I attended Alessia Cara’s concert at the sold-out Brighton Music Hall in Boston a few weekends ago, and it’s a night I will remember for the rest of my life. Alessia Cara, the 19-year-old singer/songwriter from Canada is best known for her number one hit “Here," the tune about a party she wished she hadn’t gone to and the various antics that she tried to escape from that night.

I love concerts more than anything in the world, but this one in particular was something special. First of all, one of my favorite things about concerts is listening to the opening acts and searching their music after the show to get a feel for other artists. It has allowed me to stumble upon some great talent such as the band HAIM at Taylor Swift’s show or Shawn Mendes at Swift as well. At Cara’s concert, three opening acts took the stage before the main event. Upcoming female rapper/songstress Leaf kicked off the event, followed by crooner Craig Stickland, and capped off with the talented Kevin Garrett.

I was extremely impressed with Stickland’s guitar playing, wide vocal range and soft yet strong tone as he sang some originals and covers. I've been listening to Garrett on repeat all week since the concert ended. His tunes are deep and sometimes sad, but the vocals and various instrumental and percussion rhythms he uses are fascinating.

I felt like I was waiting forever for Cara to come onstage finally at 9 p.m., but when she came on, she gave an absolutely stellar performance. She started her set with the upbeat and vocally amazing “I’m Yours," belting out all of the high and low notes that get the crowd going. I loved that she ran onto the stage and bounced around in black, ripped jeans, a simple black t-shirt and sneakers. It made it feel like we were all hanging out, singing the same songs, just having a fun time.

Sometimes concerts can get too elaborate and the music is compromised for the group of distracting dancers or a thousand costume changes, but this was not the case with Cara. She had no entourage, no troupe of a million distracting performers with her, just herself and a three-piece band behind her.

I love the number one hit “Here” just like the rest of you, but I’ve listened to the rest of her album and every song has so much merit. My favorites, “Seventeen” and “Outlaws," were sung with such energy and emotion. Cara had everyone put their cellphones away during her slow, deep track, “River of Tears," so everyone could “be in the moment together” and “live like we don’t have phones." For a fan that was in the audience, I really liked the gesture she made by slowing down the concert and singing a very meaningful song but also engaging the audience to be present for the song and not have their Snapchat videos rolling every 10 seconds.

Overall, this concert was so amazing and worth it for many reasons, but I will attempt to list a few. First off, this girl can sing. She has an insanely wide range and such a smooth, velvety tone that she sings effortlessly with. Secondly, her songs are incredibly catchy and meaningful. There are lines in every single song on her album that have different meanings to different people, speak to people, and give a glimpse into her life. Lastly, it’s just such a fun experience. When the star of the show runs out in her comfy clothes and wants to just sing with her fans, that’s when you know you’ve made it big. No one cares about costume changes or big flashy numbers onstage when you have a pure voice, awesome songs, and a unique personality.

When the concert ended, I decided to stay after with my friend just in case any opportunities arose to get a quick autograph after the show. We decided to wait by the merchandise table, where we took some photos and chatted with one of the opening acts, Kevin Garrett. He took some pictures with us and was personable and funny.

As we were walking back to the other side of the venue, we then met the other opening act, Craig Stickland. He also was generous to take some photos with us and we talked about playing the guitar for a minute or two. He was so thankful and grateful to us for coming out and speaking to him after, which was funny to me because I was so grateful he stayed to meet people after. Basically, both fans and performers were so gracious and nice, and the whole atmosphere was awesome.

After 30 or 40 minutes of talking to opening acts, buying merch, and hanging out, Cara ventured out of her dressing room. Hair thrown up in a casual bun, still in the clothes she performed in, she set up in a corner of the venue and took photos with fans. I thought it would be a quick ordeal, but she spent individual time with each fan, which was a kind gesture. My friend and I had the opportunity to speak with her for about five minutes, during which she took photos with us, signed some autographs, talked to me about tattoos, our mutual black, ripped jeans, and how excited she was to come back soon. She, just like her opening acts, was so generous and grateful to the fans, and it was such a refreshing experience for me.

Altogether, this concert was so musically inspiring and fun, and I am so thankful to the opening acts and to Cara for being so generous to the fans and making the environment so interactive, relaxed, and fun. Whenever Alessia Cara is back in town, I urge you to buy a ticket to the show. It’s a night you’ll never forget!