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person making a heart with their hands at a concert
person making a heart with their hands at a concert
Photo by Anthony DELANOIX from Unsplash
SBU | Culture > Entertainment

The Magic Of Live Music

Morgan Kilger Student Contributor, St. Bonaventure University
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at SBU chapter and does not reflect the views of Her Campus.

This past summer concert season, I attended six concerts. Each concert I attended held a different experience. 

Seeing an artist live is an experience that’s easy but still so hard to describe. My favorite part of a concert is the other people attending the concert. Every concert I went to was at an outdoor venue. This means that you are very close to those near you. 

As unenjoyable as this may sound, I loved it. During interludes or downtime, these people can help you make memories by taking pictures of you and your friend or by engaging in conversation.

Hearing music live is its own surreal experience. Being able to hear the artist and feel their presence made me feel like I was in the song. I could feel the music flow through my soul, and I felt like the words were being spoken to me. 

Since I attended several concerts over the summer months, I only saw it best to rank them from least favorite to favorite:

6.) The Driver Era 

I attended The Driver Era at the ArtPark Amphitheater in Lewiston, New York in late June. This was an amazing show, but it honestly wasn’t too memorable for me. What made this concert amazing for me was being able to bond with one of my roommates, Abbey. We spent the whole show dancing and singing along. 

5.) Wiz khalifa

This was one of the many Darien Lake Amphitheater concerts I attended this summer. Even though I know three Wiz Khalifa songs, it will always hold a special place in my heart. The person I attended this one with is my now boyfriend — it was our first date actually. 

4.) Rainbow kitten surprise

Another ArtPark show, but this one was special. I honestly only knew a couple of songs, but I went with Abbey for this one, who knew almost every song. During the encore song, “It’s Called: Freefall,” we ended up being moved up closer by security. We not only could see the performers way better, but we still had room to move and dance around. 

3.) Big time rush

This was my most anticipated show of the summer. I was a Big Time Rush fan when I was little — they were the first concert I attended when I was five years old. As an adult, I was feeling rushes of nostalgia all night long, which was so euphoric. 

Plus, I got some friendship bracelets, which are still in my car. 

2.) $uicideBoy$

This was my most recent concert from this past week. I honestly should be ranking this lower due to the environment and large gaps between performers, but I just couldn’t. I was highly anticipating this concert from the moment I bought the tickets in April. 

Abbey (if you haven’t figured out, we’re concert buddies) took a video of my favorite song on the setlist so I could enjoy it. During the last verse, she pans over to me and my other friend singing along. I will cherish that video forever. 

1.) Conan Gray 

There isn’t a concert that could beat this one. I resonate deeply with Conan Gray’s music, making the trip for this concert oh so worth it. This one was in Cincinnati, Ohio, a roughly seven-hour drive. The venue was perfect, and Conan Gray himself was perfect too. 

He played a mix of hits and his new album, Wishbone. He even played a “lost verse” from one of his most popular songs “Heather.” I wish I could relive that night over and over again.

Morgan Kilger

SBU '26

Morgan is a second-year writer and co-social media chair for St. Bonaventure University’s chapter of Her Campus, and is very excited to continue writing about what she is passionate about. This includes: mental health, pop culture, academic tips, and life experiences. She is also excited to be part of the executive board this year and help bring HCSBU to life on social media.

Outside of Her Campus, you can find Morgan as Communications Officer for SBU College Democrats, a student ambassador, and dancing with the SBU Dance Team. As for her studies, she is a senior history and women’s studies double major with a political science minor. Morgan aspires to work in a museum or university archive.

In her free time, Morgan enjoys being herself with her loved ones. Whether it’s watching Riverdale with her roommates or taking post-dinner trips to Wendy’s, she loves to spend time with her friends. She’s also working through her “to be read” list before she graduates, which is pages upon pages long (every pun intended).