Before I saw Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit perform in concert, they were already one of my favorite bands — I would have gone on loving them without ever seeing them perform live. But since seeing them in person, whenever “If We Were Vampires” comes on, I’m flooded with memories of being crushed inside Atlanta’s famous music hall The Tabernacle, couples in their 40s knocking into me just to cover me in beer while my friends laughed and sang around me. It’s changed my entire listening experience: To this day, I can hear the band’s energy on stage and feel the emotion of the crowd.
Going out to see live music is one of the best ways to make summer memories. The internet grants listeners instantaneous access to music — whatever kind and as much of it they want. We can stream the music our parents had to search vinyl stores for on platforms like Apple Music and Spotify, and play new albums the instant they’re released.
Yet even with so much at our fingertips electronically, music fans still want live shows. According to The New York Times, the top 100 tours worldwide made a record-breaking $9.2 billion in 2023, a 65% increase from 2019. Electronic streaming services have greatly advanced the music industry, increasing artists’ profits and generating more interest in live performances.
But because music has become easily accessible, some people would rather save their money than attend a concert. No matter how much like a main character young people may feel sitting on the floor of their rooms listening to Pink Floyd or The Smiths while the rain flows down the window, or driving 20 over the speed limit listening to Tom Tom, they’ll never have a story worth telling until experiencing their favorite bands perform live.
Part of the appeal of live music is the company. Not only does it unite friends and families, it also bonds fans with the musicians they love. Spotify or Apple Music will never match the experience of hearing your favorite songs performed with the passion that musicians have only in the heat of the moment, soft or blazing lighting to fit the mood, and a whole crowd singing along. Tribute concerts bring music back to life that hasn’t been performed in years. Going to the heart of Atlanta to hear new artists collaborate to bring back the sound of the queen of jazz Billie Holiday and soulful Amy Winehouse caused me to fall further in love with these two classics. I will never forget that night.
The concerts I’ve been to consist of some of my favorite memories with friends and have heightened my appreciation for the artists I love. It’s exciting to watch talented people do what they love, and do it well.
My parents have passed down stories of the bands they saw in concert — Cream, Fleetwood Mac, and Bruce Springsteen. Attending live music events allows me to contribute to this tradition:The concerts I’ve attended have now become the focal point for stories I can pass down to my future family.
Go to a concert this summer, if only to hear your favorite song played so loud that the rest of the world melts away.
Grace Brennan is a freshman studying the liberal arts.
