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Let's Talk About Concerts

    I decided to write a post about one of my many loves; concerts. My very first concert was the Beach Boys and I’m sure I would have loved it, but unfortunately I have no recollection of it whatsoever. So the first real concert I can recall is the Cheeath Girls with Hannah Montana. Great first, right? Haha. From there my desire to go to concerts grew and I’m lucky enough to be able to say that thus far I’ve attended, hoping that my count is correct, 23 concerts.

        I’ve had a strong love for music ever since I was young and the idea of seeing an artist sing one of my favorite songs live and in person was mind-boggling to me. It’s good to enjoy an artist’s entire repertoire, but we all have to admit that there’s always that one song we love to hear more than the rest. The songs I can remember flipping out over in concert are as follows:
                         -This One’s For the Girls (Martina McBride)
·                              -How to Save a Life (The Fray)

·                              -Should’ve Said No (Taylor Swift)

·                              -Dog Days Are Over (Glee Cast)

·                              -Turning Page (Sleeping At Last)

·                              -Ghost (Ingrid Michaelson)

·                              -Leave (Glen Hansard)

·                              -Drunk (Ed Sheeran)

·                              -Teenage Dream (Darren Criss)

·                              -Anything Could Happen (Ellie Goulding)

·                              -Teenage Dirtbag (One Direction)

·                              -27 (Passenger)

·                              -All Too Well (Taylor Swift)

    These songs stand out as special moments in concerts where I had to remind myself how grateful I am for music, artists who are crazy talented, and lovely parents who pay to let me have the best nights of my life. My dad is a concert fiend so you could say he kind of passed that down to my sister and I. Words aren’t enough to tell him how much we appreciate the money he’s spent, the hours he’s driven, and the enthusiasm he’s shown in getting to experience concerts with us. We have definitely bonded more as a family through music and concerts which I think is pretty cool.

                Concerts always come along with minor annoyances such as:

·         Spending money

·         Waiting in lines

·         Crowds

·         Loud, obnoxious, drunk, and/or rude people

·         Standing for 2+ hours straight

·         Standing in line for an hour to get into the venue in Kansas City and almost passing out from heat stroke. (Yeah that actually happened. I almost died for you 1D. ;) )

Even with these slight downers, concerts are so much fun and completely worthwhile.

        The simple thought that one, or more if there’s an opening act, artist can bring so many people together for a night full of music is just overwhelmingly lovely. It’s always people of all ages too which I find great because it shows that music can reach any generation.

        Speaking of younger generations, I am reminded of the amazing opportunity my dad and I had to meet the drummer of Fleetwood Mac, Mick Fleetwood, through tickets my dad won from a radio show. It was a short experience, but a meaningful one at that. We got our picture taken with him (he’s a giant!) and a brief Q&A session. I’m normally pretty soft-spoken, but when there was a lengthy silence during the Q&A I built up the courage to ask Mick “What’s one piece of advice you’d give to the younger generation today?” He very kindly replied something along the lines of, “I would encourage younger people to not keep things bottled up because it’s not healthy to let your feelings get so built up to the point where you feel like you're going to explode. He said it’s also important to do what you love and what you’re passionate about; even if you’re bad at it. This concert was the night before I took off to my summer music camp so having Mick’s advice to hold onto in the back of my mind was really beneficial.

        On a day-to-day basis I’m usually a pretty awkward and timid teenager, but there’s something about concerts that makes me burst right out of my shell. I scream, I dance, I sing at the top of my lungs. I basically become the happiest person on the planet. That’s really why I love concerts so much. Stress and worries melt away and for one night I get to be carefree and surrounded by music I adore.

        As I’ve gotten older, concerts have become a huge source of inspiration for me because in my dream world, that’s where I end up; on stage, in front of hundreds of people, performing my own music, and getting to be eternally thankful that I get to call that my job. Musicians are my favorite people and the way they can entertain a crowd by simply singing/playing a song is spectacular.

        I very much intend on reaching 100 concerts before I croak; two of which better be Sara Bareilles and Adele. Some other people I would kill to see that I haven’t yet are:

·                                     -Beyonce

·                                      -Bon Iver

·                                      -Boyce Avenue

·                                      -The Civil Wars

·                                       -Drake

·                                      -Florence + The Machine

·                                      -Frank Ocean

·                                      -Frightened Rabbit

·                                       -JoJo

·                                      -Joshua Radin

·                                      -Matt Nathanson

·                                      -Michael Henry & Justin Robinett

·                                       -Ron Pope

  ·                                   -Snow Patrol
I highly suggest that if you haven’t gone to a concert you really really should. Trust me, it’s good for the soul. 
 

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