Taylor’s 2023 Concert Rundown

From February to October, I attended five concerts and one weekend-long music festival this year. While I might’ve drained my bank account buying all of these tickets (and the merch made for each singer and band), I’d say this is one of the rare occasions money bought my happiness. As the year nears its end, and I don’t plan on attending any more concerts before 2024, I thought I’d reflect on my experience at each concert, considering the highs and lows of live music performances.

February- Eleri Ward

I visited the Kennedy Center’s Studio K in February to see Eleri Ward. I hadn’t heard much of her music before the concert, but I knew much of her repertoire consisted of reinterpretations of classic Steven Sondheim pieces. The venue differed from the concerts I’d attended before, as it was a smaller, sit-down arena. I sat in the balcony section, but the audience on the floor gathered in an arrangement that almost resembled a restaurant, with Eleri’s stage in front of them. 

The most exciting part of this concert was how Ward created mashups of specific arrangements she sang. While it took away some parts of the songs I was most interested in hearing, it was a creative way for Ward to show her musical vocabulary and range while appealing to various types of fans in her audience. My favorite part of the concert was when she sang her arrangement of “Johanna,” as that song was my chosen piece for my required Tri-M monthly performance during junior year. 

Rating: 7/10

April- Bikini Kill

April was a total genre 360. Every concert I’d been to before fit into the indie and alternative genres of music, but this was a proper rock concert. Bikini Kill’s peak might have been in the 90s, but they were just as enthusiastic at the Fillmore this year in Silver Spring as they were thirty years ago.

After introducing me to the band, my cousin invited me to this concert, noting their musical presence in the movie Moxie. I found it interesting to see how diverse the crowd was at this concert, as older and younger fans danced and sang together. I loved the messages the singers and band members gave regarding feminism and politics, and overall, I thought this was an exciting concert for all generations.

Rating: 8/10

June- Paramore and Boygenius

June was my favorite month regarding music. I’ve been a HUGE fan of Paramore for several years, and even though I haven’t listened to Boygenius for as long, they’ve quickly grown to the top of my listening charts, according to Stats for Spotify. What made this month even better? These concerts were just two weeks apart, so I had a fun and exciting end to my junior year.

I saw Paramore at Capital One Arena on June 2, and even though I had nosebleeds (and by nosebleeds, I mean RIGHT up against the very back wall of the stadium), I had the time of my life. The band started with a few songs from their newest album, This is Why, then they played classics like “Hard Times” and “Ain’t it Fun.” For those who haven’t listened to Paramore or seen videos from their concerts, the band brings up audience members to sing “Misery Business” at every concert. After scanning the crowd, lead singer Hayley Williams brought up a young girl who traveled from Dubai to attend the concert. She also brought on Congressman Maxwell Frost as a surprise, the first member of Gen Z elected to Congress. Overall, this concert was a dream come true for me, and I hope to see Paramore perform again.

Openers: Bloc Party, Genesis Owusu

Rating: 9/10

Two weeks later, I saw Boygenius at the Merriweather Post Pavilion as a part of the Re: SET concert series, marking the first outdoor venue I’d been to and the longest I’d waited in a general admission line. I arrived at 10 A.M. and didn’t leave until 10 P.M. Clairo was one of three openers for this show, a pleasant add-on for a long-time Clairo fan like myself. One unique thing I liked about this concert is that the band acknowledged the native tribes that once lived on the land hundreds of years before the venue’s construction. Boygenius had a guest come up on stage to talk a little bit about the history of the land, and I thought it was a considerate way to recognize a historic local event that often gets overlooked or skipped in one’s education. 

Openers: Clairo, Dijon, Bartees Strange

Rating: 10/10

August- Iron Blossom Music Festival

Was it a great idea to go to a two-day music festival 2.5 hours away the weekend before the first day of my senior year? Maybe not. But was it the most exciting and enjoyable thing I did this year? Absolutely! 

While I discovered about a dozen new singers and bands, the artists I was most excited to watch were Hozier, Noah Kahan, Faye Webster, and Lord Huron. Despite being squished like sardines between thousands of people in the burning sun, I had some of the best moments in concerts that weekend, and in December, I’m STILL talking about the “Work Song” collab performance with Hozier and Noah Kahan.

Day 1

I walked into the Bon Secours Training Center with my friend at 12 on Saturday, an hour before the first group appeared on stage. That is, on the left side stage. Since this was a larger music festival, there were two stages set right next to each other, to not waste time in between performances with carrying equipment and setting or packing things up.

I spent most of the day under huge tents on the lawn, either sitting down, buying food from trucks, or perusing all of the craft stands filled with small local businesses. My most prized possession from that day was a keychain stating “Hot Girls Hit Curbs,” and it’s still clipped onto my keys. 

I headed up closer to the stage about an hour before Faye Webster performed, so that I could get a better view. One con to this event was how sweaty and hard to breathe it was in the middle of this ginormous group of people. A few concertgoers had to be escorted out due to fainting or feeling sick. Thankfully, most of the artists paused their performances so that these people could get help.

Faye gave a wonderful performance, singing hits like “Right Side of My Neck” and “Kingston.” I felt like she sounded different than most of her recordings, but in a way that gave her songs more personality and flair. Next up was Lord Huron, and even though the only song I knew from him was “The Night We Met,” I was excited to see what else he had to offer. I found it interesting that one of his classic concert features included him wearing a skeleton mask and a cowboy hat, and then performing a few hits in the costume. I had turned around to help my friend get something from her bag, so you can imagine my surprise when I turned around and saw his mask.

Just after the sunset, Noah Kahan came on stage to close out the first night of Iron Blossom. My friend was a bigger fan of Noah than I was, but this concert definitely convinced me, and now I listen to him just about every time I get in my car. His songs went back and forth from upbeat and dance-worthy to slow and sad, but each one depicted vulnerable experiences from Kahan’s life and his struggle with his mental health. Not to mention what a character he is on stage. He mentioned anecdotes, told jokes between each song, and had me laughing and crying the entire time. He was one of the most pleasant artists to watch, both while he sang and while he spoke.

All Artists: Noah Kahan, Celisse, Lord Huron, Colony House, Faye Webster, Trousdale, Devon Gilfillian, Josiah & The Bonnevilles, Rayland Baxter, Briscoe, Mipso

Rating: 9/10

Day 2

It rained for the first half of Sunday, which made the lawn cooler and more pleasant to sit and wait for groups to perform. This was the day I was the most excited for, as Hozier was closing out the festival. I spent most of this day eating and relaxing on the lawn, covered in a neon green poncho to avoid the dreary weather. It was nice to have a more chill day after Saturday’s adventures in the heat. I might’ve napped on the turf lawn for a few minutes to catch up on rest ahead of the first day of school…but that’s between me and the other concertgoers. 

Like Saturday, I moved up to the pit later in the afternoon so I could have a nice spot to watch Hozier later. Elle King started performing shortly after, and although I only knew her name from the 2015 hit “Ex’s and Oh’s,” her set was entertaining and engaging with the audience. A significant portion of her remarks and songs weren’t child-friendly, though, so I giggled at the young boy and his mother two people in front of me as she covered his ears for parts of the performance.

Next was the artist I’d been waiting for all weekend: Hozier. After years of waiting for him to release his album “Unreal Unearth” and streaming his debut album on repeat, I was practically jumping with joy when he finally walked on stage. He started with his hit “Eat Your Young” from his EP released in March, then flipped back and forth from his three albums, singing fan favorites and newer tracks. I got to hear almost every song I had been hoping for, but I’m still salty that “Like Real People Do” didn’t make the setlist.

The highlight of the entire weekend was when Hozier brought Noah Kahan (Saturday’s headliner) on stage with him to sing a duet of “Work Song.” Hearing a long-time favorite and a newly discovered artist singing one of my favorite songs together was such a magical moment, and I frequently go back to watch my clip of the song. Given that this was the first time they sang this together for an audience, and the fact that they haven’t done so since then, I feel like I got to witness a once-in-a-lifetime, iconic performance that night. Seeing over a dozen newer singers and favorites of mine certainly made up for the exhaustion I had the next morning at Senior Sunrise.

All Artists: Hozier, Nikki Lane, Elle King, Son Little, Neal Francis, Matthew E. White, The Heavy Heavy, Amythyst Kiah, Danielle Ponder, Angelica Garcia, The Legendary Ingramettes

Rating: 10/10

October- TV Girl

We wrap up the year with a small, intimate arena filled with bright lights and unusual beats. Like Clairo and Paramore, I’ve been a fan of TV Girl for quite some time, so when my cousin asked me to come with her, there was no way I could say no. Driving in the heat and Baltimore rush-hour traffic wasn’t the best pregame for this concert, but given how cool the concert turned out to be (literally; the venue was freezing compared to outside), I’m forever grateful I’m the one my cousin decided to invite.

The lead singer, Brad Petering, and his band played a few songs from their more recent, less-known albums, but mostly songs that had blown up in popularity in the last three years, thanks to Tiktok. Some of my favorites included “Birds Don’t Sing,” “Hate Yourself,” and “Taking What’s Not Yours.” The audience at the Baltimore Sound Stage was the most engaging out of all the shows I’ve been to, as everyone sang along to the beginning of “Not Allowed,” and collectively got tricked into singing the wrong words. TV Girl ended the show with “Lovers Rock,” which is arguably their most popular song, after leaving and coming back on stage for an encore. My voice was completely gone the next morning, and in every video, you can hear me screaming every lyric.

Opener: Pearl & The Oysters

Rating: 10/10

I’m so thankful I was able to see so many of my favorite singers and bands this year, as well as discover new groups to add to my playlists and expand my taste. I hope that in 2024, I get the opportunity to see even more breathtaking performances and break my bank account once more.