They’re standing there, a lit-up figure within a pitch-black stage. Shoulder to shoulder, hundreds of people heat up the arena with their excitement. Lights suddenly flare up and brighten the stage. A melodic beat booms from above, encapsulating the audience’s attention. The performance finally begins.
Junior Nora McCoy attended a Zach Bryan concert on the first day of school. She has been a longtime fan of the artist but this was her very first time attending one of his concerts.
“The last concert I went to last summer was the Taylor Swift concert, and I feel like that was a lot different of an environment, because it was a lot more people,” McCoy said. “But this one was more intimate because he’s a smaller artist, and it was in a smaller venue. It really felt like I was [connected].”
This sense of community that McCoy managed to form with the rest of the audience members there only served to create an experience which was truly unforgettable.
Junior Indigo Teuffel also attended the Zach Bryan concert with a group of close friends. She appreciates the artist for his authentic personality and soulful lyrics.
“He’s really heartfelt with everything he does,” Teuffel said.
Unlike McCoy, however, this concert has only been one of his many performances that she has attended. Nonetheless, his most recent performance has managed to still create an incredible and intimate experience for her.
“It was so much fun,” she said. “It was one of my favorite concerts I’ve been to.”
Zach Bryan was not the only concert that students went to this summer. Senior Kendall Heckman went to the Olivia Rodrigo concert, where she got to experience one of her favorite artists in person.
The audience is also a huge aspect of the concert experience, and part of the reason that going Heckman’s experience in-person was so special.
“I’ve listened to her since I was really young, since like 6th or 7th grade,” Heckman said.“It was really really loud, but in a fun way.”
One of the most interesting moments at a summer concert was by Junior Marquez Garcia, who attended the Green Day concert, also on the first day of school. He tried to sneak onto the main floor of the concert. But his bold attempt was stopped in its tracks, however, by his brother.
“I almost got kicked out,” Garcia said. “There’s like a guard there, who every once in a while, he goes and clears up the line, “ Garcia said. “So he went out to clear out the line [while] I ran in. My brother yelled at me. A guard turned around, and I was so mad at my brother, because if he didn’t do that, I wouldn’t have gotten caught.”
Garcia is a “self-proclaimed” Green Day superfan as when he first bought two of their albums on vinyl, he hasn’t been able to “listen to a song that wasn’t Green Day since then”. Seeing their performance live only renewed his love for them.
“They sounded exactly like how they did 30 years ago.”
Concerts are not just about the music — but the experience. They are often used as a gateway to create intimate connections with the artist and the audience. This sense of closeness that both fans and the artist share during the concert are able to create an experience that is truly unforgettable.
Lights were shining all around them, ears ringing, still hearing and feeling the beat. As they walk out, they reminisce on the music as the songs are still stuck in their heads. They look at their pictures, all of the great experiences they had with their friends and family, living out the moment. They know that school is just around the corner, but for tonight, it was perfect, just perfect.
