Music is not just a band or a song to certain people. It can be one’s inspiration, savior or therapy. Concerts can change lives for some people and become the best moments of pure enjoyment.
“I just think the experience is so unforgettable, and it’s like my cloud nine,” junior Peyton Marek said. “I sell clothes at thrift shops to get concert tickets sometimes. I feel like an experience is much better and much more valuable than a material.”
Marek and junior Brandon Fordiani are both self-proclaimed concert junkies. Fordiani said he has been to at least nine concerts within the past two years.
Marek has also attended numerous concerts.
“I saw the Mowglis three times last year, and I saw Lady GaGa last year,” Marek said. “I saw Ben Rector, Taylor Swift, Bruno Mars, The Neighbourhood, The Lumineers and The Cold War Kids. This year I’ve seen Huey Mack, Kitten and Rev Gusto.”
Both have been to many concerts, making it hard to pick favorites. Fordiani and Marek have each met different members of bands during all of their concert experiences. Marek said her claim to fame is her dad giving the Mowglis guitar lessons.
Fordiani said his favorite concert was when he met the lead singer of his favorite band.
“[My favorite concert] would probably be the House Party Tour in Lincoln, NE,” Fordiani said. “That’s also when I got to meet [A Day to Remember lead singer] Jeremy McKinnon. Although, I just went to the American Dream Tour with Bring Me the Horizon and Of Mice and Men. It was pretty cool, and I was front row, too.”
They said all of the bands they see leave different impacts on their lives. Fordiani said bands affect his style and appearance.
“I get my hair cut based on [guitarist] Neil [Westfall] from A Day to Remember,” Fordiani said. “I have probably spent well over, like, $3,000 on band merchandise and traveling or going to see concerts. It’s like my social life — all of my friends usually like it.”
According to Marek, experiencing an artist or band live is completely different from listening from an iPod.
“I love seeing Lady GaGa because she’s very theatrical like Taylor Swift,” Marek said. “I love Mowglis concerts because you always walk out of the venue feeling much happier. Just by listening to their music, you can tell that they’re always being spirited.”
Even though Fordiani and Marek have separate music tastes, both said that different concerts are incredible.
“I basically listen to everything, but I really like alternative and indie music,” Marek said. “I also go to rap concerts because my boyfriend loves those.”
Fordiani said he hated metal music the first time he heard it.
“I had just gotten off a plane, and I had a headache,” Fordiani said. “With a two-hour drive home from the airport with my headache, I was listening to these guys scream at me, and I was like, ‘Turn it off.’ But then, I liked it afterward.”
Twitter allows Marek to find out which bands and artists are coming to town.
“I’m going to the Mowglis and Lorde over spring break and maybe Young the Giant,” Marek said. “I think I’m going to Schoolboy, G-Eazy and Grouplove, hopefully. I’m also going to see Miley Cyrus.”
Fordiani and Marek said they would travel anywhere to see a certain band or artist. Fordiani will travel far when he goes to California for the Self Help Festival to see A Day to Remember with VIP passes.
Marek said she would travel to Nashville to see festivals and camp out just to experience a band.
“Honestly, I would travel as far as I needed to because if it’s a good band, then it’s worth it,” Marek said.