When you buy a ticket to a concert or a music festival, there is nothing like the excitement leading up to the big day(s). Planning outfits, starting a countdown and constantly talking about it with the friends that you are going with almost surpass the feeling when you actually get to the venue and the first chords of your favorite songs are being played. Especially at a festival, you are literally surrounded by music. It comes from the amps, the hands that are clapping and the voices of all the people who are there for the exact same reason you are. You can feel the beat reverberate in your chest as you and your friends dance along to the chorus. That is what makes seeing live music so beautiful.

There is a music festival that I have recently been to that encompasses that entire feeling I just described. It is called Music Midtown and it happens every year in Atlanta, Georgia. Like almost everything, the festival started off small and grew into something enormous. The sound of the festival is mainly focused around indie/alternative and all the subgenres that go with that. Artists that performed ranged in fame with smaller names like St. Lucia and Corinne Bailey Rae, to worldwide legends like The Killers and Twenty One Pilots. The festival lasted two days and I don’t think I will forget any of it.

As soon as the plane landed in Georgia, my friends and I knew we were in for an unbelievable weekend. First of all, the city of Atlanta is unlike any east coast city I have ever been to. It might have been infatuation from the excitement of the whole weekend, but even just standing on a balcony at night in the middle of the city was serene. Then the moment arrived when we finally scanned our wristbands and walked through the gates into Piedmont Park. I instantly heard the sounds of City and Colour and immediately gravitated toward that stage, but not before stopping to watch the people at the silent disco that was going on. Everyone seemed so at ease there as if every person in attendance were friends. Among all the braids, drinks and laughs, the best part was that there was no bad music to be heard.

All of the performances were phenomenal in their own way. But the artists that stood out to me were Twenty One Pilots, The Lumineers and the Killers. Twenty One Pilots are just natural showmen. Every time I see them, they add something new to their set that always makes the audience feel even more connected to their music than they already do. Tyler and Josh know how to close a show and will always hold a special place in my heart. Then there was The Lumineers. All I can say is wow. It was my first time seeing them perform live and I was entirely blown away. I hate to admit it, but I got a little emotional hearing them play “Angela”. Their set was fun, but also made you feel every emotion so deeply. Last but certainly not least were The Killers. They closed out the last day of the festival and it was probably the most fun I’ve had dancing in the back of a crowd with some of my closest friends. Getting to hear legendary songs like “Mr. Brightside” and “Spaceman” live was unearthly. It didn’t even matter that we were nowhere near the front of the stage. As long as we were all together, dancing in an open field, we were having the time of our life. Ultimately, the experience of a music festival is what you make of it. But surround yourself with good drink, music and friends, and it will be the best weekend of your life.