I made yet another potentially unwise financial decision a few nights ago. I was on the phone with my best friend Kate when she gasped and exclaimed that she found cheap tickets to the Grand National Tour to see Kendrick Lamar and SZA perform. Though the concert would be in a couple of days, in the middle of finals week, how could I say no? I’ve seen SZA in concert before (and lost my voice like no other concert I had been to), but SZA AND Kendrick?!?! They are on a generational run right now — I need that. There were quite a few issues though. I had already made three similar impulsive decisions in the last six months, so I currently have three other concerts on the docket this summer. I could justify these purchases if I had a solid summer job, but I don’t. I worked hard every weekend of my senior year of high school as a swim instructor and have been spending from those checks, but those funds are rapidly drying up with every new tour announced on my Instagram feed.
I am grateful to have gone to quite a few concerts in my time. Some of my concert escapades have been gifts, but most of them have been saving up those coveted red envelopes I get every year for Lunar New Year. I am not a materialistic person, so I’m not one to make constant clothing or makeup purchases. As an example, one of the two pairs of sneakers I own, my frat sneakers, are Adidas Gold Superstars. I got them in seventh grade, but they still fit, so why discard them? I am someone who prefers spending my money towards experiences, whether it be concerts or museums or other interactive experiences.
There are some people who question the value of concerts (as in my father and sometimes my mother). The cost of the tickets, the cost of merch, the cost of transportation, the cost of food at the venues — it all adds up. Is it really worth it to drop a few hundred dollars on just one night? Not even an entire night, but for two to three hours? Most people would say no, but my answer is yes. There is no greater feeling than being surrounded by hundreds and thousands of fans and singing your favorite songs. It’s the pinnacle of living, to be so immersed in a moment that you get lost in the music and forget about the rest of the world. Everyone comes from different places and has different life experiences, but the fact that everyone is able to put their differences aside, to unite in one moment and embrace the music is so beautiful. That connection and sense of freedom and liberation is what makes life worth living. The euphoric high is like none other.
That is my case for why concerts (or at least that’s how I’m justifying my spontaneous decision to see Kendrick and SZA three days before my final).
Madison Hernandez
General Intern
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