I’ve been to many concerts in my life, and it’s one of my favorite things to do. Much like anyone else, I have concerts that I enjoyed more than others for different reasons. I thought I would share the ones that I’ve been to, and rank them from worst to best, while briefly explaining why they got the ranking they did.
11. Phillip Phillips – Mann Center for the Performing Arts – Philly, 2015
Absolutely nothing against Phillip Phillips or the Mann, this just was not my favorite concert. I went to this show with my mom, a friend, and her mom, and I honestly don’t remember much of the concert, which is why it’s rated so low. Although I didn’t know many of the songs, I was still able to have fun. Along with the headliner, we also saw Matt Nathanson and A Great Big World, which I both got to meet and take pictures with.
10. Taylor Swift – Lincoln Financial Field, 2015
This was one of the first real concerts I’d ever been to and I went with my mom and my cousin. Once again, I don’t remember much, but I do remember having a great time, as it was (and still is) my favorite Taylor Swift era. We saw her in a massive venue, so our seats were extremely far and I could barely see, but we did get to see Shawn Mendes open for her, so I’ll add a few bonus points for that.
9. Conan Gray – The Fillmore, 2022
I’m going to be honest, I kind of regret spending my money for this show. I went with one of my old friends and we bought the tickets before his new album came out. I didn’t really like the new one as much, so I didn’t enjoy some of the songs that he played. It was also kind of difficult to enjoy the show. I had to be really hyper aware of the people around me because people were passing out left and right. I, unfortunately, wasn’t able to get any merch for this show and we ended up kind of far from the stage, so it was hard to see. On the other hand, an upside was that I knew the opener a little (Bulow) and she had an entertaining set. Also, my friend and I met a couple of girls in the line and became friends before the show even started.
8. Wallows – The Met – Philly, 2022
I went to see Wallows with a friend who didn’t really know the band and neither of us were caught up on their recent music. When we got to our seats, we saw that there was a giant pillar in the way of the stage, which I didn’t know was there when I bought the tickets. Despite these things, it was a very high energy show and was fun even though we didn’t know all the songs. Also, it was nice having assigned seats so we could just walk right in before it started.
7. Isaac Dunbar – The Sinclair, 2022
This was the first concert that I went to in Boston, and it was right after my orientation. I went to this one with my mom, however she was up in the balcony, leaving me alone in the general admission pit. There were lots of pros and cons to this show. For starters, the merch wasn’t anything special, it was a tiny venue, and was literally at the front of the stage. With that being said, it was a little hard to hear him singing. There was no opener (which I honestly view as a plus), he played a song he doesn’t play at shows anymore, but overall it wasn’t very high energy. Regardless, I still really enjoyed myself despite being alone in the crowd.
6. Alec Benjamin – Irving Plaza, 2019
This show was my first experience being in a general admission pit. I went with my mom and we ended up being pretty close to the stage (though, we did wait in line for hours prior). The opener for this show was Harry Hudson and he was actually amazing. It felt like its own little concert and I actually got to meet Harry after. Overall, the show was very fun and Alec was excited to play at our venue, making it more enjoyable. To quickly add, the fanbase was really calm and kind to each other.
5. Alec Benjamin – Franklin Music Hall, 2021
This was my second time seeing Alec Benjamin and I went with my friend and we were almost at the barricade for this one. Once again, the fanbase was wholesome and everyone around us was very kind. My friend and I met two people and became friends with them during the concert. It was a very funny show (lots of talking and singing crowd interactions). One last thing that I think is important to note is that the venue handed out water in between the opening set and the main act.
4. Billie Eilish – Wells Fargo Center, 2022
This was my second time seeing Billie and I went with mom. We were only able to see her in a giant venue, so we were pretty far away from the stage. She didn’t get the chance to play a lot of her older songs. Nevertheless, the crowd’s energy was very high the entire time. She is one of my favorite people to watch perform, it was a very long show, and she had great merchandise options.
3. Billie Eilish – The Rooftop at Pier 17, 2019
This was my first time seeing Billie and fortunately, we got to see her right before she blew up, so we had tickets for the general admission pit. I went with my friend and the venue was so cool. She played pretty much every single song she had released at that time. Once again, the show was extremely high energy and so so so fun. Also worth mentioning, we witnessed a part of the show that blew up around the internet and on her documentary from the concert. Her opener, Denzel Curry, was entertaining and had a good stage presence. I didn’t know any of his songs at the time but I am a fan now.
2. Girl in Red – Union Transfer, 2022
I went to this show with my brother and we were so close to the stage. This was a show with the highest energy I’ve seen. She had excellent stage presence and I loved every song played. She stage dove, crowd surfed, and threw all of her water on us at the end, which was all awesome. Also, it’s worth noting that no one passed out (which surprised me).
1. Harry Styles – Madison Square Garden, 2022
My number one is Harry Styles, of course. I went to this concert with my mom and two friends. This was an artist that I had been waiting years to see and we were in the general admission pit, so close to the stage! It was so fun getting to dress up all fancy and every single song was a banger. Not to mention, he performed a song he hadn’t done live in about 5 years. I had the time of my life and forgot there were other people there. He favored our corner the whole night, it was a very long show, and the energy was so high the entire time. Also important to the experience was the fact that the staff were the nicest venue employees I’ve dealt with at any concert before. They were hyping us up the whole time and seemed very happy to be there. Also, the security guards were very interactive with the crowd.