We have all experienced that feeling of guilt after spending money on something useless like a late night McDonalds run, a super exaggerated date party costume that you'll never wear again, and even filling your entire tank of gas instead of just half.
Budgeting is hard, especially when buying objects for entertainment and for living purposes. If there’s one thing I’ve learned from all of my reckless purchases, I have never regretted buying concert tickets.
This past year, I made it a mission to go to every concert thrown my way in the state of Missouri. Just within the past month I’ve been to three concerts and paid the price of missing classes, buying an unreasonable amount of gas, and getting up at the crack of dawn to drive two hours back to the real world. I’ve loved every second of it.
Whether it’s in your budget or not, there’s something about seeing your favorite artists in person rather than through headphones or late drives.
We associate certain songs with people, memories, and moments in our lives that we will never forget. Artists are important to each individual and their past. What’s amazing about concerts is that you get to put a face to a song that you associate with an emotional memory and the people you're with.
When I think of the LANY concert, I think of driving with powerful girls jamming to Hurricane in the Kansas City lights. I see Hippo Campus second row with my really short best friend cracking jokes at high schools students because we’re the oldest ones there.
The 1975 reminds me of my brother and how I blew off all my friends to spend quality time at a concert with him because they're the only artist we have in common. Misterwives reminds me how I can spend $30 on drinks for my closest friends and not feel guilty because we danced our hearts out.
I was reminded at Arcade Fire that even though we have our differences, we can sing in harmony. This is only a fraction of the experience because I could never fully explain a concert.
There’s just something about hearing a song you love live and look around to see that others love it just like you. They have a completely different story behind the exact same sound and to me, that is remarkable. I always end up making friends with the people around me at concerts because you clearly have something in common with them. It also comes in handy when you go to buy a drink and they save your spot on the floor.
The most important thing about going to a concert is who you're with. After seeing an artist live with friends I feel especially connected to the people I go with. It’s the journey to get there and looking in your friends eyes when a song you both love starts. Screaming your heart out and forgetting about the sea of people around you. That’s when you know it’s worth it.
