I’ve been working hard to beat the winter blues with loads of indie, rock, and EDM shows. My calendar is a true testament to the many late nights and pulled muscles I’ve endured these past few weeks. I haven’t gotten much sleep, but all of this got me thinking, how many shows have I actually seen and heard in this lifetime? (And dang, how much money have I spent?) Music is special to just about everyone, but I never quite realized how much it meant to me until I sat down and reflected on the past 11 years.

As the artist CSS once so repetitively stated, music is my dead end, music is my imaginary friend. The great thing about music is it can hold you when you need to cry, it can be your punching bag, and it can set your soul on fire. It knows you better than you know yourself and can reveal more “ah-ha” moments than your therapist ever could. Music is everything.

In 2008, I saw Avril Lavigne perform at the Mohegan Sun Arena. I was the ripe age of 14 and this was the first time I stepped foot inside a venue. I was instantly hooked. There was something deeply intimate and special about being at a live show. From the bass reverberating up through my spine to the hot, sweaty mess of a pit I shared with several hundred strangers, every set served as a baptism. I had found my religion, my faith.

In an effort to fully appreciate all that music has done for me, I’ve compiled a list of every concert I can remember attending (mostly in order). Each one providing me with a special, vivid memory that I continue to cherish. With each line item, I’ve also listed my favorite song, in case you feel like listening.

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DO THE D.A.N.C.E! (Shows From 2008 – 2019) 

1. Avril Lavigne — Everything Back But You
2. Jonas Brothers — A Little Bit Longer
3. Demi Lovato — Don’t Forget/ Tell Me You Love Me
4. Hannah Montana (lol) — We Got The Party
5. Justice — D.A.N.C.E/ We Are Your Friends
6. Chunk! No, Captain Chunk! — We R Who We R
7. Our Last Night — Humble
8. Woe Is Me — N/A
9. William Control — N/A
10. Capture The Crown — N/A
11. Blood On The Dance Floor — Mosh & Roll !
12. Jeffree Star — Legs Up
13. Orgy — Blue Monday
14. 3OH!3 — PUNKB*TCH
15. Big Chocolate — Blue Milk
16. Crizzly — FRL
17. Yeah Yeah Yeahs (2x) — Countdown
18. Keys N Krates — Dum Dee Dum
19. Mac Miller (4x) — Frick Park Market
20. Flume — Holdin’ On
21. ODESZA (2x) — Say My Name/ Sun Models
22. Panic! At The Disco (2x) — Build God, Then We’ll Talk
23. twenty one pilots (4x) — Ruby/ Migraine
24. Best Ex — Lonely Life
25. Bonsai Trees (4x) — Lift Off
26. Baggage — Flint
27. Lorde — Green Light
28. Run The Jewels — Jeopardy
29. The 1975 — Chocolate
30. Flo Rida — Right Round
31. TLC — Creep
32. Matt & Kim (2x) — I’ll Take Us Home
33. Janelle Monae — Django Jane
34. Kesha — Backstabber
35. Fetty Wap — My Way
36. X Ambassadors (2x) — Unsteady
37. Outkast — Hey Ya!
38. Imagine Dragons — Gold
39. Pretty Lights — One Day They’ll Know
40. Arctic Monkeys — Do I Wanna Know?
41. Weezer — Beverly Hills
42. A-Trak — Heads Will Roll Remix
43. Girl Talk (2x) — Once Again
44. Bad Things — Anybody
45. Grouplove — Tongue Tied
46. Vance Joy — Riptide
47. Local Natives — Wide Eyes
48. Jake Bugg — Two Fingers
49. Iron & Wine — Boy With A Coin
50. Magic Man — Paris
51. MisterWives — Our Own House
52. Cage The Elephant (2x) — Come A Little Closer
53. Hozier — Angel of Small Death and the Codeine Scene
54. Elle King (2x) — Shame
55. James Bay — Hold Back The River
56. Allies — Laid Back
57. Kanye West — That Part
58. Chance The Rapper — Juice/ Blessings
59. Chromeo — Sexy Socialite
60. Zhu — Faded
61. Grimes — Kill V. Maim
62. Metric — Monster Hospital Remix
63. Robert Delong (5x) — Happy/ Jealousy
64. World’s Fair — 96 Knicks
65. J. Cole — She Knows
66. Lolawolf — Bitch
67. Action Bronson — Actin Crazy
68. Purity Ring — Ungirthed
69. Thundercat — Them Changes
70. M83 — Midnight City
71. MGMT — The Handshake
72. Tyler, The Creator — Tina/ Sandwiches
73. MØ (2x) — Nights With You
74. The XX — Crystalised
75. Fleet Foxes –– Mykonos
76. The Killers — When You Were Young
77. Beck — Loser
78. Miike Snow — Paddling Out
79. Years & Years — King
80. Death Grips — No Love
81. Justin Timberlake — My Love
82. Dave Matthews Band — Ants Marching
83. John Mayer — My Stupid Mouth
84. AWOLNATION — Sail
85. Max Frost — Adderall
86. Same Setton — Wine
87. Betty Who — Human Touch
88. Two Feet — I Feel Like I’m Drowning
89. Phony Ppl — Before You Get A Boyfriend

(Spotify playlist HERE!)

Festivals include: Warped Tour 2013, Firefly 2014, Meadows 2016, Governor’s Ball 2016, Panorama 2017, Panorama 2018.

With 89 first-time shows and 22 repeat shows, I’ve had about 111 opportunities to damage my eardrums, and let’s be honest, I probably have. But it was all worth it. I’m so grateful for the artists who bring me to another realm, where nothing gets between me and my bass. This music will live on forever, no matter what, which reminds me…

Happy Belated Birthday, Mac Miller. We love and miss you dearly. You surely made this world a better place.