A love letter to concerts

Like most people, I love music. And like most people, I love live music — especially if it's an artist I already enjoy listening to. In college, I was involved with JMU's student-led radio station, WXJM-fm. During that time of my life, I was going to shows all the time, both local shows in Harrisonburg on the weekends and shows I'd travel to in Richmond, Charlottesville or Washington, D.C.

There's something so magical about live shows. There's a moment I've noticed in a lot of concerts where the artist plays one particular song that isn't only special to them, it's special to the audience as a whole. In those moments, everything and everyone feels connected. Every person is gathered together for a common purpose: to appreciate music.

I'm going to a concert tomorrow and another one on Sunday, and I have friends coming to Charlotte for both. Both are artists I love and respect, and I've been excited about these shows for months. I don't get to go to as many concerts these days, since I work nights and weekends, so I'm thankful for the opportunity to go see music live.

So often, we get so lost in what music means to us that we don't think about the musician behind it. Often, artists pour their hearts and themselves into their work — each song is a piece of them, available for playback. It's incredible to be able to listen to it and connect to it at all, let alone to hear it live — played by the artist in the way they choose to share it with the world.

So in the next few days I'll be seeing two shows (Banks + Lizzo) and I have another concert coming up in Durham in a few months (Sylvan Esso). Hopefully, this is a sign that there will be more live music in my life in the near future because, reader, I rarely feel more connected to those around me then when we're experiencing art together.

How fortunate.