Students Enjoy Live Music But Recognize the Cons Students Enjoy Live Music But Recognize the Cons

by KAYLIE WU

Within the Menlo community, live music is a popular way for students to connect with one another and simultaneously enjoy their favorite music. However, there are many factors students must consider when purchasing concert tickets, from expensive prices to scheduling around school and homework.

Senior Jack Goler values the various concerts he has attended. “I think it’s especially cool to see older artists’ performances because they’re not going to be able to tour forever,” he said. Contrastingly, senior Max Kinder has never attended a concert, and currently has no future plans of doing so. According to Kinder, he would much rather spend time with his friends in other spaces that align more with his interests.

Similar to Goler, though, freshman Malia Chen remembers her concert experiences fondly, but also understands that going to concerts on school nights is a tricky factor, as it can inhibit her learning. Since concerts are targeted towards more than just young students, they frequently take place on school nights. According to Chen, this can play a big factor in preventing students such as herself from purchasing tickets. “I would go [to a concert] if I really like the artist, but [I would] possibly have regrets when I struggle in school the next day,” Chen said.

Senior Anders Patel is a strong supporter of attending concerts on school nights. In fact, Patel recently saw Steve Lacy live at the Warfield on Thursday, Nov. 3, although he had originally purchased tickets for the Friday, Nov. 4 performance date, which overlapped with Valpo Bowl. “Going on Thursday allowed me to still go to Valpo Bowl,” Patel said. “Concerts on school nights are convenient, because I know I’m not going to be busy doing other things those days.”

Patel also believes that general admission ticketing, rather than reserved seats, makes highly-coveted concerts more affordable. In a concert’s general admission section, attendees are often standing and dancing close together, according to Patel.“Being [in general admission] with a big crowd is so much fun. You’re surrounded and being moshed around, and everyone around you is dancing,” Patel said. “You can hear everyone singing along to the lyrics around you, and being in that vibe is completely different to being in seats. You’re definitely also a lot closer to the artist.”

Adding onto concerts, music festivals are similarly a big part of some Menlo students’ social lives. In August 2022, sophomore Andra Braicu traveled to Romania, where she attended the Untold Festival. Each night, the festival ran from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m., lasting for a total of four days. “The thing I love about concerts is obviously the music, but then also just the vibe of going to one: getting ready for it, meeting new people and so on,” Braicu said. Braicu believes that festivals are especially fun with a big group of friends since the environment is perfectly designed for exploring and enjoying so many different activities. “I definitely want to go again next year,” she said.

Senior Isabel Cordon shares Braicu’s enthusiasm surrounding music festivals. Cordon deems attending Outside Lands, a weekend-long musical festival at San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park, a major highlight of her past two years. Cordon prefers to attend festivals rather than concerts, since she believes they offer much more than solely music. “You can go in and out of the different stages as you please. You’re kind of free to do whatever you want,” Cordon said. “You can go eat food when an artist or song isn’t really your vibe. It’s more of a full-day experience rather than just two hours.” Patel also attended Outside Lands this year and agreed the festival was filled with opportunities: shopping tents, food vendors, activities and three performing artists of different genres at all times.

Cordon also attended the recent Kendrick Lamar concert on Sept. 1 at Oakland Arena, where she saw someone nearby faint in the front row due to dehydration, moments before Lamar took the stage. “The situation was really serious,” Cordon said. “The paramedics came out to ask them a bunch of questions. I could hear everyone around me talking about how worried they were.” Even though watching someone faint will not prevent Cordon from attending concerts in the future, she still believes that it is important for people to understand both the risks of being in mosh pits and the importance of preparing water and other basic necessities in a small bag before arriving at a large venue.