and invite a girl on stage to sing part of “Heaven” with him. Any time he heard a fan scream “I love you!” he said it back, and at one point he took a fan’s phone, filmed a video of himself mid-song, and gave it back. I was in awe of how much effort he put into including the audience in the concert experience, which shows how much he cares about his fans. I was also amazed by the overall look of the concert, which included vibrant visuals on the screen behind Khalid, as well as a troupe of young, talented dancers dancing beside him. I would highly recommend seeing Khalid in concert if you ever get the chance, as he has the pure vocal talent, fun personality, and even the “cool dad” dance moves to put on a truly entertaining show.
Shawn Mendes – August 15, 2019
The following Thursday, I returned to TD Garden with a different friend of mine to see Shawn Mendes. I had previously seen Shawn open for Taylor Swift, as well as at Kiss 108’s Jingle Ball, but this was my first time seeing him headline, and I was not let down. Though my friend, Jen, and I had spent most of the show screaming over how beautiful Shawn is, I also couldn’t help but notice how good his voice sounded and how much energy he had in his performance. He even did a beautiful cover of Coldplay’s “Fix You” that left us a little emotional. Overall, this concert was nothing but a pleasant experience, full of uplifting monologues, nice visuals, beautiful vocals, and emotional anthems that left us playing Shawn Mendes on repeat for days afterwards.
Jonas Brothers – August 17, 2019
Returning to the Garden for the third time in a week, I was still not sick of the commuter rail journey, because this time it meant I got to witness the beautiful reunion of the Jonas Brothers after a six year long hiatus. Naturally, I had been waiting for them to reunite ever since announcing their split back in 2013, and I had also been waiting for the chance to see them perform live again since seeing them all the way back in 2009. I’m a very nostalgic person, so this was a pretty highly anticipated event for me. Jen and I quite honestly had the times of our lives at this concert, and I don’t think I’ve ever been more hyped at any other show. We were happy to see that the crowd was mostly comprised of people in their 20s that grew up with the Jonas Brothers, rather than younger kids that had just learned of them from their new music. We befriended the millennial couple next to us. They both left and the guy came back with a beer for himself and a beer for his girlfriend, saying he bet she’d do the same, despite not communicating about it. So when she also returned with two beers, it was pretty heartwarming, to be honest. All around, the energy of this concert was amazing, and Jen and I had a great time dancing around like idiots to both the throwbacks and the comebacks, as well as crying to the emotional songs like “When You Look Me in the Eyes”…and I definitely scream-rapped the whole Big Rob verse in “Burnin’ Up”.
Bastille – September 17, 2019
Jen and I were back at it, except at the Pavillion this time. Bastille is a band I’ve known about and enjoyed for years, but after seeing them in concert and listening to their music more often, I think I can say that they are one of my favorite bands. First of all, we were so CLOSE to the stage, which made the experience that much better. Bastille put on a great show, and I fell in love with their music in a way I hadn’t before. Lead singer Dan had so much energy and such raw vocal talent that sounded just like the recordings, but even better. The set was cool and included a spinning couch that Dan often spun around on. The drummer was so hyped to be there and always getting the crowd to clap. When the band performed their cover of “Of the Night,” Dan had everyone in the venue get down on the ground until the chorus, then when the beat dropped, everyone got up and started jumping and the lights went wild. It was honestly such a fun night of dancing and singing along to some of my favorite Bastille songs, and some I had just learned days prior. This show had me listening to almost exclusively their newest album Doom Days for weeks following the concert, and I’m still not sick of it.
5SOS/Chainsmokers – September 27, 2019
This time I went solo to see 5 Seconds of Summer and The Chainsmokers on tour. I have seen 5SOS a total of seven times now, including when they opened for One Direction in 2014, Jingle Ball, Kiss Concert, and three times headlining. This time, I was certainly surrounded by a lot of people that were clearly there for The Chainsmokers, and NOT for 5SOS, but I still had a good time regardless. Their set was great, as usual, and I sang along like I would if I were there with someone else. As for the Chainsmokers, I like their music, and I made a point of listening to more songs before the concert, but I was taken aback by how crazy their performance was. Three motorcycles drove around inside a giant, round metal cage, the drummer played drums while suspended over fire, lead singer Drew climbed a ladder to a platform right above where I was standing, and the whole set was filled with crazy lighting, booming bass, and the EDM hits The Chainsmokers are known for. I didn’t really know what to expect, but I was thoroughly entertained.
Post Malone – October 8, 2019
Rounding out my 4-month concert binge, the last of the concerts I had lined up (for now) was Post Malone. At this point, I am pretty sick of the commuter rail, but I don’t think I’ll ever be sick of concert-going. This was, of course, another great show. The stage was a little unusual–a long, thin rectangle sticking out into the crowd–but Post doesn’t need much space to entertain a crowd. His voice sounded just like how it does on the radio, except he added a little extra hype to some classic Posty lyrics, like “B**** I’m young stoney, I do what I want.” What was especially nice about this concert was the gratitude and humility that radiated off of Post the entire show. He thanked the crowd after almost every song, always saying “Thank you so f****** much,” which really showed how grateful he is to even have the opportunity to perform for so many people. This show had both upbeat, fun songs to scream along to and slow, emotional songs to cry to, creating the perfect blend for a good concert.