My First Live Concert (Life-Changing Experience)

It was my senior year of high school when I attended what I consider my first live concert. Bullet For My Valentine was headlining a show at the Great Saltair in Magna, Utah. To be honest, I really didn’t care who they were playing with, I was there for them and them alone.

I had met a fellow metal-head on the baseball team and he invited me to come along with him and another headbanger from our small school. Of course, I readily accepted the offer.

My First Live Concert (Life-Changing Experience)

I had no idea at the time but this concert was going to change the course of my life forever. It would lead me into the depths of furthering my passion for musical enhancement via utilizing technologies such as headphones and amplifiers for the dedicated audiophile.

Making The Trip

We loaded up in my friend’s gray Toyota Tacoma after school one day and started the drive to the venue. We blasted Fever and sang along to their latest album at the time. I didn’t know most of the words but was having a great time nonetheless, especially when we put some of their older albums in the Tacoma’s CD player.

 

Side Note From The Past…

Remember when buying a new album at K-Mart or your local record store used to be a thing for the general public? There were times when I had to tell the cashier that I forgot my wallet in the car trying to buy Dr. Dre’s The Chronic, only to leave the store empty-handed because I wasn’t “old enough” to listen to an album with the parental advisory sticker on it. They created a monster and a music fiend.

Back To The Story

Anyways, back to the story. We got there and the line was already wrapping around in a snake formation outside the venue. While waiting, we lit up some Camel Crush”s and anxiously anticipated how amazing the experience already was, and how much better it was about to get.

At The Concert

I got a little nervous when we started nearing the entrance and noticed the security guards doing some light pat-downs. I really had nothing to worry about but I tend to catastrophize possibilities in my head sometimes. After we made it in I scanned the open area and was amazed at how many like-minded people there seemed to be in one place at the same time. Once again, this was my first experience like this, don’t judge me.

The opening band was Arcania and I actually ended up buying one of their shirts after the show. It was too brutal to pass up, plus my two concert companions both purchased Bullet For My Valentine t’s and I didn’t want to be a follower.

The Headliner Steps Onto The Stage

Finally, Bullet stepped onto the stage and started playing. By the second or third song in, Matt Tuck screamed out for the crowd to start a circle pit and soon there were eight pits going at the same time. Eight pits. Madness. Chaos. Ecstasy.

I felt like I had entered an alternate universe of lost souls where it might be possible to feel like a part of something. Something bigger. I felt like I had found heaven on Earth, or hell, depending on your perspective.

My Life Was Never The Same

From then on, my obsession with a variety of musical genres began to progress into an ever-morphing ball of energy that could only be satiated by constantly searching for better music, better equipment, and more frequent goosebumps.

Get Involved and Reignite Your Passion For Music!

One of the best parts of going to a concert is getting a t-shirt or other merch from the band you went to see. Sometimes one of the opening bands will blow you away to the point where you’d rather buy something from them because their performance was so good! 

This has happened to me on multiple occasions and supporting up-and-comers is one of the best ways to keep them going so they can keep making solid albums for us to enjoy. 

This passion, among other reasons, is why I’ve chosen to share my experience exploring the sounds of the universe.

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What Was Your First Concert?

I’d love to hear about your first (or favorite) live concert experience! Was it a good experience? Did it give you an unquenchable thirst for more? Who was the headliner?

Feel free to drop a comment below and share your experience! I always respond as quickly as I can and look forward to hearing from you. 

Sonic Elevation: Ride The Waves.