This week, The Hoot’s editors were feeling some major FOMO. With the work and stress piling up and music blasting through our headphones along the way, we begin dreaming about a sweet escape. A concert, perhaps? And it’s our dream, so money and time are irrelevant! If you aren’t following, here’s the gist: What is one artist’s concert you wish you could go to, dead or alive?
Jenna: It’s a bit of a tough question for me since I only recently started listening to artists’ discographies instead of picking out a few songs I like and mixing them in huge playlists … we all do that though … right? Anyway, I feel like going to any concert in the ’70s would have been awesome just because of all of the biopics and documentaries I’ve seen about how wild things were back then, plus some of the best music of all time, of course. I think Woodstock would have been a crazy experience, but since that’s not one artist, I’ll say a Queen concert. Can you even imagine how the crowds were stomping along or just hearing Freddie Mercury belting it out in front of thousands of people? There are so many good options in that time period, though, it’s so hard to choose, and the genre totally changes the concert vibe. Also, just a quick shout-out to a present-day star, Sabrina Carpenter—I keep seeing videos of her concerts, and the vibes seem so fun and fresh with a retro twist!
Chloe: I could go on forever listing artists, most of whom are dead, whose concerts I would love to attend, but there are very few bands who have ever had the same grip on me as Queen. I know, it’s a basic answer. See, I could list a ton of obscure artists (I am the third most preformative male at Brandeis, after all) in an attempt to prove my musical superiority, but no one wants to hear that and I don’t want to do it. Instead, I would like to fill the little hole in my middle school self’s heart. Queen was the first classic rock band I listened to of my own volition, and man did I listen to them; I can still sing half of their discography from memory. I know what you might be thinking, you can still see Queen in concert now. I know that is technically true, but it will never be the same as when Freddie Mercury was alive. The whole band is filled with extremely talented musicians, yet without Mercury’s powerhouse of a voice, it will never be quite the same. Also, I am going to assume, and don’t correct me if I’m wrong about this hypothetical (let a man dream), that the artist gets to remain alive after the concert. So, really, I would be doing a favor to the world by bringing him back.
Michael: The Killers. This is a pretty obvious answer, since I have been obsessed with the Killers for a while. They were practically created in a lab to produce stadium rock, and based on everything that I have seen on Youtube, their concerts are electrifying! I can only imagine the chill I would get from hearing classic songs like “Mr. Brightside” and “When You Were Young” live. The lead singer, Brandon Flowers, is also great at working up the crowd. Except for the incident in Shekvetili, Georgia, which wasn’t Brandon’s fault in any way. How was he supposed to know that inviting a Russian fan to play drums would cause outrage from his Georgian audience? Geopolitical incidents aside, though, I would still like to see them play. They were performing in Boston during my freshman year (fall 2022), but since that night was a school night, I opted to skip it … worst mistake of my life.
Desiree: This is such a tough question! I am generally not someone that listens to an artist’s entire discography. However, I would have to say a Jimi Hendrix concert. Out of all the artists I listen to (1,569 according to my 2024 wrap-up), Jimi Hendrix is always in my top three. I also own basically all of his albums on vinyl! If I had picked one concert, it would have to be his Woodstock one. Not only would I be able to see one of my favorite musicians, but also other artists/bands I love like Santana.
James: I have to say Queen for this one. I know what you’re probably thinking, but I didn’t steal this answer from Jenna or Chloe. I am not someone that is particularly interested in concerts. I’ve only been to a few, and other than Springfest, haven’t been to one in several years. However, I am a huge Queen fan. I first started listening to Queen after seeing the movie “Bohemian Rhapsody” (2018). Since then, the majority of the music that I listen to has been Queen. 52 of the 68 songs I have on my playlist are Queen, so I think this is an easy answer.
Jason: When I was 12 and I had a little iPod Mini (not the one with the screen, the one you could only play and skip songs on), and I discovered this artist I had never heard of but was immediately obsessed with. It was the first time I downloaded an album front to back and I listened to it religiously. Fast forward a few years, I discovered that she was Amy Weinhouse, and she was long dead. I would definitely sacrifice my first born child to see her live.
Ethan: My playlist consists almost entirely of dead artists, and getting to see any of them live would be magical. Of all of the artists I adore, the one I would want to see live most would be George Harrison. The former Beatle did not perform live much after the band split, but among the few times that he did, his Concert for Bangladesh at Madison Square Garden is the most famous, and the most appealing to see. It is among the first well-preserved instances of live music for charity, and it just so happened to feature an all-star of mid-century artists with a stacked set list of back-to-back classics. At least I have the live album to revel in!
Eva: Ooh, this is a tough one. I’ve been to 44 concerts at the point of writing this, I think 45 by the time this is published. I’ve seen most of my favorite artists by now, but I’d love to see pretty much all of those artists again, especially Fall Out Boy and Twenty One Pilots. As far as artists I haven’t seen yet go, I’d really love to see Pink Floyd right off the release of “The Wall.” It’s one of my favorite albums of all time, and I’d love to see the insane production of it live. Another band I’d love to see is Gang of Youths, as their album “Go Farther In Lightness” is an additional favorite of mine. However, being completely transparent, there’s no such thing as “bad” live music, and any artist I get the chance to see would be a delight.
