Over the last few years, I’ve made it a priority to see as many of my favorite artists in concert as I can. Whether I have nosebleeds or floor tickets, I love to attend concerts. I’ve been to sixteen so far, and out of those sixteen, here are my top ten.
Disclaimer: This article will have spoilers for each show.
10: Chase Atlantic
Before seeing them, I had wanted to see Chase Atlantic live for years. As soon as I got the chance, I took it. I saw them during their Beauty In Death tour in July 2022. Their visuals were consistent flashing lights and strobes, which I’m usually fine with. However, these lights left me a bit nauseous after the show. The entire venue matched the bands energy, and I didn’t see a single person simply standing. Everyone was bumping to the music, and the energy lit up the venue. This was the show that taught me earplugs are an absolute necessity when it comes to concerts, as the band was a lot louder than other concerts I had attended.
9: Alec Benjamin
I saw Alec Benjamin during his Narrated For You show. The venue was small and secluded, so it was a cute show! I enjoy that album, so it was fun to hear the lyrics live. He also played a song called Paper Crown, which I wasn’t expecting to be played. However, I was pleasantly surprised because that is my favorite song by him.
8. Panic! At The Disco & Marina
Marina was Panic!’s opener…but she was also the only reason I wanted to attend this concert. For this concert, I had floor seats at Little Caesars Arena, which is a venue I love. I enjoy a lot of Panic! At The Disco’s older music, but I saw them in September 2022 for the Viva Las Vengeance tour, and truth be told, I did not listen to that album. When Brenden Urie sang songs from the older albums, it was incredible. There were rainbow strobes hitting the walls during Girls / Girls / Boys, and Brenden has a wonderful voice live in my opinion. The best part of the night was the beginning: hearing Marina live. Marina is one of my favorite artists, so seeing her up close was a dream come true. She sang songs like Primadonna and How To Be A Heartbreaker, and I was right in my element. Not many people on the floor were upbeat when Marina was on, so it felt so fun to be the only one in the audience singing with Marina, I felt like it grabbed her attention.
7. Melanie Martinez
I saw Melanie Martinez in July 2023 and had floor seats for this show. I was with two amazing friends who also love Melanie, and they made the day much more special. Although having floor seats is usually a good thing, the three of us are short, and we couldn’t see much of the stage. We stepped away from our seats and hopped up on one of the barricades to get a better look, which made the show great! We were hoping to hear more songs from other albums, but the show was great nonetheless. Melanie has a beautiful voice and my favorite part of the show was her backup entourage. They moved so beautifully and danced in ways I had never seen.
6. Drake
I am not an active Drake listener. However, the second I heard he was going on tour, I bought tickets for my little cousin and me. She had never been to a concert before, and I wanted to be the cool, older cousin who she can go to concerts with, (I definitely won in that department). I think Drake’s music deserves appreciation, and the majority of his songs are icon status in my opinion. The visuals really caught my attention the most at that show. Inflatables were flying in the air, the screens were plastered with colors that went with the beat of his music, and he had a hologram version of his younger self. I thought all of this was really cool, which is why I consider it to be one of the best shows I’ve been to.
5. Halsey
I’ve seen Halsey in concert four separate times. This show was the third show I went to of hers, and it was during her If I Can’t Have Love I Want Power tour. I am very biased, as Halsey is my favorite artist, and I melt the instant I hear her voice, but that’s what made this concert so special to me. The show was held at Pine Knob in June, which is my favorite time of the year for concerts! I love that time of the year because I feel that I have so many outfit options. I felt so confident in what I was wearing that day! One of my favorite things about Halsey concerts is that she usually has the song Castle at the beginning of her set. This song sets the tone for the entire show, as she takes time during the song to hype up the audience and let them know that everyone should go crazy during the show. My seats were fairly low, so I had a pretty good view of everything that was happening. Nonetheless, Halsey always goes above and beyond with her visuals, but my words can only say so much. Her show is something that has to be seen in person.
4. The Weeknd
The Weeknd’s show will always be one of my core memories. I have a special place in my heart for this one. I bugged my friends for weeks to come with me to this show, as we all love The Weeknd and knew it would be fun no matter where our seats were. They caved, and oh, how glad am I that they did. The entire week leading up to the show, my friends and I had the set list on repeat. I would catch them dancing together, singing along, and getting excited for the concert. At the show, the five of us were in nosebleeds, but we didn’t care because it was like one giant dance party, and we were the main characters. We all danced and sang our hearts out that night. I will always remember it as one of the best days of my life.
3. Katy Perry
Five words describe my experience perfectly: Katy Perry In Las Vegas. I feel like that’s all I have to say for anyone to know how wildly amazing this performance was. I grew up listening to Katy Perry, so hearing her voice live astonished me. It was more of a theater performance than a concert, but the audience treated it like a concert. The beginning starts with Perry floating down onto a giant bed, acting as if she is a doll in a child’s bedroom. The rest of the show goes along with this theme. Each act has a set list of songs and a completely different stage. The stage changes from a bedroom, to a bathroom, and at one point, a sewer system. All the while, Perry sang all of her iconic songs, brought fans on stage, and danced with vibrant colors behind her. It was a very random show, but it was one of the best I’ve ever been to.
2. Taylor Swift
A big flex of mine is that I won the great Ticketmaster war. I got into and out of the queue fairly easily with three tickets for my best friends and me to attend the tour of our dreams! The Eras Tour wasn’t treated as a simple show: we planned our outfits months in advance, made tons of friendship bracelets, and had the date on our minds until it came. We had lower bowl seats directly in front of the stage, so I like to think our view was the best! Videos and pictures are great, but this is a show that has to be seen in person to truly take in Taylor Swift’s voice, the visuals, and the energy. The entire night, I was looking forward to The Last Great American Dynasty, so the second that song came on, I melted with excitement. That is my song!
1. Halsey
Although Halsey is already on this list, I had to add her again to tell you about this specific show. My all-time favorite concert has to be Halsey at Common Grounds music festival in Lansing, MI. I was fifteen years old and thrown onto music festival grounds, where I waited at the barricade for hours! Oh, how that wait was worth it because I was just a few feet away from Halsey herself. This show was during her Hopeless Fountain Kingdom tour, which I had seen before, but from nosebleeds. Going from nosebleeds to barricade for the same show was a drastic change. Barricade was such a personal experience for me because at some points, it felt like she was singing to me directly!