Music has been a big part of my life ever since I was a kid, and therefore, I’ve grown a strong love for going to concerts. While each concert has its own merits, as it does in its own genres, I’ve compiled a neat top-five list of the five concerts I’ve ever been to.

1. The Kiss of Death Tour ’23: This concert was every metalcore fan’s dream, being a co-headlining tour with In This Moment and Ice Nine Kills—two absolute powerhouses in the genre. Additionally, Avatar and New Year’s Day opened for them, with Avatar’s set lasting about 45 minutes and New Year’s Day lasting 25 minutes. Overall, the show was breathtaking, as the setlists for each band were perfect. This is a show I will never forget, no matter how old I grow.
2. Trivium and Beartooth’s Co-Headlining Tour Spring 2023 – This was my first time ever seeing one of my favorite bands live, Trivium, so I was extremely excited to go, having secured tickets on pre-sale the moment they were announced. Furthermore, the co-headline with Beartooth made this show even better, as I love Beartooth as well, both them and Trivium being metalcore legends, especially Trivium, having formed in 1999 and releasing their first studio album in 2003. This show was on Stage AE in Pittsburgh, a really small venue where you’re extremely close to the bands playing. The venue absolutely blew me away, combined with the talent of Beartooth and Trivium. Malevolence and Archetipes Collide also opened for them, and they did an extremely good job with their limited setlist.
3. Indie Rock Roadtrip ’23 – This concert was an extremely good one, being an indirect co-headline tour with Future Islands and Weezer, both being really good bands, especially Weezer, but in my opinion Joyce Manor stole the show with their 25 minute set list. The set list for each band was good, and combined with the outside area of Stage AE being the place for the concert enhanced the experience even more. Getting to see Weezer and Joyce Manor live was an experience I’ll never forget, and one that I’ll always be grateful that I got to see. This concert was also my second time seeing Weezer live, and they did not disappoint.
4. Green Day’s Triple Headline Tour with Fall out Boy and Weezer ’21 – This triple headlining tour that Green Day announced before COVID and then got rescheduled was worth waiting for in the long term. My parents surprised me with the tickets for the concert, and I was ecstatic upon learning that I would get to see Green Day, Weezer, and Fall out Boy all at the same time. The energy at this concert was amazing and I had an extremely good time with the amazing songs that were played.
5. Billy Joel ’22 Tour – This concert sold out and had PNC Park absolutely packed with people excited to see Billy Joel live, me being one of them. This concert was extremely good as I was surprised at how good Billy Joel still sounds, and even more surprised at how he sounds better live than in his studio recordings. Overall, this concert was a blast to experience, and I’m glad that I got to see Billy Joel live before he eventually stops touring.

Overall, all of these concerts were amazing experiences and it was amazing seeing all these bands and artists work their magic live—nothing beats seeing a band or artist live, and I will continue to go to concerts for the rest of my life because of this sole fact.