Something in the 2023 summer air compelled me to see–what is in my mind–a crazy number of concerts. Planning for this summer of concerts started in winter when the snow and chilled air made me wish for the warmth of summer. One of my Christmas gifts was a ticket to see the Arctic Monkeys at Red Rocks. I scared my dog with my screams of excitement. Sorry, Ryder.
A couple of months later, I sent my parents a text at around midnight saying, “I just bought a Ghost ticket. It is for my mental health. I must be in his presence” (this is my arbitrary moment of evangelizing about Ghost, I can’t even give a singular song to recommend they are all so good, thank you). My mother responded to my message the next day with a laughing emoji. But this is no laughing matter, mother! It especially wasn’t a laughing matter when I forgot which app I bought the ticket through and nearly cried because I thought I was scammed. It turned out that the seller sent the tickets to another app through the first app so it was not my fault I was confused…
Slightly after that, Fall Out Boy announced their tour dates. Immediate purchase, no questions asked except for: “How could I not go?” It was going to be a whole family outing that night because I am the type to share with everyone my favorite things and hope they also must become your favorite things! I guess my love language sounds like “here listen to this.”
But before all of that, the first concert I saw was Dead and Co. My aunt and cousin came in from out of town to visit us, but mainly to see Dead and Co. We spent a few hours at what was called “Shakedown Street,” an expanse of shops lined up just outside the venue. I got a hat and a pair of earrings–big day for me. Not as big a day as it was for my cousin who was having the time of his life. But not even his passion could top that of the “spinners.” As the name implies, they spin in circles the entire show. It was very entertaining and slightly dizzy-ing. Still, the best part of the night was seeing how well these guys performed. Dead and Co. has had many iterations over the years, spanning back to 1967, yet they all had such passion and still so much talent. Then Dave Matthews showed up? Cool!
Then Fall Out Boy. It had been years since FOB last went on tour as the headliner. When I went, it felt like middle school and high school me were jumping up and down and squealing the entire night. As well as college me. All of me, to be honest. They sang at least one song per album which felt like waves of nostalgia crashing over me. I audibly gasped on multiple occasions, thinking, “It’s been years since they played this song!” However, nothing could have prepared me for when they played “Bang the Doldrums.” Infinity on High is one of my favorite albums of all time, from the storytelling to the feelings to the lyrics. My holy trinity of songs from that album is “I’m Like a Lawyer with the Way I’m Always Trying to Get You Off (Me & You),” “I’ve Got All This Ringing in My Ears and None on My Fingers,” and “Bang the Doldrums.” You have to understand, that this is how pop punk was in the 2000s, the titles are long and none of these words will appear in the song. But that’s what makes me love it! I also cried. Not a surprise, though.
What was also not a surprise was how amazing the Ghost show was. I am so unhealthily obsessed with Ghost that it almost circled back around and became healthy. I mean, I was right about the whole “I need it for my mental health” thing because I experienced so much joy. I am so in awe of the artistry and showmanship of Tobias Forge, the lead singer of Ghost. He plays characters when he performs. I saw him as Papa Emeritus the Fourth–-long story, a lot of lore with the band and I love it. He tends to retire these characters at the end of tours, sometimes with a big bang, but this time he went softly into the night–that’s actually a reference to the last song on the Impera album “Respite on the Spitalfields.” Very smooth, Eliza.
The previous two shows were at Fiddler’s Green Amphitheater, so Arctic Monkeys were a change of scenery. Alex Turner is a dramatic man. I am obsessed with his energy as a singer; he’s so charismatic and owns the stage. He is truly the definition of “I was born to do this.” Guitar, singing, songwriting, tech support… by that I mean he got tangled in wires and sang “What the f**k is this? Damn wires” and I giggled and kicked my feet a little bit. After nearly every song, he would always say “thank you” and I would yell back “no, thank you.”
There was a rumor going around that Arctic Monkeys were going to break up after dropping one last album and I almost had a breakdown. Turns out, the account that started that rumor just likes making baseless claims, so that was a relief. I would be heartbroken if it was the end of Arctic Monkeys, especially because now that I’ve seen them, I’m going to need to see them again.
Finally, Coldplay. School had started at this point but I’m one of those people who believes that you deserve a little treat after dinner and this was my little treat after the first week of school. Ok, a VERY big treat… Coldplay is a band I don’t listen to much anymore. They were huge for me as a child, but I grew and my tastes changed. Still, the show was awesome. I knew nearly every song they played as if it was all locked in this area of my brain I forgot about. I felt like a kid listening to the music on my iPod Touch, singing along to “Fix You.” Cried during that, too.
This was a summer I’ll carry with me for a while. As will my parents because I have exclusively listened to music from these bands and I have no apologies.