Live music: Good for the experience, the sound and the soul

Flashing white lights dance across the crowded, humid room. Guitars cut through the thick air as the pounding bass drum follows. Bodies float across the crowd, voices sing out in unison and sweaty palms clap in the air.

You’re at a concert. But I can assume you already know this – or I at least hope.

Concerts are the best form of listening to music, no questions asked. Where else can you see your favorite band or artist in the flesh? Listen to their crisp, unaltered vocals? Watch them take the stage and mesmerize the crowd?

Nowhere.

I’ve gone to countless shows and I’ve seen more than 76 different bands and artists. I guess you could say I’m a concert junkie, and my bank account seems to agree. But I can tell you that each of these shows was worth every penny.

To me, music is an escape. An escape from work, school, family, friends and most importantly – reality. Music has helped me through some rough points in life and it has the ability to clear my mind and help set me free. Cliché to say, but it’s true.

You’ll most likely catch me singing and playing along to songs all day. It’s in my blood. Ask my roommates – they’ll tell you how thrilled they are about that.

Live music gives you an experience your iPod can’t live up to. Being able to sing along in the crowd and being in the same vicinity as your favorite band fills you with energy, and there are few distractions. There’s so much to see, hear and feel at a performance – you aren’t glued to your phone screen the entire time.

Seeing a live performance shows you how much hard work and passion is put into the music. It’s easy to forget how much work goes into that sweet riff and catchy melody you listen to on repeat. You gain a deeper appreciation for what these musicians do.

Spending time with friends or family at a show is great bonding experience, too. I will always remember heading down to Detroit for Warped Tour each summer with my best friend. That two-hour drive has always been the most exciting, exhilarating trip. Nothing is better than knowing you’re miles away from a music festival. Those 12-hour days in the hot sun seeing roughly 30 bands will forever be some of my favorite memories.

Live shows can bring all kinds of people together. At a concert, hundreds – even thousands – of different people surround you. People who come from different backgrounds, lifestyles, families, etc. It can be overwhelming at times, but you meet some interesting people along the way.

The coolest part about that? You’re all strangers, able to share one thing in common: your love for music.