Money is fake, concerts are forever.

 

I don’t mean it in a crude or tone-deaf way, of course, but a brief disclaimer is always appreciated. This is not a revolutionary topic and I know I’m most likely preaching to the choir here, but it’s something that apparently still needs to be said. Money is very real, but so is investing in things that make you feel alive, things that send the perfect mix of dopamine and adrenaline that combine to send electricity coursing through your body. It’s that feeling of excitement, that feeling of belonging; both of which are things we really need more of nowadays.

 

There’s something so indescribable about the pure joy that radiates from your body at a concert. It’s otherworldly, it’s community, it’s feeling right at home.

 

There’s a lot of criticism surrounding concert culture, which is a discussion we can have at a later time, but one of the glaring arguments people tend to throw into others’ faces is the investment into a fleeting experience. 

 

“Why spend that much money on something that will be over in a few short hours? Why get so excited about listening to an album that you can stream? Why don’t you take a real vacation instead of only taking off for concerts?” 

 

These rather baseless arguments are things I’ve personally had to field, as if my experiences warrant an interrogation session. But at the bare bones, they are just that - baseless. Of course, I’m speaking from experience here, but it appears that these comments are geared towards concerts for a certain demographic. I wonder why that might be? But again, that’s a conversation we can have at another time. People can and should invest in things that make them feel that sense of excitement, that electricity; if that happens to be a Harry Styles concert or attending a Philadelphia Eagles football game (why not both?), then so be it. Let people do what they want with their time, money, and energy. We are people who collect experiences like badges, little tokens of anecdotes and memories threaded together like patchwork that make up who we are; so let people collect them.

 

With all of that being said, live music is more than a two-hour long experience these days. It’s not just about investing into a couple of songs blaring from a speaker (even when it was just that, it was still worth investing in, by the way). Now there’s a culture. It’s not just day-of preparation - it’s building connections with friends from around the country and world. It’s meeting your best friends online because of artists you love. It’s coordinating travel plans and schedules and outfits. It’s community. It’s weeks and months and years of fostering real, genuine friendships that were formed on the backbone of something so pure - a common interest. It’s beautiful.

So invest in experiences; go to the show and do things with and for the people that send shockwaves of electricity through your body. Let that indescribable feeling wash over you as you jump and dance under alternating colorful lights. I’m convinced that the people that don’t get it just haven’t experienced that overwhelming-in-the-best-way, blood-rushing-to-your-head-as-the-lights-dim, feet-aching-but-still-moving-along-to-your-favorite-song feeling, and for that, I pity them. I think it’s time we start enjoying the little things in life - those moments and experiences we collect, little trading cards of memories and stories sewn together intricately. It’s time to show off that work.

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by Amanda Kolar

@amanda_kolar