Concerts may be better for you than you originally thought. I go to at least 13 concerts every year, which for a broke college student is pretty crazy. When I go to a concert I go into this mental state of relaxation. Now I know you're thinking "how the hell do you feel relaxed at a concert?" Well, let me tell you.
First off, just walking into a venue knowing you're about to see one of your favorite bands in the entire world is one of the best feelings. Knowing that all the people surrounding you are there for the same exact reason you are--to listen to great music and have a good time. Being that the music I listen to is sometimes given a bad reputation, it's neat to be around others who enjoy the music as much as I do. In fact, according to Alternative Press, "Music listening in the presence of others enhances the stress-reducing effect of music."
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Once you're settled on the barricade (because the front row is the best row) its just a matter of time before the lights start to go down, and for about 10 minutes all you hear is the sound of the bands staff tuning instruments and doing a small sound check of microphones. Even this part gets me excited because it gets you all hyped up. Once the lights go down, the sound of a thousand plus voices erupts throughout the venue, and you slowly see the band members walk on stage and pick up their instruments. The opening song is what sets the mood for the rest of the night. Once the lead singer walks onto that stage, you can't tell if it's your heart beating out of your chest or it's just the sound of the bass drum because you're so incredibly close to the speakers. But you don't care because your favorite band is 3 feet away, and you'll be able to see the sweat dripping from their face.
Once the first song begins, the whole audience does this movement where everyone starts swaying back and forth trying to move to the beat of the drums (or just trying to get that front row spot.) This feeling may be uncomfortable, but the outcome of having 1,000+ people surrounding you screaming the lyrics of the song at the top of their lungs is just something special.
The last and probably the most amazing experience in attending a live concert is when the artist starts to sing a song that everyone knows and everyone starts singing along. Everyone sounds so in sync that the singer stops singing and just lets the audience finish the song. It's a moment that you can only experience in person. It will send chills down your spine and give you the feeling that you finally belong somewhere.
All great concerts have to come to an end at some point or another. You had been waiting for what seems like forever to go to this Fall Out Boy concert, and now just like that it's over. Live music changes the way you feel mentally and emotionally. I don't know where I would be today if I didn't listen to live music. It's really something special to see your stress level decrease in a matter of hours all because your favorite artist played that one song that reminded you of a special moment in your life where you became stress free.
