My first exposure to live music was a Meghan Trainor concert in 2015 and my life was completely changed. I still remember the adrenaline my six-year-old self felt singing my heart out to “All About That Bass” and “Dear Future Husband” as I sat front row with my aunt. Since then, my taste in music has changed, but my love for live music has only grown. I believe every person should be able to attend a concert at least once in their life.
Whether it be sold out stadium shows like Taylor Swift’s Eras tour or smaller shows like Zara Larsson’s Midnight Sun tour, concerts create emotions that no audio from streaming services or radios can produce. The production and rawness that artists bring to each show makes the audience feel like they have a connection to the songs that they never had before. Being able to put a physical face to the music I listen to changes the way I hear it forever and I typically prefer how the artist sounds live than they do recorded.
Concerts also create a great environment and I often make new friends at the shows that I attend. At Tate McRae’s Miss Possessive tour, my friend and I went alone and left with five new friends, bonding over our love for McRae. There’s something really special about being in a room full of people who have a common love for the artist’s music. However, there are still some unfortunate times when fans at concerts become disrespectful towards the people around them. At Megan Moroney’s Am I Okay? tour, there was a group of girls behind me and a girl I met at the concert who were consistently being rude to the girl I met and her mom, stepping on them and trying to get past them to the barricade. These instances still do not ruin the joy that comes from concerts and often make a laughable story when remembering the concert.
I have also had the fortune to meet some artists through live music. After Larsson’s show in Milwaukee, she came out to meet fans and sign some items; during McRae’s first show in Chicago, I was able to be a part of the “Blood on My Hands” barricade dance. My friend has also had the luck of meeting Moroney various times by waiting outside her bus after shows. These moments make special memories that only add to the perfection of concerts.
In recent times, with the uprise of ticketing bots that buy a bulk of tickets to resell for outrageous prices on sites like Gametime or Seet Geek, getting tickets to concerts has become a battle. This has made live shows more exclusive to those who can afford the elevated prices of resellers, when concerts should really be available to anyone regardless of their income.
