I grew up listening to a genre of music that most people were either afraid of or looked down upon. Nothing made me happier than going to a live show with a thousand other people who also were not afraid to support a genre that most people still do not understand the power of.
That’s why when I turned 18 I had no problem with buying a pass to Firefly music festival without knowing a single person going.
Back where I’m from everyone either worshiped pop superstars, big-name country singers, or up-and-coming rappers. And there was nothing wrong with that but I just never really fit in with what the people my age were listening to.
Nine out of ten times I ended up going to a concert by myself when I was in high school. I had the same routine every time; get there around 8 a.m., lay out my chair and blanket, take a nap, and eventually put on makeup and go to the show. My favorite part about the day though? I would make so many new friends that I still talk to this day. In less than seven or eight hours I would learn almost everything about my new concert friends, and we’d even start planning which shows we should go together to next. I know the same thing is going to happen to me once I get to Dover this summer.
A lot of people (including my parents) have asked me if I feel like I’ll be safe by myself for that weekend. In the past few years, there have been quite a few tragic events that have led to people questioning how safe concerts and festivals really are. But something I strongly believe in is that you can’t let the bad guys win. If I were to not go to Firefly or any of the other festivals I have tickets for this summer because I was scared of a theoretical situation than I would be letting the bad guys win.
I know I’m going to meet so many amazing people through the festival environment just like I have at the smaller shows I go to regularly. I mean, I’ve already found my camping group thanks to good ole’ Twitter. And I know that, as long as I just stay aware of my surroundings, I’ll be safe and come out of the weekend with the only injuries to be those that I got in the pit.