As fully-functioning members of society, Hannah and I have been to a lot of concerts. Some were good! Others were surely something! Even though we were not both at every single concert, we hope our varied experiences will provide some fun perspective. Our commentary may also be inaccurate due to the fact that some of these concerts were upwards of 10 years ago. 

9. Stomp

If you live in T-county, you have to know and LOVE STOMP! How cool is it that they make music with trash cans and stuff. I am pretty sure I watched them perform once at the PAC.  Stomp is definitely the most original and cool band on this list; however, watching this at the age of 6 at the PAC makes the experience less memorable.  I remember almost nothing other than they banged trash cans and had brooms.  All I know is that they are SO COOL and that I LOVE STOMP. END OF STORY.

8. Good Mythical Morning

Although it was way back in 2018, I remember this concert like it was yesterday. It was fairly simple, the stage containing nothing more than Rhett, Link, and two step stools, but it was fantastic nonetheless. The two of them have such incredible chemistry, it made even sitting in their presence feel like a gift. I would have rated this concert higher, except it was lacking some fundamental concert musts in my book. Except for a few outfit changes, the show was missing high-tech lighting, set changes, choreography, and backup dancers. Although these are not required for a good concert experience, they definitely do help. Not to mention, this was not a stand-up, sing-along concert, and the average age among the audience was approximately 40. 

7. Maroon 5 

Growing up, I was always a huge Maroon 5 fan and had a fat crush on Adam Levine.  I probably still would if he was not a cheater.  This concert was very fun, and I knew a lot of the songs; however, I went with my sister, my mom, and my mom’s friend, Linda. While it was still fun, I did not feel like I could take in the whole experience. I was a little embarrassed to sing out loud because I did not want my mom and Linda to judge me. I was young, and I did not look good that night. I cannot believe I saw Adam Levine looking like that!  Despite this, I still thoroughly enjoyed going. The worst part was that our car battery died, and my dad had to come and pick us up. It took a very long time, and I was very tired. Good thing Leah was there to keep me entertained. 

6. Halsey

While Halsey may not be my favorite artist, attending her concert was a great experience. I went with my friend for her graduation gift, so my ticket and Beabadobee shirt that I accidentally bought were all paid for by her older brother. I skipped the last day of school last year so that I could go to this concert, so it was worth it.  I knew enough of her songs to still have a good time, and I will admit that she sounded very good live. After the concert, we stopped at Swenson’s and enjoyed a nice burger because we were all starving. 

5. Hella Mega Tour

Hannah might think differently, but this concert lit a fire in the darkest depths of my soul. As a die-hard Weezer fan, it did hurt to see the crowd sitting for the entirety of their portion of the concert, but I loved it nonetheless. Rivers Cuomo is a marvelously talented man, and the rest of the band was okay too. They even shot cannons with bisexual-affirming colored confetti! As for the rest of the concert, Fall Out Boy’s “Centuries” went pretty hard. However, I do wish I didn’t have to wait an hour and a half for $40 T-shirts. When Green Day was about to play “Wake Me Up When September Ends,” the middle-aged man in front of us turned around and said, “You will remember this moment for the rest of your lives.” He was not wrong. Let’s just say you had to be there. Speaking of the people sitting in front of us, what we thought was just your average couple turned out to be a sister and brother because the sister’s husband had a heart attack the night before. She might have had a few too many drinks because she did, in fact, overshare, and she made us Facetime with her children. All in all, the Hella Mega Tour featuring Weezer, Green Day, and Fall Out Boy made me feel like I need to spend more time around people my own age. 

4. Rex Orange County

Let’s preface this by saying the concert took place BEFORE THE SEXUAL ASSAULT ALLEGATIONS WERE RELEASED! Whether or not the allegations are true is a discussion for another time, but for right now, let’s just discuss the emotional roller coaster that was the Who Cares? Tour. Let me paint a scene. It was June 23rd, 2023 and approximately 95 degrees Fahrenheit. We walked up to where we were told was the back of the line; however, upon arrival we were very suspicious. We asked one of the other people just to make sure, and she confirmed that it was, in fact, the back of the line. We waited for about 20 minutes and still weren’t fully convinced. As we stood up and began to walk away, none other than a teenage boy with a tennis ball and the most butt sweat we’ve ever seen stood up in front of the crowd and said “Does anyone know these people?” As the crowd gave a collective “no” we quickly realized we had been lied to. But butt sweat boy didn’t stop there. “We’ve waited here all day. What makes you think you can just cut to the front of the line?” I was in shock. Thank goodness my heroic friend, Olivia, was not. She explained how we had asked if this was the back of the line and if someone would have politely explained how this was the front, we would’ve been happy to leave. As we walk away with our heads held high, I begin to play the scenario over and over in my head, calculating everything I could have said in the situation, but didn’t. You might be thinking, “Erin, why is the concert still rated so highly on the list?” Let me explain, even though we got clapped out by a bunch of girls in Shein jeans, even though we had to stand outside for upwards of 3 hours for the concert to start, even though Alex O’Conner himself told the crowd that we were collectively one of the worst audiences he has ever had, his music is unlike any other. I knew every word to every song, and it is safe to say that tears were shed. 

3. Beyonce on the Run II tour

The Beyonce concert would have been a much better experience if I wasn’t so incredibly ugly. I am mortified that I looked so horrendous in her presence. Not only was I wearing tennis shoes  and a shirt from Old Navy, but my hair was still wet from the pool party I went to earlier that day. This is Hannah speaking now.  My hair was also soaked from the pool party.  I had also gotten braces three days prior and looked as if my teeth were attacked by a jackhammer.  I wore a striped shirt from Forever 21 and rocked my frizzy hair like no other.  Other than the old man behind us that yelled at us for standing, I had a great time.  Not sure why he expected us to sit in silence.  Also, I am not sure why he paid to sit in silence. I do not think I appreciated seeing Beyonce in the flesh at the time as much as I would now.  The set was amazing, and even though I think Jay Z is a scum of the earth cheater, they put together quite a show. Jay-Z did have to change his outfit about 11 times, but none of them compared to Beyonce’s.  Beyonce also cried during Forever Young, which touched my 13-year-old heart like nothing ever had before. I wish I could experience this again but actually look presentable this time. 

2. Post Malone

Personally, attending this concert was one of the best things that has ever happened to me.  Two weeks before the concert, I was offered a front-row seat for $200 that someone was trying to get rid of, which was a great deal considering they originally sold for around $800.  I went to Cleveland with one of my very good friends on a random Tuesday, and I am so glad I did. This was shortly after Post Malone collapsed on stage a few weeks before, but he still pulled through with a great performance.  He wore the most casual grown man clothes and spent a lot of time laying down, but what else can you expect from him?  When he sang the songs “I Fall Apart” and “Stay,” I was nearly brought to tears. I was so close to him that I swear his sweat dripped on my arm, and he made a little heart with his hands at us.  We were also seated beside three 30-year-old women that were so funny and made us feel safe while being alone in Cleveland. The only bad part was that I still had to go to school the next day, but at least I had new merch to show up in.  I would do it all over again if I had the opportunity. 

1.Sza SOS Tour

This was our most recent concert experience. Before we go into details, the tickets were, in fact, $250, and our seats were in the second to last row. In my personal opinion, it was worth every penny. Everything about the concert was perfect. We even had a little adrenaline rush when I had to yell at grown women and explain to them that I would not be sharing my $250 seat with her just because she wanted it. Her set was incredible. I have never seen anyone build an entire fishing boat or a 50 ft tall anchor so quickly. Speaking of fishing, no one could pull off an ocean/fishing theme quite like SZA. Her dancers – phenomenal! There were only about 5 of them total, but let me tell you, they were putting in the work! I don’t know how much they are getting paid, but it is not enough. Now onto the real star of the show. Solána Imani Rowe is one of the most beautiful creatures to walk the earth. She had so many outfit changes and somehow every single one got better.  She was literally in a lifeboat floating from the ceiling.  It was angelic. Even the way home was entertaining.  We did not have a ride home and were in Columbus alone at midnight and almost got run over by a car going 80 mph. But we survived like SZA taught us. I had great merch to wear to school the next day too.  I was definitely sleep deprived, but I would do it every night if I could.  

ATTENTION ALL HANNAH AND ERIN 4LYFERS!!! Do you have any burning questions for one of the most elite friendships in all of Dover High? For our next article, post your questions on Twitter or Instagram with the #askhannahanderin and we will answer as many as we can! Please keep them school appropriate!