By: Caroline Burkhart//
Life is all about relationships. The relationships that you have with those around you and the people you meet day-to-day make a huge impact on your entire life. There are so many different ways to meet people, whether it be through school, a job, extracurricular sports, a book club…the possibilities are endless!
One place that many people wouldn’t normally think to meet new people is at a concert. For many concertgoers, they’re just there to see the artist and listen to a few of their favorite songs. So, why do the people sitting around them matter?
What many people fail to consider is that just about everyone who arrives at a concert shares one huge interest in common. Sharing a favorite artist, song, or album is an amazing foundation for what could be a lifelong friendship.
When you see your favorite artist in concert more than once, you tend to see the same people at each show in your area. Over time, you’re able to develop a one of a kind relationship because of a common bond over the music. There’s nothing I love more than chatting with the people who are sitting next to me at a concert and finding out the reasons why they’re there. Some of these small interactions have led me to the most incredible people and everlasting relationships.
Through concerts alone I’ve made friends from all over the United States. From Rhode Island to Florida, the people I’ve met are ones that I’ll never forget because each has their own story about how we met and at what concert. I actually met one of my best friends in the meet-and-greet line for Demi Lovato in Hershey, Pennsylvania back in 2012. She now lives just a town over from me and we just went to see Demi together again last month!
She and I met because of our mutual love for Demi, but through our friendship we have learned that we both love Disney and have a real passion for advocating about mental health. Many friendships can start because of an artist, but they grow stronger because of a variety of other similar interests that come out over time.
I think that what ultimately makes concert bonds so strong is the music. If the lyrics mean so much to you and they also mean that much to someone else, you automatically have a special bond with that person. You understand them because they connect to the words in a similar way as you do. The energy you feel at a concert is unlike anything else because the audience is somehow connected on a level that you can’t just find anywhere else.
One of my personal favorite things to witness at a show is when someone gets emotional and the person next to them offers their support. Whether they know them are not, this gesture always solidifies the reasons why I love going to concerts. The very human interactions that take place while your favorite artist performs right in front of you is exactly why music means so much to me. I would advise that the next time you go to concert, make an effort to get to know the people around you. That’s how I’ve made some of my absolute best friends, and I know that you can meet some incredible people too!
