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.
DO THE D.A.N.C.E! (Shows From 2008 – 2019)
- Avril Lavigne — Everything Back But You
- Jonas Brothers — A Little Bit Longer
- Demi Lovato — Don’t Forget/ Tell Me You Love Me
- Hannah Montana (lol) — We Got The Party
- Justice — D.A.N.C.E/ We Are Your Friends
- Chunk! No, Captain Chunk! — We R Who We R
- Our Last Night — Humble
- Woe Is Me — N/A
- William Control — N/A
- Capture The Crown — N/A
- Blood On The Dance Floor — Mosh & Roll !
- Jeffree Star — Legs Up
- Orgy — Blue Monday
- 3OH!3 — PUNKB*TCH
- Big Chocolate — Blue Milk
- Crizzly — FRL
- Yeah Yeah Yeahs (2x) — Countdown
- Keys N Krates — Dum Dee Dum
- Mac Miller (4x) — Frick Park Market
- Flume — Holdin’ On
- ODESZA (2x) — Say My Name/ Sun Models
- Panic! At The Disco (2x) — Build God, Then We’ll Talk
- twenty one pilots (4x) — Ruby/ Migraine
- Best Ex — Lonely Life
- Bonsai Trees (4x) — Lift Off
- Baggage — Flint
- Lorde — Green Light
- Run The Jewels — Jeopardy
- The 1975 — Chocolate
- Flo Rida — Right Round
- TLC — Creep
- Matt & Kim (2x) — I’ll Take Us Home
- Janelle Monae — Django Jane
- Kesha — Backstabber
- Fetty Wap — My Way
- X Ambassadors (2x) — Unsteady
- Outkast — Hey Ya!
- Imagine Dragons — Gold
- Pretty Lights — One Day They’ll Know
- Arctic Monkeys — Do I Wanna Know?
- Weezer — Beverly Hills
- A-Trak — Heads Will Roll Remix
- Girl Talk (2x) — Once Again
- Bad Things — Anybody
- Grouplove — Tongue Tied
- Vance Joy — Riptide
- Local Natives — Wide Eyes
- Jake Bugg — Two Fingers
- Iron & Wine — Boy With A Coin
- Magic Man — Paris
- MisterWives — Our Own House
- Cage The Elephant (2x) — Come A Little Closer
- Hozier — Angel of Small Death and the Codeine Scene
- Elle King (2x) — Shame
- James Bay — Hold Back The River
- Allies — Laid Back
- Kanye West — That Part
- Chance The Rapper — Juice/ Blessings
- Chromeo — Sexy Socialite
- Zhu — Faded
- Grimes — Kill V. Maim
- Metric — Monster Hospital Remix
- Robert Delong (5x) — Happy/ Jealousy
- World’s Fair — 96 Knicks
- J. Cole — She Knows
- Lolawolf — Bitch
- Action Bronson — Actin Crazy
- Purity Ring — Ungirthed
- Thundercat — Them Changes
- M83 — Midnight City
- MGMT — The Handshake
- Tyler, The Creator — Tina/ Sandwiches
- MØ (2x) — Nights With You
- The XX — Crystalised
- Fleet Foxes –– Mykonos
- The Killers — When You Were Young
- Beck — Loser
- Miike Snow — Paddling Out
- Years & Years — King
- Death Grips — No Love
- Justin Timberlake — My Love
- Dave Matthews Band — Ants Marching
- John Mayer — My Stupid Mouth
- AWOLNATION — Sail
- Max Frost — Adderall
- Same Setton — Wine
- Betty Who — Human Touch
- Two Feet — I Feel Like I’m Drowning
- 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.
On this day, we celebrate the late and great 
Jordan Heiden 