As a self-proclaimed concert junkie, I’ve seen my fair share of musicians live. From Selena Gomez to The 1975, I’d like to say I’ve seen a pretty wide variety of music genres. I can attest that regardless of the type of music, the environment at concerts is addicting. My bank account is willing to testify. But what exactly makes me and my like-minded concert people so entranced by the colorful lights and our favorite artists basking in them?
The first time I left a concert with any idea of an answer to this question was after I went to see the band Coin. Coin is an alternative band that rose to fame from their hit song “Talk Too Much.” Aside from the intimacy that comes naturally in a smaller venue (the Ritz Ybor holds slightly over 1,000 people), Coin’s lead singer, Chase Lawrence, did an outstanding job pulling the audience into the show. Lawrence climbed onto speakers to reach cowboy hats and flowers eager fans waved from the barricade. When the band opened their song “Fingers Crossed” with the unsurprising lyric, “Crossed, keep my fingers crossed,” the lead singer held his crossed fingers up to the crowd, igniting a sea of crossed fingers being raised across the venue. Immediately I took a mental screenshot to savor being a part of something that special.
Another concert moment that is etched into my brain is catching Jake Luppen’s (the lead singer of Hippo Campus) guitar pick. The band had just performed an encore of one of their most popular songs, “Buttercup.” I stretched my hand out and the pick fell right into my palm. As much as I treasure the souvenir I got that night, that isn’t what makes Hippo Campus one of the best concerts I’ve been to. The lights at the concert were beyond captivating and the colors switched perfectly on beat. The band, all five of them spread across the stage, danced, nodded and stomped to every beat and drum snap. They moved with such gusto you couldn’t help but dance alongside them. The flashing lights, the crowd moving simultaneously and the speaker bass ensure you can feel the music. Then, the shake of every guitar strum and cymbal ding takes over, the song engulfs you and you’re no longer just listening to the music.
During another one of my favorite concerts, I cried the entire show – as expected at a Phoebe Bridgers concert. Bridgers’ voice was pitch-perfect as she belted her heartbreaking discography. Amazing singers are often described as sounding identical to their pre-recorded songs, but that was not the case for Bridgers’ concert. When Bridgers sang her encore, a Boygenius (a supergroup featuring Bridgers, Lucy Dacus and Julien Baker) song called “Me and My Dog,” she changed certain notes as she sang, making it sound unique. That moment was when I fully grasped the concept that every time a song is played live, it will never be played the same way again. The rendition I heard of “Me and My Dog” was different from any other performance Bridgers has given.
Though I’m not normally one to pick favorites, when it comes to concerts, I can’t help it. The 1975 was without a doubt the best concert I’ve attended so far; though as a diehard stan, I’m more biased than I’d like to admit. The band had the stage decorated like a home, fully furnished with a sofa, lamps, doors and plenty of TVs for Matty Healy (the lead singer) to crawl into. The rest of the household props were used in a typical fashion, making it feel like I was sitting in the band’s living room.
While singing, Healy emotes (or rather, acts) so believably that the audience can’t help but think he feels exactly as the lyrics describe. I remember as Healy sang the final lyrics of the band’s new song “All I Need to Hear,” he looked in my direction and nodded his head solemnly. I know as much as I’m convinced he was singing to me, the people standing next to me would likely argue his nod was aimed towards them. But this is what makes concerts so special: the ability of a band or musician to connect with so many individuals, making whatever song is blaring out of the large speakers more personal to the audience.
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