Concerts have been fascinating to me since I was thirteen years old. They’re such once-in-a-lifetime opportunities and so memorable. I love everything about them, from the anticipation of the day, picking out a perfect outfit, the bundle of nerves and excitement on the day, discovering new artists from the openers, to finally hearing the artist and relishing in the moment. Everything about concerts is so exciting and enjoyable, it doesn’t matter to me how old I get, I can see myself always loving concerts and trying to go to them. In part one of this two-part series, I ranked my bottom three out of the six concerts I have been to in my life. Now, in part two, I am going to be ranking and discussing my top three concerts.
The third overall ranking is Tyler, The Creator’s Call Me If You Get Lost Tour. This was my first introduction back into concerts after not having been to one since the Bruno Mars concert. It was an amazing experience. I have been a fan of Tyler, The Creator for so many years, and getting to see him live was like a dream come true. Most concerts have at least one opener before the main act. Tyler had three on this tour. I thought it was a little much, but I was also impatient to see him. Despite this, his openers were so good. I got introduced to Vince Staples and got to see Kali Uchis live as an opener. But the main act, Tyler, was on top. He played so many amazing songs from many of his albums with a fun interactive stage that was like a house, a boat that took him across the pit from the main stage to a smaller stage further down that looked like a little field where he performed songs like “See You Again.” It was just so interactive and energetic. Getting to experience it with three of my cousins made it even better because now it’s a shared memory of a great night.
In second place is Conan Gray’s Found Heaven Tour. Now, I bought my tickets to Conan Gray impulsively and did not know who I was gonna go with. It wasn’t until the day before that I found someone to go with. So that was a lot of stress, but the actual concert made it worth it. I have adored Conan Gray since 2021. There has always been something about his songs that I love with my whole heart. His concert was a beautiful experience. Beautiful is the best way I can describe it. From his outfit, his star-themed stage, his voice, and the lighting effects, it was all just captivating. This concert wasn’t as energetic as some others, where you’re jumping around and dancing, but it was a lot more personal and intimate to me. It was the way his songs like “Family Line” can be songs that his audience can relate to and feel deeply that makes it an intimate experience, because you and thousands of people get to relish hearing it live. It was just a concert that made my heart happy and was worth every penny I spent.
My first overall, deservedly so: Tyler, The Creator’s Chromakopia Tour. I might be a little biased because this is the most recent concert I’ve been to, but it was an amazing show. In the days leading up to the concert, I did not have tickets, and I was distraught over it. I was being very dramatic over the fact that I was not going to be able to go, but hey, I was very upset. Then, on the day of around 2 pm, I got a call from my cousin, and I ignored the call. She called again, so I answered, and I was surprised as she told me we were going to the concert later that night. The unexpectedness gives the experience extra points because it was fun to frantically pick out an outfit before rushing away to Portland, just us two. He had two openers this time, one of them being Lil Yacht. Hearing him play songs like “Broccoli” from 2016 was nostalgic and something I thought I would never hear. Tyler, The Creator, knows how to put on a show. He starts his concerts off always with a dramatic entrance and songs that get the crowd into the mood for the concert. His Chromakopia costume, along with the green theme and lights, really highlights the album and brings you into it. I love the way he interacts with the audience with little speeches before some songs, telling us he loves Portland even though we have weird people, and not to forget how he threw money into the crowd from a bridge during “Sticky.” He would switch from album to album by having a small record player on his smaller second stage, and he would dig through a crate and pick his different album vinyls and put them on before singing a song from said album. The overall concert was just so amazingly put together, he knows how to get his audience hooked and how to have fun. It was about two hours of just jumping, dancing, screaming, and pure enjoyment.
