Opening night for Beabadoobee’s ‘Powerlines’ tour was in Uncasville, Connecticut, and it truly was a night I’ll never forget, for a multitude of reasons. Honestly, I wish I could redo the entire night, as it didn’t go how I ever would’ve expected. I was so excited to see Beabadoobee in concert and had been looking forward to it since summer. I’ve never attended an opening night of a concert before, so it made everything feel even more special. I had a pretty good idea of what the night was going to look like: arriving early, buying tour merch, watching the opener, Wisp, perform, and then singing along to all of my favorite Beabadoobee songs. Experiencing music live is just such a beautiful thing to me, and it was what I was most excited for. I was also looking forward to all the cute pre-concert pictures I was going to get. However, while some parts of this plan still happened, my night didn’t quite go exactly the way I had hoped.
The Uber
Attending the concert with me was my boyfriend, Aeven. We reserved an Uber to Mohegan Sun Arena for 6 p.m. in order to get there around 7 p.m., right when doors open. We had a whole plan set for the night. We’d arrive around 7 p.m., get merch, take some cute pics, and find our seats just in time for Wisp.
Unfortunately, things did not go to plan at all. At this point, we’ve been in the Uber for about 50 minutes, just as we would’ve been if we were arriving at Mohegan Sun, feeling very excited for the concert. As our driver pulls into a Five Guys, he says, “Is here alright?” and I immediately explain how this isn’t where we needed to go. Aeven opens up Google Maps just to find out that we were in Hartford, which was another 50 minute drive from Uncasville. At this point it’s 6:50 p.m., the time we were supposed to be entering Mohegan Sun, and we’re now another 50 minutes away.
Another 50 Minutes
This is where the panic really began to sink in as my heart instantly sank, and for the remainder of the ride, I was literally sitting on the edge of my seat. During this second half, the driver sporadically had moments of frustration directed towards us, as if this was our fault. I profusely apologized as I explained how it was an issue with Uber itself, and not a mistake on my part. I remember constantly checking the time, realizing how slowly it was going by, counting down the minutes all the way from 50 to arrival.
The Opener: Wisp
After the longest Uber ride of my life, it was exactly 7:55 p.m., and we finally had arrived at Mohegan Sun. After a few minutes of running around aimlessly trying to find the arena, we eventually located the entrance. Still unnerved from the ride there and the time lost, I felt myself begin to get a little more excited for the show.
I was forced to decide between getting merch or watching Wisp perform, which made me upset because although I haven’t been to many concerts, I have never missed an opener. As we stood in line for merch, I overheard Wisp take the stage and perform her set. She sounded absolutely amazing live, which didn’t help with the immense FOMO I was feeling. This was weird to me, because I was at the event, but still couldn’t experience it entirely.
Bea Herself
After we got matching Pylon t-shirts, I immediately forced Aeven to become my own personal photographer. Three pictures in, the lights in the arena went black, and the crowd roared with excitement. Beabadoobee was about to take the stage. I screamed in excitement, and we immediately rushed to find our seats.
She opened with a song from her new album Pylon, “Sun Has Set.” This being one of my favorites off Pylon, I was ecstatic, although that could be said about each song played. I immediately started screaming along to the lyrics with a huge smile plastered on my face. Hit songs from her Beatopia album, “10:36,” and her Loveworm album, “Apple Cider,” played next, and Aeven got a personal concert from me for each of these as I screamed the lyrics to him the whole time.
I Cried 7 Times
The entire concert I transitioned between excitedly screaming in Aeven’s ear and attempting to sing along between sobs. I went from crying to her single “All I Did Was Dream Of You” ft. The Marias to dancing around to one of my favorites, “Take a Bite” from her album This Is How Tomorrow Moves.
I then continued to cry six more times to songs, “Coffee,” “Pylon,” “Pictures of Us,” “Glue Song,” “Write Me A Letter,” and “Satellite,” all throughout the show. I usually get emotional at concerts for one or two songs, but seven is definitely a new record.
She Plays Bass
A song that was very special to hear live was an old single of hers, “She Plays Bass.” As a bisexual woman, screaming directly to my boyfriend’s face about a chick who plays bass felt very therapeutic. This song is one of my favorites from Beabadoobee, and to get the privilege of hearing her perform it live in person is an experience I will never forget.
Unreleased Songs
Having attended opening night gave us unique moments of hearing two new, unreleased songs, not only for the first time live, but for the first time ever. Beabadoobee played unreleased songs, “The Road” and “Lemon To My Lime.” They were both cute love songs, and I personally can’t wait for each of them to be released officially. I liked the country feel “Lemon To My Lime” had to it; it felt familiar yet brand new.
During the show, she did a small speech and mentioned how this was her first time performing in Connecticut. She also said that she didn’t even know people in Connecticut listened to her music, which at first sounds silly because she’s a big artist, but it also humanizes her as a person. She’s not only a very cute individual, but also a very humble one.
Thank You, Beabadoobee
Even though the night didn’t go as planned, Beabadoobee helped me forget all of the bad and brought so much light back into the day. While this concert is something I will never forget, I will also always wish to redo the whole thing. Just like Beabadoobee says in “Take A Bite,” “Through the night, I think I might wanna do it all over again.”