I have yet to attend a music festival. I go to what some people may deem as way too many concerts, but truthfully, it’s probably not all that many. Before 2020, I had only gone to one, for my 13th birthday, and obviously didn’t have the chance to go to more. But something about being forced to be away from concerts led me to start longing for a space I’d barely even experienced. So, in 2022, I ended up going to three more concerts. Then it was 14 more the next year. But this year, I haven’t gone to all that many, only a mere 4.Â
One of the few concerts I attended this year was Fall Out Boy, in Milwaukee. I’m from around Chicago, but two of my friends and I drove up to Wisconsin to go to the show since my friends are pretty avid fans, and I definitely wanted to get on my way to being as avid as them. We had our share of memorable moments, I ended up losing my wallet, something I vowed I was far too responsible to ever do. In retrospect, though, it’s kind of a good talking point. With our adventure, however, an odd little thing about it was that we had to travel out of state for the concert. For one, Chicago is of course a hell of a big city, and not many tours skip it. Another thing is that the band is notably from Chicago. My friends and I pretty quickly realized that for them to not have a show in the city meant that they were likely to be on a festival roster. At that point, it was early April, so Lollapalooza, the paramount festival in Chicago, had already dropped its lineup. We figured they must be headlining Riot Fest, but didn’t worry too much as we were already in Milwaukee to attend the show.
Soon after, the Riot Fest lineup dropped, indeed including a Friday headlining spot for Fall Out Boy. So, we naturally decided to go to Riot Fest. This is anything but new for my friends, who frequent the festival every year. But for me, I haven’t yet attended a music festival, and the closest thing to me having done so would be the Re:SET Concert Series in June 2023. That was designed similarly to a fest but didn’t function the exact same way. So it goes, this will be my first time going to a proper, authentic music festival. I can’t say I’m scared; I don’t really have it in me to be all that worried about how to sustain myself in an atmosphere like what I’ll be in. However, it’s for sure a little bit of a jump from what I’ve done before. But I think I like that. I made it a goal of mine this year to attend at least 5 concerts. After Riot Fest, I’ll have checked off that box. I know it’ll be a nice chance to take a breather from school, finally see my friends again, and make more really important memories.
From frequenting so many different varieties of concerts, I’ve learned how transcendent live music is. The fact that I’ve been lucky enough to go to so many shows in the past few years is insanely important to me, and I’ve met or strengthened so many friendships from it. I’ve seen artists who have helped me through ridiculously difficult times and screamed lyrics that have changed my perception of life. I’ve felt truly visceral, human emotions from the spaces I’ve been in. So going into my first Riot Fest weekend, I’m just really grateful that I get to add on another experience. And with that, all that’s left now is to go and to pray that they play Heaven, Iowa.