At the concert I attended last week with my younger sibling, who is more of a Halsey fan than me, I refrained from videotaping or capturing pictures of the event. Instead I wanted to live in the moment and remember it as I experienced it instead of through the recording and images off of my tiny iPhone screen.

There were, however, a few exceptions to my “living in the moment” philosophy. I had to take a picture of the stage because I loved the simplistic yet unique set designed for the performance and I had to take a short video for my sister.

Nonetheless, I experienced the concert technology-free and full of mixed emotions.

Concerts were never an idea I learned to grow up with. My parents solely expressed their enthusiasm for artist by listening to their songs and therefore concerts never occurred to me as places I could go to and heartily enjoy.

By the time my adolescent mind wanted to hear the euphonious, mellifluent melodies in real life and began craving to go to concerts, I was constrained and always had to refrain from looking for tours. I knew my parents would never let me go alone and I had no older sibling to drag along as my guardian.

Before last week’s concert, I have gone to two concerts and one festival, and multiple very undersized local band concerts in the past.

For the two concerts, I had accompanied a really good friend to see her favorite single artists at the time. I was excited to have had the opportunity to go to a concert, however I can not say I was at all as hyped as my friend. I knew very little of the artist playing and I frankly was not all too ecstatic about seeing someone I had no interest in perform. Although, seeing someone perform live for the first time is definitely worthwhile regardless of the circumstances.

As for the festival I attended, I loved the different vibe I received: it was more open and lively than the previous concerts I had attended. I mostly saw bands I was not full-fledge-fans of, but nonetheless the experience of seeing them was wicked fun and unforgettable.

The concert I attended last week changed the way I perceive concerts now.

The artist was astonishing, the performance breathtaking, and the set and lights so unique, I fell in love with everything the second she began to perform. Most importantly, the message she left behind to her fans tugged at my heartstrings immediately: “I want you to be who you are at my concerts”.

Those words were what I really needed to hear. And for the next two minutes I felt content with myself and my life. It was a form of escapism.

I felt welcomed. I felt loved. I also felt like I did not have to hide certain parts of myself for fear of their judgmental thoughts and harassing looks, and I am certain the whole venue felt the same way.

I felt so at ease and happy I ironically tried to pretend I was just letting my insecurity attach itself to her words as a safety measure.

I loved Halsey’s concert because it was splendid and memorable, but also because she is so sweet and loving towards her fans and her career. It was very evident through her performance and the words she expressed to us.

I am also grateful my sister made me wait three hours after the show to meet her. Meeting Halsey only solidified the message she left ringing in my head and completed the night perfectly.

I want to thank Halsey for helping me understand that I need to stop hiding parts of who I am from certain people, because in the long run that only negatively affects me.