“Music made her feel as if she were holding a lamp that cast a halo of light around her, and while she knew there were people and responsibilities in the darkness beyond it, she couldn't see them. The flame of what she felt when she played made her deliciously blind.” – Marie Rutoski, The Winner’s Curse

Blinding lights and ear-shattering screams, colors bleeding from the stage, swaying to the beat, words echoing in your ears. That’s where my home is.

A concert is much like reading a book or stepping into a movie theater: you enter an entirely different world than your own. For two or so hours, you’re immersed in something other than your own thoughts. Maybe you’re staring at your favorite band -rejoicing after hours of driving- since you made that journey just for them. You might have road-tripped with your best friend, screaming song after song as the road whirled by or just drove through your hometown, waiting anxiously to get to the venue.

Even before the music starts, there’s still so much to experience. I still have the numbers of people I have met by just standing in line to get into a venue. Music has the power to unite people. Just take a look around the next time you’re at a concert: you’ll see the crowd singing back lyrics to the stage, whether it’s filled with hundreds or thousands of people. There’s something so chilling about seeing a room full of complete strangers raising their lights up in the air, their sea of cell phones illuminating the stage and seeing your own happiness reflected on the artist’s face and everyone around you.

Last summer, my best friends and I decided to spend one of our last times together at a concert. Throughout the night, we screamed in each other’s faces, marveling at how our favorite band looked in person. It was a blur of happy memories, I was screaming songs that my friends and I had sung all throughout high school as we drove along. I couldn’t even tell what made me happier: being at the concert or being with the people I love.

I’ve had many nights like these, nights lost to music and the chaos of it all, and each and every time I’m so thankful for it. If I could make a living out of watching other people work at what they are passionate about, I’d do it happily. Music captures love and hope, grief and heartbreak, and everything in between. Whether you’re watching a songwriter standing on stage and singing acapella, or bobbing along to your favorite EDM song, I believe there’s some magic in that. You can find happiness in the music blaring through your headphones, and later, if you’re lucky, when you’re standing there, watching the same person perform the song live, don’t forget to savor every moment.