Music concerts are always an abundance of fun and burst with exciting energy regardless of genre. It’s a place where you can freely express yourself and feel the groove of your favorite songs. It’s revitalizing and refreshing, especially if you love music! Personally, though, I enjoy a wide range of genres. One of my favorites is Korean popular music, otherwise known as K-Pop. K-Pop consists of a variety of unique sounds and vocals, and there is truly a song and an artist for everyone.
A photo of the Korean boy group Stray Kids from JYP Entertainment
Three years ago, I attended my first music concert for the K-Pop group Stray Kids. Although the concert experience was incredible, buying tickets was a hassle. There was a limited number of seats for the abundance of people who wanted to attend the concert. When the tickets first went on sale, I rushed to try and secure one, but unfortunately, they sold out in just a matter of seconds. It was only until another tour date was added that I was finally able to buy a ticket and look forward to a memorable experience.
That morning, I had to attend school for what seemed like the longest six hours of my life before I was able to travel to the grand venue, the New Jersey Performing Arts Center, where the concert would take place. Since I lived in New York, it was a relatively short car ride to New Jersey, and it felt even shorter due to my sheer excitement and anticipation. It would be my first concert experience, and I’d heard countless stories about attending one, so naturally, my expectations were very high.
A Stray Kids light stick that fans wave at concerts
Arriving at the venue, I was greeted with thousands of Stray Kids fans that appeared to be just as shocked as I was and dressed in fashionable, stylish clothing. The magnificent venue was larger than I had expected. There were four floors of seats and the stage was lit with grand beams of light that flickered in various colors. Fans occupied every seat in the venue and showed their passion and excitement by buying merchandise like Stray Kids t-shirts, posters, and light sticks which they joyously waved in anticipation for the performance.
When the concert began, I was in absolute disbelief. The music blasted through what seemed like hundreds of enormous speakers. The bright, dazzling lights of the venue shone upon each member of Stray Kids that danced in sync and sang beautifully. In addition, the sea of fans screeched and sang along at the top of their lungs. The energy radiating through the atmosphere of the concert was truly exceptional and reinvigorating. Especially for the more EDM-type songs, fans cheerfully danced along with the group’s every move. This concert was truly unforgettable and helped me relieve my accumulated stress, replacing it with a newfound, exuberant energy. I attended this concert in 2019, and three years later, I still remember this spectacular experience as if it happened yesterday. I hope to attend another concert soon and experience more unforgettable moments!
Discussion Questions:
Have you ever attended a music concert? If so, what was that experience like?
Do you enjoy listening to music? If so, what kind of genres are your favorite?
Do you enjoy dancing or singing along to music?
Vocabulary:
Concert: a performance given by musicians or singers
Abundance: a large quantity of something
Genre: a particular type of art, writing, music etc., which has certain features that all examples of this type share
Revitalizing: to put new strength or power into something
Incredible: extremely good, large, or great
Hassle: something that is annoying, because it causes problems or is difficult to do
Limited: not very great in amount, number, ability etc.
Venue: a place where an organized meeting, concert etc. takes place
Expectations: a strong belief that something will happen or be the case in the future
Magnificent: very good or beautiful, and very impressive
Merchandise: goods that are being sold
Disbelief: a feeling that something is not true or does not exist
Reinvigorating: give new energy or strength to
EDM: electronic dance music
Exuberant: happy and full of energy and excitement
