As the weather gets warmer and students start to have more free time after school, a great activity for music lovers is concerts. While each concert allows attendees to enjoy their favorite music from their favorite artists, there are many differences between each one. From all kinds of styles and vibes, each concert offers a unique experience.
Lollapalooza is one of the most popular music festivals in the Chicagoland area, taking place in Chicago’s Grant Park over the summer and lasting for multiple days. Lollapalooza features a diverse lineup of artists, including pop, hip-hop, electronic, and many other genres…Senior Casey Patten speaks about her experience at Lollapalooza.
“The vibe is different at every stage. I’d say the most hardcore stage is the one that house artists play at, where people mosh, and there is a lot of pyro, lasers, and smoke machines. On the other hand, there are stages where people sit in the grass and just take in the music; your experience is truly what you make it,” Patten said.
The Grant Park venue is quite large to accommodate for many attendees. There’s also space for amenities and vegetation throughout the park. Patten offered details about her experience at Grant Park during her first year attending Lollapalooza.
“The venue itself has a playful ambiance, with plenty of shade and places to rest. The first year I attended Lolla, I was completely disoriented. The combination of big crowds and no cell service made navigation difficult. The venue is large, around 319 acres, but I’ve found that the staff and the festgoers are friendly and willing to help,” Patten said.
There are also smaller venues in the area, such as the Fargo Skatepark in DeKalb, Illinois. These small venues usually have even smaller crowds and more local or obscure artists, and allow for more unique expression. For example, junior Julien Freeman spoke about the atmosphere of the scene.
“Everyone just [gets] this energy and builds up rage they have … a lot of people got stuff going on at home, and this is an open space to take it out on anybody. And it’s not like, ‘oh, I want to hurt that person,’ but it’s just [that] everyone’s feeling these emotions, and they don’t have a certain way to take it out. So they come to these shows to take it out,” Freeman said.
Music culture has major differences in the alternative scene from that of bigger artists; most venues are concentrated in small towns with lower population, but a strong sense of community within.
“We’re pretty open to anybody. We accept everybody. If it’s your first time in the pit, yeah, you’re gonna get hit, but it’s part of the culture, you know?” Freeman said.
Jonah, who’s been skating at Fargo for nine years, values the people who come to these shows and the time spent within. “It’s really all about meeting new friends and just having friends of friends and just having fun and moshing together and having a good time … I’ve met some of my lifelong friends, and I’ve barely known them for two months, and it’s really awesome. I got into hardcore through skating and meeting friends.”
Skating is a big part of the hardcore alternative community. Whether it’s a venue like Fargo where there is a skatepark incorporated into the venue, or people’s way of travel to shows, the activity is highly ingrained in the culture. Such as references in the music that is played, or if members of the playing bands are actively skating in between shows.
One factor that separates alternative-type venues from the stadiums is the prices. Junior Bailey Loos commented on them, “They’re pretty good. I would say, I mean, $10 a show. I’d prefer five [dollars], obviously, but the money’s going to the bands, the venue, so … [it’s all] for a good cost.”
The size of the venue also contributes to the prices. Fargo, specifically, is a smaller venue and the showroom is the size of an average basement.
“This venue is usually not as big as it is after our show on February 27. This place got really big after selling out after the first band and the post getting 45,000 views, it’s super nice to see everybody here. I’ve been skating here for almost 9 years and it’s super awesome to see,” Jonah said.
Country music is another genre that varies greatly from other types of songs and concerts. This music often includes South artists who sing about family and relationship issues. Many songs are curated to target younger and middle-aged audiences.
These concerts are also extremely popular, normally taking place in a large stadium or arena. There are normally a lot of people dancing around to this music and having a good time. Maddie Daehnke went to see Zach Bryan at The Dome at America’s Center in St Louis, MO.
“[The stadium] is super welcoming, it was super exciting. Everybody was just kind of on the same page, we were all so excited,” Daehnke said.
Many of these country concerts can be overwhelming due to the size of the stadium and the number of people. For Daehnke, the height of different stadiums along with navigation is intimidating, making her feel stressed before the concert begins.
“The United Center is one of the harder ones to navigate, because it feels almost more closed off, I’m not afraid of heights, but it kind of freaked me out for a bit. After that, I was fine, because once the show starts, you’re not paying attention. But at the Dome at Americas Center, it was super open when you were walking around, you just knew where you were at all times,” Daehnke said.
Each country concert can vary in duration, but mainly lasts around one to two hours, including the openers. For the Zach Bryan concert, the openers were J.R. Carroll, along with Caamp, who are in a similar genre to him. These sets were about 45 minutes long, featuring a variety of songs.
Country concerts can be more on the pricey side, but many believe they are worth the price. Going with friends can be a chance to enjoy good music together and bond over your favorite artists.
“I’d pay any price to go again. I think it’s worth it, no matter what,” Daehnke said.
This spring and summer, many students plan to go see fun concerts. From going to Lollapalooza to smaller venues like the Skatepark, and even to country concerts that are out of state, you are always guaranteed a good time. For each of these experiences, you will find different vibes, genres of music, varieties of people, and many different artists.