Defining My Passion
From an alarmingly young age, I took to concerts like candy. My first show was Hannah Montana’s Best of Both Worlds tour, duh. Somehow that led to a photo op with Mitchel Musso (cue photo of perplexed 5-year-old)? My parents were unaware of just how detrimental this enabled addiction would be to their bank account. For every pop sensation infatuation that came to town, my mom was queuing for tickets, blowing up radio stations' phone lines, and finding connections wherever she could to get me to that show. By the time I was 8 or 9, I had already been to over 30 concerts. Hannah Montana, Jonas Brothers, Selena Gomez; you name it, I was there. Then came One Direction. The deep, worrisome obsession came like a tsunami: you knew it would be bad just moments before disaster and then with one sudden swoop, I was consumed.
My 5 year reciprocated love affair with One Direction was nothing short of absurdity. I went to the Up All Night tour in July 2012, where my parents surprised me with tickets to go just hours before they took the stage. This is where I shamelessly plug my micro viral documentation of that moment. From then on, I would fly thousands of miles to see them in distant stadiums because I just couldn’t miss it. The moment those lights go out, hysteria consumes 60,000 screaming tweens. Ah yes, absolute bliss for an 11-year-old!
When they announced their final tour, I was devastated to learn they would not tour anywhere near Florida. I was utterly heartbroken. “When would I see them again??? I NEED to see them again!!!?!?!” I was panicked. To whom else could I devote every millisecond of my time? That was around the time Taylor Swift released 1989.
For about two years, these two supernovas competed for my undivided attention. She immediately filled the void when One Direction announced their indefinite hiatus. 1989 became the literal soundtrack to MY LIFE. From the second I heard Jack Antonoff’s ever-so-evident synth sounds in “Out of the Woods,” I knew I had to be in every room it echoed. I hope I don’t sound overly dramatic when I say this: going to the 1989 World Tour quite literally changed my life.
Just like that, I attributed every aspect of my life to a Taylor Swift lyric; “the best people in life are free” became the anthem to my middle school friendships; “I just realized everything I had is someday gonna be gone” consumed my mind as I spent my first night in a college dorm; “I love you for giving me your eyes, staying back and watching me shine” is a line that my mom and I struggle to get through without bursting into tears. For every heartbreak, milestone, bad day, great day, hiring, and firing, Taylor was there. Wow, that was a bit much, but I mean it when I say it. She is everything to me.
It’s hard to fathom my mom had to queue for 10 hours (while at work) to attempt to snag tickets for The Eras Tour. Unfortunately, she was unsuccessful. Could you believe that just 6 years prior, we waited in no virtual queue, handpicked our incredible seats, and took our time getting to the Reputation tour? (Side note: I must add that between these two tours, I did in fact camp out for 17 hours to see Harry Styles. And yes, I was front row.)
We could not accept that we wouldn’t be the lucky few thousand who beat the Ticketmaster bots and got tickets. We’ve never NOT been there. OK time for the redemption arc!!!!!!! Around mid-December 2023, I received an email from Ticketmaster informing me I had the chance to request tickets. I was ecstatic. When I found out I was sitting 3rd row from the main stage, ecstatic is an understatement. I was gasping for air and swallowing a sea of tears. It seemed all of my problems were solved so simply. That humid, sweltering night in April was the best night of my life.
So now you’ve gotten to the point and you’re probably asking yourself: ok so what is your passion… live music? To put it simply, yes. To really understand, you need to be at those shows and look around the room. Feel the racing hearts when the lights go out. Hear the screams when the curtain goes up. Watch the disappointment wash over their face when the curtain closes. The reason live music has the impact it does is because of the people spending their savings to catch a glimpse. If artists did not fill arenas with people so devoted to their cause, how would it be enjoyable? I don’t think I’ve belonged to any fandom that did not take it just a little too far… I guess that’s a reflection of me? I’m okay with that though. When you give someone a voice, an outlet, an escape, it truly creates the most beautiful network. I’ve made the most incredible friendships founded on our mutual obsessions. My relationships built on the foundation of music have stood the test of time because we just get each other on the deepest, most fervent level. Hear me clear: I am enamored by live music, but my passion truly resides in the fans. I guess you could say that my passion is passionate people.