Why I love concerts?

What is it about live music that makes a concert feel like much more than a performance? For Dr. Maithili Rajendra, it is the anticipation, the friendships, the chaos, the travel, the shared excitement, and that unmistakable feeling of being part of a crowd that loves the same music. From negotiating her first concert with her parents to discovering cities, public transport and unexpected friendships along the way, concerts have become a space for joy, independence and connection. Her story also touches on the changing culture around live music in India, from the growing popularity of concerts to rising ticket prices, and asks us to hold on to what makes live music special in the first place: the experience of coming together.

Someone on Instagram once said they used to love going to Sunday church but when they went to a One Direction concert they realised they just like live music.

Similarly, concerts are my sort of reward where I get to have double the fun. There’s something about live music- when people come together to celebrate an art form that transcends cultures and all sorts of biases. The first concert I (actively) went to was The Vamps in a small arena in my city. In a country where only playback singers existed and live music was confined to bars and cafes, having a boy band visit was INSANE.

Unfortunately I had my 10th grade preliminary exams which are obviously a huge deal. But I begged my parents and everyone involved in my life to make this happen. Because this band opened for one direction back in the day, they were the closest I could get to 1D (biggest thing to happen to a 15 year old). The Vamps were amazing - best first concert anyone could ask for.

My parents and my sister pay a huge role in my concert going. Apart from being live music enthusiasts themselves, they are very open to new experiences and learning through them. My parents almost always agree we go but on the condition that we have to figure out everything-from transport to stay. To go to any festival I have to drop hints how much an artist means to us and my sister has to convince them of The Plan.

The Plan comprises of the schedule from when we leave our house to the place we stay and how and when we’ll comeback- without causing any academic or work related loss. After the plan is approved, it’s Go time! Learning to ride the public transport, coordinating with your friends and staying at random peoples houses has taught me more than school for sure. I had my first Mumbai local train experience because of a festival. This brings me to visit my friends and long distance families and we get to enjoy their city like never before.

You make new friends meeting people in the bus, gas station food courts and the actual venue. Putting on glittery makeup and diy-ing make shift merch, dancing on Bollywood bangers- all are important parts of girlhood. Going to a concert is an experience - from getting in (virtual) line for the ticket to camping for the barricade. Theres jammers at festivals which make it more organic, our phones just become cameras. The jammers plus limited phone battery is a deadly combo if you have type B friends who wander off. All of this with an almost empty stomach, but when the artists comes up, all of your problems disappear, you’re just a part of a crowd. It’s just the artist and the crowd. I hope people here learn the concert etiquette so that veterans like me can stop complaining how much they were better when I was 15 lol.

There has been a surge in the concert going crowd- all thanks to the internet to make artists accessible and reachable. I still remember people dm-ing Coldplay and Book My Show to add shows in Ahmedabad- which worked! Where else will you see community coming together?

On the other hand, this has lead to a surge in concert ticket prices. They need to make concerts affordable again. Hopefully people learn to enjoy the music rather than the trend of just going to a festival because of the hype or FOMO.

Knowing that there’s people all across the world that share your favourite artist or anything for that matter is crazy. I have been grateful that I can afford such entertainment and hope everyone gets to do it too.