Friends of General Admission (FGA)

Concerts have rapidly become one of my defining personality traits. I listened to a lot of music in highschool and I had been to a couple shows here and there, but I wasn’t an avid concert attendee by any means. This wasn’t for lack of desire, but more a lack of freedom to go and only a tiny overlap between my music taste and that of my friends. This changed immensely my freshman year of college. I decided to go all in and room with seven random girls just because I loved the Scioto building. It ended up being the best decision I’ve made in my short twenty years. 

I’m still super close with four of the girls I roomed with that year and friendly with the others. I’m forever grateful to have met them because they have defined my college experience. My roommate Alison not only introduced all of us to some guys from the floor above us (who became an integral part of the group), but also became our concert and music go-to. She had been driving hours to go to shows for years at this point and was a pro at line-waits, general admission, and finding venues. 

One of my all time favorite bands was discovered through Alison. Spotify does these ‘Discover Weekly’ playlists and the alt-indie band flor somehow made it on. She convinced us to go to a show that was a week away in Columbus at a small venue referred to as The Basement. It was my first non-stadium or lawn show and I loved it so much. Getting that close to the band and dancing around in general admission surrounded by a bunch of other people vibing with the music was so much fun. We also got to meet two of the band members after the show which I thought was awesome and it made the night that much more special. 

Fast forward about a year and I’m heading to my third flor show in Indianapolis (technically they were only an opener for Andrew McMahon’s Upside Down Flowers Tour). The whole ordeal was serendipitous. First, we saw a red-tailed hawk flying and pink peony street art on our way in which I think was foreshadowing our good luck. It was a little too cold and gray to show up at the Egyptian Room venue and wait outside for a few hours but we did so anyway. 

There’s a parking lot there which is ideal because you can keep your coats and blankets up until doors open and then run them back to the car. This made the whole waiting-in-the-freezing-cold thing a lot easier. After a bit of sitting on a blanket barely separating us from the cold concrete, two girls next to us offered hand warmers that we gratefully accepted. I think this is one of my favorite parts about showing up early for your favorite bands—you meet like-minded people that are really kind or fun to talk to. Sometimes they become your allies in battle and help save your spot by barricade or push off people in general admission that have had one-too-many overpriced beers. In the case of Bastille this year, they became guardians that helped pull our crying friend through the crowd after Promowest fucked us over and defended us from the people nearby that were irritated and being really mean. But that’s a story for another time. The main point is that while there can definitely be bad eggs—that are bitchy or try to push you out of your spot or buy their way to the front instead of waiting in line—there are also a ton of good eggs that just want to experience the music they love live and connect with those that love the same things they do. 

Our luck didn’t end at free hand-warmers though—we ended up getting barricade spots (front row at the stage along the metal fence-like barricade). It was the prime position to dance all night to Grizfolk, flor, and Andrew McMahon in the Wilderness. Being that close allows the band members to notice you and the energy you bring and they really appreciate it. I say this because I pushed through a crowd of very drunk adults twice to go talk to McKinley (guitarist in flor and who we were standing in front of) and have him sign the set list he gave me and he loved how into the show we were especially since they were only an opener.

The whole night was euphoric and it’s etched into my memory. This is only one of probably over twenty concerts I’ve gone to in the past two and a half years, but it was a really special one (special enough that I went to the same show again with Jaelynn when I visited her in San Francisco). While the music is amazing and obviously very important, the people behind the music make it real and make it an Experience. I have so much fun talking to band members after shows and sharing the ways I’ve been impacted by their music or just goofing off and joking around with them. Part of the reason flor has become a favorite is because of how willing they are to hang around after shows and talk. They are so kind and well-intentioned and I feel confident I am supporting good people (plus their music is fantastic). I love how music brings people together and how it has brought me closer to my current group of friends. Sometimes the memories before and after the concert are just as important as what happens inside the venue. I hold close to my heart late night pizza runs in Indianapolis, breakfast sandwiches and lawn chairs in Columbus, slapping the Bean in Chicago on the way to Milwaukee, and all of the Bops and Throwbacks we scream sing in the car as we take the highway to the next show. I whole-heartedly believe that people are often the most important part of any experience—concert or otherwise. I plan to continue filling my life with the people that make even the mundane extraordinary.