At the end of last September and into early October, I attended three concert events within a week. I know what you’re thinking: The week surely put a dent in my pocket and was mostly unproductive otherwise. Both things are true, but it was beyond worth it. Music and concerts are what keep me going, and the fashion, attitudes, and practices of concertgoers are things that I will never not want to observe.Â
SWEAT TourÂ
Charli XCX and Troye Sivan’s SWEAT tour, containing the first concert that jumpstarted my “festival week,” was one that didn’t even join the lineup until two hours before the event began. Â
“Club Classics,” “Von Dutch,” “Apple,” and essentially the entirety of Brat, became anthems for the summertime and were quickly deemed iconic within queer and popular culture immediately following its release in early June. Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you know that the SWEAT tour is about more than the music. It’s a celebration of club culture and fashion and dancing and fun. It served as the inspiration for unleashing and living more freely in the summer months.Â
Before purchasing tickets to the SWEAT tour, I was watching it on TikTok as an enviable onlooker who regretted not buying tickets when they were reasonably priced in April. Despite the near-painful cost of an upper-level ticket I decided to jump the gun on the day of and make my first Klarna purchase … and again, it was beyond worth it.Â
After my roommate and I spent half an hour going back and forth refreshing Ticketmaster for the cheapest tickets, we quickly began prepping for the festivities. The feelings we both faced while beginning our preparation were like a freak-out, as our last-minute purchase deprived us of the planning of a perfect outfit for the tour.Â
There have been hundreds of TikToks and Pinterest mood boards that encapsulate the vibe that is expected for the event. Concert aesthetics include indie sleaze, rave, and some splashes of Y2K Outfits also featured lots of leather, baby tees, ruffled shorts, dramatic jewelry, and random combinations that played on the Brat aesthetic, with the now iconic “Brat Green,” being a feature in many ensembles. There was even a TikTok trend where people spraypainted white tank tops while holding undergarments to the fabric, to create the effect of a bra and underwear on their shirts. Attendees got creative with their outfits and viewed their attire as an extension of the Brat brand and almost as a near-duty, to deliver the most “Brat” outfit.Â
The SWEAT Tour (and Brat as a whole) is an example of a tour and fan base that seems to present a lot of culture. Specific fashion is embraced, dancing is present, social behavior is shared, and, of course, there is the beloved music. The next event in my concert week showcased a less concentrated view of shared culture, but that doesn’t mean that culture was absent from the weekend affair.Â
Soundside Music FestivalÂ
Over that next weekend, that same roommate and I went to my home state, Connecticut, to attend the Soundside Music Festival. The Soundside Music Festival takes place in Bridgeport, Connecticut and is a festival that is targeted towards an “older crowd.” Performers included Noah Kahan, Boys II Men, the Goo Goo Dolls, Norah Jones, The Fleet Foxes, and a plethora of other performers throughout the two-day weekend. There was also an unfortunate last-minute cancellation by the Foo Fighters that disappointed many excited concertgoers, as they were the headliners for the last day of the festival (but they were swiftly replaced by the band Greta Van Fleet).Â
As the festival performers fit into more of the indie rock and pop vibe, there was definitely a difference in fashion for the weekend. My roommate and I, along with the other people our age who attended, wore flowy skirts, brown boots, and outfits that fit into “boho” attire. The outfits that the “older crowd” wore had a range but overall took less effort and had more of a “chill” vibe. Lots of flannels and jeans were worn, and many attendees purchased the concert crewneck and sported it throughout the weekend. There were a few members of the older crowd who had fun fashions like my mother and her lively group of friends, but in comparison to the crowd for SWEAT, the outfits did not have a great significance for the weekend. Â
One aspect of culture that was strong with this group specifically was the power of nostalgia and tradition. This was present when hearing groups like Boys II Men and the Goo Goo Dolls. Their songs are what many attendees grew up with, and with that, there was an air of teen-like joy and a dancing release, bringing these individuals back to a time when that music first mattered to them. Although specific fashions weren’t embraced and popular dances like the “apple dance” weren’t an agreed-upon trend before the festival began, a culture was established in its own way.Â
KaytranadaÂ
Last but most certainly not least was the Kaytranada concert on the following Wednesday. Kaytranada is a DJ whose music genres are primarily R&B, soul, dance/electronic, and house. With the set-up of the concert being a DJ set, the vibe of the concert differed from any show that I had attended before. Seemingly everyone was on their feet dancing the entire time, moving more like they do at the club rather than when seeing their favorite artist. Kaytranada would tease remixes and played with the crowd while moving in front of the most vivid and creative visuals on the screens behind him.Â
Most of the crowd dressed in street style for the concert. This was definitely a show where everyone knew they wanted to look cool, and no one was disappointed. The girl standing in front of me at the show had a chinchilla stuffed animal draped along her back, and the group of girls behind me had on rave scarves. There was less of a concentrated focus on specific fashion at this concert, but regardless, everyone wore enviable fashions that they could easily move in.Â
While at the show, it almost felt like Kaytranada was able to influence the culture and the movement of the crowd with a sudden spin on his turntable. His teases got the crowd clapping, and everyone swayed in unity as he stood as the puppeteer of the audience.Â
Concerts and the music artists that we love are at the center of our popular culture. The tours seen over the past couple of decades have been defining memories for thousands of us, creating bonds and shared memories for so many. Each tour or show brings in its own groups of people with key demographics and interests, but regardless of these definable details, love for the movement and the music is shared amongst everyone.Â