Juliet Buckley, Staff Writer and Social Media Contributor
As an eighteen-year-old girl when I look back and reflect on my life, I find music in every single area and memory. I believe that I have adored music since I came out of the womb. There have been so many times where I cannot recall a memory until I hear a song that I liked around the time of the memory. Because of this, I have made it my mission to attend as many concerts as possible.
There are different aspects of my concert connoisseuring. I typically think about things like who is the artist, when did I start listening to them, and who am I going to see them with. However, I have never thought too hard about it from the perspective of where I am going to sit. Maybe when I first started going to concerts I did, but very quickly I found that my favorite thing about attending is the actual music. The blaring, chest rattling, loudness of it all. I hit my peak at a concert when I can literally feel my chest vibrate from the giant speakers. It is such a rush that I can only get from a concert. It doesn’t matter how much I actually like the artist; I can feel the emotion in the bass, and it is almost enough to bring me to tears. For me, a concert is a reminder that I am alive, and that life will always go on.
Everyone I see in concert I tend to really like and have a very strong connection to their music. Earlier when I said I think about factors like “when did I start listening to them”, I mean how much does their music matter to me. As I have described, concerts are a very emotional thing for me, and I have found attending them is a healing experience.
When I was a little girl, I adored Taylor Swift. I used to pretend I was her and recreate her music videos. However, as I got older, I didn’t necessarily listen to her as much, I was no longer intrigued by her. I had still listened to her new albums here and there but when she announced her expansive high demand tour, I knew I needed to go see her. I grew up listening to her, so many of her songs I was able to place on a moment in my life. Her music was a reminder of all the good memories I had from being little. So, I fought my way through the army of other individuals who also shared a similar connection and I bought my tickets. That concert was truly magical. It healed a piece of my inner child and was an experience that I will never forget.
Now, one of my favorite things about going to a concert are the moments leading up to the actual performance. The excitement and adrenaline run rampant throughout my body as the stage is set and it is exhilarating when the artist does finally come out. This moment of absolute perfection is giddy, even though it may later lead to “post-concert depression”, the experience after the concert high has worn off.
On September 26th, 2024, I saw Malcom Todd, Ravyn Lenae, Kevin Abstract, and Omar Apollo. These artists performed at Red Rocks Amphitheater and though I have been to a lot of different venues, it was my first time at this one. I was so excited because I absolutely adore Omar Apollo, and have grown such a love for the opener's music as well. This concert had been in the making for quite some time. I had gone to school that day, proceeded with my routine as usual, and rushed home to get ready. I listened to Epps' music as I did my hair.
It was finally time to head to Red Rocks. My boyfriend and I piled into the car with anticipation and expressed our excitement. The drive up to Red Rocks is breathtaking. I adore the way the mountains look picture perfect. It is like looking at a painting and it is soul soothing. I could not have felt more grateful to be alive than I did at that moment. It is crazy to me the way I sometimes feel so defeated and exhausted with life and everything going on. But then I have moments where I feel so exhilarated and at peace. I typically find myself in these moments when I am attending a concert.
Being in row five at Red Rocks for this concert was so surreal. Omar Epps' performance was amazing. His choreography was performed well, and you could clearly hear how strong his voice was. The visuals were ethereal and the way the concert just transformed so beautifully over two hours was so exciting to see. The scenery and the weather were absolutely perfect that night. It was warm, but not too hot. The breeze was blowing, but it wasn’t cold. It could not have been more perfect for the music and the visuals of the concert. I felt like I was on a different planet.
Hearing Omar perform songs that I have listened to the last couple of years as I have transitioned into different areas of my life is so fulfilling. I can look back at that time of my life and whether it was a good time or a bad time, I can see the music. I can feel the music. I can reminisce on how much I have grown and sit with who I am now. I know it might sound crazy how close I hold music to me and my life. But in the darkest times music speaks for me. It is a healthy way for me to decompress and track my progress in life. Going to concerts gives me a sense of hope and a reality check. It shows that life might really not be that bad. For how could it be, when such beauty is right in front of us?
This feeling isn’t even about the artist, it is about feeling the music. It is seeing a crowd that is entirely diverse and different from one another, come together to hear music and dance and express themselves. It is about the scenery; Red Rocks could not have been more beautiful. It is about the vibration that rattles your chest. All of this is a reminder that you are alive.