Over the past seven years, I have traveled all around Ohio, to Chicago, and up and down the east coast attending concerts. I have sat outside for hours on end with strangers that turned into friends, waiting for the venue's security team to open up the doors. I have become a familiar face to local concert security. I have met people that traveled longer distances than myself to attend a show; I have met multitudes of people from different cities and backgrounds. Yet, we were all located in the same place — some kind of venue, eager for the show to begin. Whether it was indoors or outdoors, an arena, an amphitheater or a concert hall, we all came together as one cohesive audience.
With each concert I attend, within minutes, I enter a state of euphoria. I find the atmosphere to be electrifying, yet calming. All of my troubles slip my mind for those few hours when the screams and music echo throughout the venue. I allow the atmosphere to take me away, to allow me to enter a peaceful and joyous state of mind; concerts put me in my happy place.
There’s something beautiful about the art of concerts, on the stage and in the crowd. On stage, artists put on a show, pouring their hearts out as a form of expression. At a show, the audience is invited into the hearts of artist’s, exploring the artist’s personality, as well as their personal life, such as relationships and personal struggles, through the art of music and performance. Though the lyrical content, stage dynamic and intensity varies for each artist, every artist connects with the crowd in front of them, emotionally and artistically. Artists such as Taylor Swift and Fifth Harmony put on flashier, up-beat shows filled with dances and props, which engages the audience to sing and dance along with them, while artists such as Shawn Mendes and Tori Kelly typically perform with simply their guitars and a few band members, making the performance more relaxing and calm. While the on-stage performance style may vary across artists, the connection with the audience is still intense. Each and every lyric tells a story or sends a message to the audience, in which the audience can relate to or appreciate, bringing the artists and audience together as one.
The more and more concerts I attend, the more I appreciate this connection and vulnerability between the audience and the artists. The connection is remarkably personal, as most of those within the venue, including the artists, have their hearts on their sleeves and their minds open wide. Which is why, when I’m at a concert, I sing my heart out, singing back to the artists the lyrics that have affected or touched my life. I dance like no one is watching me, despite the other thousands (or tens of thousands) of people in the venue beside me. Coming from someone who is typically not so keen on “performing” in front of others, this may seem strange. However, at a concert, no one is judging how off-pitch you sing or how idiotic you look while you dance, because everyone in the venue is doing the exact same. Everyone is there because they can somehow connect with or appreciate the art produced by the artists. In some way shape or form, the audience is completely exposed.
This exposure is alluring, as the concept or thought of exposure is terrifying. No one wants their thoughts, emotions or feelings to be unprotected, yet at concerts, everything seems to be. It’s a peculiar, nearly indescribable sensation and some people probably haven’t experienced it yet. So, next time you go to a concert, I encourage you all to stop singing and dancing for a moment and look around you. Look all around the venue. Try to tune out the artist for a second and listen to those around you. Look at those around you. Every person is somehow connecting with the artist, just as you are. During a slow song, an artist will probably ask you to turn on your flashlights. Do it. Again, look around you. The entire venue will be sparkling. Nearly every person will turn on a light. Nearly every person is going to sparkle and shine. The artist will probably tell the audience to sing, too. Do it. Loudly. But pause, just for a few seconds. Listen around you. The venue will echo with the voices of thousands and thousands of people, singing lyrics that a person created, lyrics that have touched you.
Some of you that read this might easily relate, while others might think, “Wow, this girl is freakin’ crazy…” but, hey, concerts are my happy place. Concerts have given me the opportunity to travel and meet others who love and appreciate the same artists that I do. Concerts are where my thoughts, feelings and emotions are utterly exposed. I completely forget all of my worries and tasks; I open my mind and my heart, allowing both entities to focus solely on the music, the art and the passion circluating between every person in the venue.
This is why I choose concerts. The art, the passion, the oneness. No matter the age, race, gender, etc., every person in the venue and the artists unite as one to celebrate and that is an incredible, magical feeling.
