As the semester comes to an annoyingly slow close, you may begin thinking about what your summer is going to look like. Maybe thinking about summer is a coping mechanism to face finals. Maybe summer is what you think about when you fall asleep. No matter the reason, the clock is ticking, and we are in the first few minutes of High School Musical 2 chanting for the season that we pin our hopes and dreams on. With that excitement comes the natural question of plans, and since every single artist decided 2026 was the year to make new music and tour, I know there is at least one concert you are debating going to. If you have not bought that ticket yet and you need a nudge in the right direction, this article is for you.
We said that 2026 was the year of planning with purpose. So, allow me to give you the purpose to plan to see that artist.
I cannot move forward without prefacing that, in this economy, it is important that we spend responsibly. If you’re like me, this is why you still don’t have the ticket in your Ticketmaster account. However, not every purchase is just a purchase — some are experiences, and those tend to stick with us a lot longer than whatever you panic-bought on Amazon last week.
This isn’t just a concert, it’s a core memory
Concerts aren’t just about hearing your favorite songs live (although that alone could sell me). There’s a reason they feel so different. You’re surrounded by thousands of people who know the same lyrics, feel the same emotions, and choose to be in that exact place for the reason you did.
For a few hours, nothing else exists. Not your deadlines, not your stress, not the group project that is 90% your responsibility. Just you, the music, and a moment that you’ll replay in your head for years.
You won’t remember every random purchase you made this summer — but you will remember the night your favorite song echoed through a stadium, and you screamed every word like your life depended on it.
FOMO is real
Let’s be honest: part of the hesitation is practical, but part of it is fear of making the “wrong” choice.
But you don’t go. The night of the concert rolls around, and suddenly your entire feed is videos of the exact show you debated on going to for weeks. Thousands of people are dancing to some of your favorite songs on your timeline, and you’re sitting there thinking, “I should’ve gone.”
That feeling is way worse than the stress of buying the ticket.
Missing out hits differently when it’s something you genuinely wanted to experience. And while FOMO shouldn’t control your life, sometimes it’s just your intuition telling you, “Hey…this might be worth it.”
Trust me. Last summer, I had tickets to see the Jonas Brothers, but since I bought the tickets second-hand, there were some issues with the initial transfer. I thought it was a sign that I shouldn’t go since I had been considering not going leading up to it. Long story short, that was the concert where they brought out Demi Lovato to sing with them, and I was devastated. Lesson learned.
You deserve to feel something other than stress
College is a constant cycle of responsibilities. Classes, jobs, internships, trying to have a social life — it’s a lot. And while summer is supposed to be a break, it fills up just as fast.
Concerts give you a rare kind of pause. They force you to be present. You’re not checking your email in the middle of your favorite song. You’re not worrying about next week. You’re just there. Surrounded by fans just like you, living in a state of pure joy.
And that kind of joy is undeniably magical.
Money comes back, that night doesn’t
Yes, tickets can be expensive. That part is real and super valid. But if it’s something you can reasonably afford, or even plan for, it might be worth reframing how you see it.
Money is renewable. Opportunities like this aren’t always.
Artists don’t tour the same way forever. Setlists change. Life gets busier. The people you’d go with might not all be free next time. There are so many little factors that make this specific concert a one-time experience.
And sometimes, the right decision isn’t the cheapest one, but the one that gives you something you’ll carry with you forever.
JUST BUY THE TICKET
If you’ve been going back and forth, checking on every single ticket website like it’s your second job, consider this your sign.
Buy the ticket. Plan the outfit. Romanticize the night. Scream the songs. Take the blurry videos you’ll never watch but never delete.
It’s worth it.