Its ok, I’m ok; I saw Tate McRae

Anyone who knows me personally knows that I am a big fan of two things: 

1. Traveling 
2. Tate McRae

I like both of these things by themselves, but putting them together is even better if I’m being honest. And, since Tate McRae did not do a concert in Miami this year, I had no choice but to hop on a plane. 

In August, my friends messaged me about a potential weekend trip to Nashville, Tennessee. I can’t say no to a fun trip, so I was immediately excited to get everything planned and ready to travel. I had never been to Nashville and had no travel plans for the rest of the summer, so I knew this would be my chance. When I found out Tate McRae happened to be doing a concert in Nashville during the dates we were planning on going, I knew even more that it would be a perfect oppurtunity. Unfortunately, the plans with my friends fell through. At first, I wasn’t sure what to do, because I had been excited to travel with them but feared being in a new city all alone. Would I be safe? Would I be bored? Would I feel awkward? Lonely? 

I knew all of these things were possibilities, but I also knew that this was my one chance to go see Tate Mcrae live. She had other shows in other cities, but I knew I would not be available for any of those other dates. This aligned perfectly with my schedule and the only thing that didn’t align was the belief in myself that I could do it alone. 

I tossed and turned with this belief for a bit, but ultimately decided that I would challenge myself and travel entirely alone for the first time. I was scared at first, but once I arrived in Nashville I knew that I had made the right decision. 

I landed the morning of the day of the concert and immediately took an Uber to the stadium to grab my place in line. The concert was at Ascend Arena, and they allowed for guests to come during the day to grab a ticket that designated their place in line. Guests could later return at the time of the concert and line up in their designated order. This was great because it meant that as soon as I got my line ticket, I could go explore. 

I immediately took a short walk over Honky Tonk Highway on Broadway, which is essentially a strip of Honky Tonks that play live music and serve food and drinks. I wandered around just looking at them and taking in the sights, occasionally taking breaks from the heat to go into souvenir shops or stores that sold cowboy boots. I eventually ended up going to Tootsie’s Orchid Lounge and grabbed some food at the rooftop. They had a band playing live music and some people were even dancing! Afterwards, I continued to walk around until it was time to head to my Airbnb before the concert. 

I had booked a very nice Airbnb for myself, which I was pretty proud of. It was such a cute place and I felt pretty comfortable once I entered it. It was clean, spacious, and perfect for my solo trip to Nashville. However, I made sure to not stay for long, as I knew that I needed to head to the venue to grab my spot in line. 

When I got to the venue, I made sure to challenge myself by talking to people waiting in line. I ended up making some small talk and was so happy to feel the energy of everyone’s excitement for the concert, as well as so happy that I could see an artist I love so much live! I made sure to grab a spot in the front of my section once they let us in, and even asked people to take pictures of me so that I could post them later. 

Tate’s performance at the concert was truly amazing. She is an incredible dancer and singer, and her concerts really feel like a show. It was so nice to get to hear her sing songs that I had loved for years and that had gotten me through such intense feelings and situations I have been through. I was so happy to be able to honor my younger self in doing something that she would have never thought she could do, as well as hear the music that had helped her through so much. Like any other concert-goer, I took lots of videos and pictures to savor the memory. One pivotal memory from the concert was getting to hear her song, “What’s Your Problem?” live, as this song really helped me heal from an abusive relationship that I went through as well as the heartbreak that followed it. 

Not only was hearing her music incredibly healing, but proving that I could do this for myself was incredibly empowering. The fears of me being bored or not enjoying myself disappeared as the day went on and I grew to know that I could do things alone and still have fun. I also made sure to be cautious about my safety and kept an open mind, of course. 

I would say the best part of this trip is the confidence that I gained in my own abilities as well as the trust that I now have in myself to be alone. Being alone can be scary or seem like a bad thing, but there is nothing more empowering than learning to appreciate one’s own company and the joy that you can bring to yourself. The version of me that first listened to Tate McRae would have never thought that she could do something like this, but I am happy to now say that “it’s ok, I’m ok”.