On Wednesday night, I went to see the genre leaping band Twenty One Pilots at their sold out show at Madison Square Garden. I cried, screamed and sang every word at the top of my lungs. By the end of the night, my throat felt raw, my legs ached and I couldn’t feel the bottoms of my feet. The next night, I went to see them again at their second show at Madison Square Garden. This would be the third time I saw them on this tour, aptly named the Emotional Roadshow, and the fifth time seeing them live since discovering their unique music in 2013.
My parents and friends were perplexed. Why see one band so many times? Wouldn’t you get tired of seeing the same people perform the same songs? Isn’t one time enough? For me, no.
I love seeing the same band multiple times. It feels like going to see old friends. My friend Tim has seen the Goo Goo Dolls five times. Why? He says, “I always know what I’m getting.” I know how they sing certain songs live. I know which notes they accentuate and which parts they don’t sing at all in favor of the crowd singing it for them. I know what the song sounds like acoustically and a capella I know when that deceivingly slow introduction is building into the loudest song of the night. I know when everyone is going to start crying and I know when the pit is going to open up. “The more you see a band, the more exciting it is…you anticipate the atmosphere.” It’s a familiar feeling that definitely earns the “home away from home” title at some points.
Even though there is a lot of familiarity with the experience, each show is different. You’ll never sit next to the same person or have the exact same view. Each crowd has a different vibe. Some are quieter or rowdier or do different things that pull unique reactions from the band. Throw something on stage, conduct a project for the crowd to do, go crowd surfing and that show is now unique from all the other ones you’ve seen. Another friend of mine, has seen All Time Low several times and recalls all the unique inside jokes that are formed at each show. Noor talks about the time that “The tour manager Bryan came out onstage to set stuff up, someone called him Jerry and it stuck with him the entire night. Now that entire crowd refers to him as Jerry. It's little memories like these that I remember most at shows. The bands might sing the same song a thousand different times but everything else surrounding those same songs are so different that it's impossible to get bored seeing or hearing them multiple times.”
In addition to the differences at shows, bands have different opening acts on different tours. Besides the main band touring new material, their openers provide a chance to hear new music or see a band that you love but haven’t been able to see yet. A fellow concertgoer says, “Mostly it's the lineup for me. Sometimes the opener is a favorite band of mine who I've never seen or only seen a few times so it's worth it to go. I see The Wonder Years a lot because they always perform well and tour with great bands.”
There’s also the atmosphere of a concert in general. It’s incredible to hear a group of people coming together for one thing. Whether it’s 400 people or 40,000, “the group therapy aspect of everyone singing along” is one that never gets old. Especially if you’re going to a smaller band’s show, it’s exciting to see how many people in your area actually listen to them. If you see a band multiple times, a lot of the same fans will show up. You get “a chance to see a bunch of your show friends that you haven't seen for a while sometimes.” You make new friends at each show, but are also able to see people that you’ve met before. The sense of community that concerts create is partly brought on by the connections you make with the people there. And there are always new people. You always know you’re in for an incredible night of live music. You know as soon as they announce the next show near you, you’ll buy a ticket. Why wouldn’t you?
Don’t just take my word for it. All the quotes in this are taken from various concertgoers’ experiences. Those quotes that are not credited come from people who wished to remain anonymous.
