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This year was an amazing year for concerts and festivals! I went to my first show of the year in March and, since then, I have seen over 40 artists from local venues to festival grounds. This is a list of my top 10 based on performance, experience, admiration, and nostalgia.
Chappell Roan
Video shot by me
Highly anticipated performance. Since her virality of her Coachella performances my friends and I instantly became obsessed and knew we had to see her. We waited five hours in the sun so we could be close and I wouldn’t change a thing. Her performance and stage presence was unbelievable. She had the biggest Lollapalooza crowd in history and I was about 10 people from barricade something I will never forget…. Especially getting out of that crowd.
Photo taken by Ismael Quintanilla lll/Lollapalooza
Charli xcx and Troye Sivan
Photo taken by Henry Radcliffe @hredcliffe on Instagram
I have been converted to an angel after having a brat summer. My best friend made our friend group listen to the album as soon as it dropped and I am so glad they did!!! I attended Sweat tour because of this I couldn’t include one without the other since Sweat was a co-headlining tour. They were both on constant repeat all summer. Hearing these songs live was very thrilling. The production of this tour was insane I have never seen anything like it. It was like one big party the exhaustion the next day was no joke but so worth it.
Avril Lavigne
Video shot by me
(The speakers were very loud and I noticed how close I was immediately once the show started)
My first ever favorite song and music video was Girlfriend by Avril Lavigne so when I saw she was touring her greatest hit I knew I couldn’t miss it. I bought a ticket an hour before doors open and went by myself. It felt like a full circle moment to hear these songs from my childhood as an adult.
SZA
Photo taken by Cassidy Meyers @cass.meyers on Instagram
This was my second time seeing my wife perform live. I loved every second of her performance. I was absorbing every moment of her set while screaming the lyrics with my niece. I finally got to hear "Normal Girl" live, which was a great surprise. Seeing her at a festival versus a stadium was such a fun experience because I am very expressive when singing along to her lyrics especially so I had plenty of room to do so.
KAYTRANADA
Video shot by me
I have always listened to KAYTRANADA but I didn’t LISTEN to KAYTRANADA until this summer when I got invited to go to his concert by a friend. I am glad I chose to go because it was a really fun experience. This was probably one of, if not the best, dressed crowds I have been in. This was my first show with someone DJing and the crowd really made the experience what it was. One of my favorite things about live music is how it gets people to move.
Chief Keef
Photo taken by Jesus J. Montero
Talk about a highly anticipated performance not only for me but everyone in attendance since Chief Keef had been banned from performing in Chicago. This day was very nerve-wracking due to the rain delays and evacuation you could tell that everyone was still hopeful and in denial of the idea of a cancellation. The gates were reopened and Chief Keef was able to close out the weekend. I got to hear all these songs I consider to be classics, along with one of my favorites by him, War; this was an exhilarating experience.
Deftones
Photo taken by @rohofoto on Instagram
First time seeing Deftones live! I had FOMO over not seeing them at Coachella, so when I saw them on the lineup for Lollapalooza, it was a big selling point for me. My friends and I were walking from another performance on the opposite side of the park when we got closer; I could hear "My Own Summer (Shove It)" just started playing, and we ran the rest of the way there. I believe this was the first alt metal/alt rock performance I have been to. I always knew I loved head banging, but this confirmed it.
Laufey
Photo taken by @nicolemago on Instagram
Seeing Laufey perform with the Chicago Philharmonic at Lollapalooza this year was a very beautiful experience. This was a breath of fresh air during the chaotic weekend. Beautiful voice, and I would love to see her perform in a more intimate venue. My favorite song she performed was "Promise."
Two Door Cinema Club
Video shot by me
I first saw Two Door Cinema Club in March for my dad’s birthday. The show was great! Joywave was the opening act, and they performed really well. I enjoyed the concert a lot, but I preferred seeing them in a festival setting more. They have so many songs that make me want to bounce around, and I wasn’t able to do that the first round.
Wasia Project
My best friend is directly above Will and I am to the left of her.
Photo taken by @tom_pacitti on Instagram posted by @wasiaproject
I found this band through the Netflix original Heartstopper when their song "ur so pretty" was included in the season 2 finale. Upon finishing the show, I discovered that Will Gao, who plays Tao on the show, and his sister Olivia Hardy are the band behind this beautiful song. All of their songs are so beautiful Olivia’s voice is very soothing to me. What made the experience even better was getting to meet the band after the show. My best friend and I waited along with a couple other people outside the venue. After an hour, the sibling duo came out for a quick chat, and they asked us to take a picture with them. They were very kind people.
Honorable mentions: The Killers, Jack White, FISHER, Sexyyred, Tyla, Melanie Martinez, Pierce The Veil, and Flo Milli.
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