It’s absolutely amazing how an arena or room of people can all feel so united through the power of music. Concerts unite people in a way that I don’t think anything else can. The power of music is strong, and you can meet a lot of fascinating people through this day or couple-of-hour union. This my list of some of the most memorable people you see or run into at concerts.

1. The Extreme Fanatic

This is the person who you see everywhere because they go to almost every concert. Not only are they always there, they’re also always in the front row. It makes you wonder how they can afford this and how damaged their hearing is. You envy these people, but they usually turn out to be some of the coolest people there. They just love music and want a good time. The best thing is when you run into the same one at three different concerts and you get on a first-name basis. Shout out to Maria!

2. The Fan Girl

Not to be confused with the Extreme Fanatic. These people are not the coolest people there, but they are likely to be the most annoying. The high-pitched screaming, posters, and near-fainting is a little too much for me. I understand it and, heck, sometimes I even do it, but try to hold it together at least a little bit.

3. The Tall Guy Who Won’t Stand Still

I’m not the tallest person out there, so this person is particularly annoying to me. I understand that you’re tall and that you can’t really help it. But I wish you would just stay in one spot. When you move, literally everyone behind you has to move too. There is then a shift in the whole entire crowd that never ends because you won’t stand still. The best moment ever is when you move all the way out of my field of view.

4. The Lovebirds

I understand that you may be in love, and I respect that. That’s great, and you have every right to be happy, but not in public. A kiss here and there is fine, I’m talking about the people who suck face or are just plain on top of each other all night. It makes literally everything and everyone around you awkward.

5. The D-Bag

Shout out to the dude in the blue shirt at Summerfest. This jerk spent the whole concert creating a huge distraction because he wouldn’t let anyone stand behind him and his group. It’s a concert; you’re going to get close to people. I almost fought you, and you’re lucky I wasn’t willing to get kicked out of there after standing for 10 hours.

6. The Stoner

The drug rugs chilling in the corner who are not fully present but seem to be in the best form of Zen there is out there. Keep doing you man.

7. The Loner

This person kind of just drifts through the crowd, always looking for their “friends,” but in reality you’re wondering if they even came with anyone else.

8. The Why Am I Here?

You don’t know anything about this band. You maybe know the chorus to two songs. I would say rock on, but you look like you aren’t even enjoying yourself. It’s very apparent that your girlfriend made you come.

9. The Obscenely Drunk Bros

The screaming and spilling are just the beginning for these guys. Once the party really gets started, they're all over the place falling on everyone. I love to be covered by beer and sweat, thanks!

10. The Lucky One

This is unfortunately never me. This refers to the person that touches a band member's hand, or if
truly blessed, the person that gets pulled on stage. If this is you, you will forever be envied by everyone in the audience.

11. The 12-Year-Olds

I went to see Misterwives about a week ago in Milwaukee and 75 percent of the crowd was under the age of 18, with a large portion of that being middle schoolers. There’s no way I would have been able to go there when I was their age. It went to way past my bedtime. I had to leave home and go to college in order to be able to even consider going to a concert on a weeknight as an option. Oh, how the times have changed. The only good part about this is that they haven’t quite hit the growth spurt yet, and I can actually see over them.

12. The Dad of the 12-Year-Olds

This is my personal favorite. He’ll drop them off and then disappear out of sight so as to let them think that they have freedom, but in reality he is watching every move they make from a hidden location. They’re happy because they have the false feeling of independence, and he’s happy because he has a constant watch on all of them. He also always tries to blend in, and often comes up a little short, but still, “A” for effort! You go Dad!

You meet some cool cats at concerts, but you can also meet some questionable characters as well. Truth is, you know the coolest people there are you and the people you came with, so props for bringing the house down night after night.