I know you're busy, go to the concert anyway.

Hey everyone, my name is Shraddha and welcome to the Master of None blog! Every other week I'll be documenting a hobby I enjoy or something new I have tried. Life as an architecture major is hectic and sometimes I feel like I have no free time, but I am trying to not lose my hobbies and my desire to try new things in the process of getting my degree. To kickstart this journey, I will be talking about going to concerts, and as my title suggests, stop overthinking if you should buy the concert tickets and just do it. It's always worth it.

As someone who loves music I have been to 22 concerts not including the DIY shows my friends have in random basements. I have found myself having more regret of not going to a concert than going and having to study more the next day, especially as someone who wasn't allowed to go to concerts until later in my life. I don't know if that is bad advice or if this only works for me but I genuinely work better if I know there is a concert I'm looking forward to. I find myself jamming out to the artist's discography while working on my 3D models or whatever I have to do for my next critique. 

I have been really busy despite the fact that school started two weeks ago, but I did go to two concerts of some of my favorite artists in between the chaos. My schedule has been: wake up, lock in, go to class, lock in, sleep, repeat, but throwing in some concerts in there has definitely boosted my morale.

Now before I get into the concerts I went to, when I was writing this blog I questioned if people think going to concerts is a hobby, I looked it up and there seemed to be a lot of discourse on reddit about the topic (although I think there is discourse about every topic on reddit) . In r/unpopularopinions there were a lot of people saying that concert going is not a hobby and anything social is not a hobby. And some make the point that if you need to go to a concert alone to have fun then it is not a hobby. I beg to differ, I feel like even though a lot of people listen to music, some people don’t find the appeal in listening to live music. And I feel like that’s along the same lines as saying dancing for fun isn’t a hobby. I think if you enjoy something and you put in effort to do it in your free time, then it’s a hobby.

Dominic Fike at Aragon Ballroom

Last Thursday, I got the chance to go to Dominic Fike at Aragon Ballroom which was amazing. He's an artist I've been wanting to see for a while, but I always brushed it off. When my girlfriend, Ashley, got two tickets for her birthday and asked me to go with her, I was more than ecstatic to go. Now did I have a lot due the next day? Yes. But was I blasting Dominic Fike in my ears the whole day while doing homework? Also yes. 

This the first time I have been to Aragon Ballroom and it was a surreal experience. The venue was filled to the brim of people and it looked like a courtyard in the middle of Europe but with a galaxy painted on the ceiling? It was a mix of whimsy and classical, which I feel like was the perfect fit for Dominic Fike's set. He mixed his alternative/indie pop genre with classical piano and acoustic instruments which was different from his usual vibe. He started my favorite song, "Wurli", with only his voice and a piano and then went in with his guitar and band, which gave me such a cool and different experience of the song. Ashley and I kept getting confused on which songs were playing because he played them so differently live, which was cool because it felt like a different experience than when artists play their discography exactly like it was recorded. The concert was everything I imagined and more from him, with everyone singing along to his songs and his little jokes and tangents in between.

Asal at Thalia Hall

photo of Asal at Thalia Hall by @shotbyalesbo

Most of you reading have probably heard of Dominic Fike, but how many of you have heard of Asal? If you know me in real life, then you probably have. I have been a longtime fan of her since her single "Pretty Juvenile" in 2022. If you haven't listened to her I recommend listening to "Winter's Gonna Come" or "Headache", and then taking a look at her album Missing Something which is my personal favorite. Her tour however, was for her most recent album called Kiss the Sun. I saw her last Wednesday on September 2nd with my friend Hannah (@mythsandmuses for UIC Radio). It's a pretty short album of 11 songs totally a listening time of 30 minutes. Because of that she played a lot of her other songs which Hannah and I were very happy about.

I saw Asal in 2024 as well during freshman year midterms. I left studio to go to a concert at 8PM and went back to studio at 12AM to keep the grind going. I got an A in the critique and I had a great time listening to her discography before and after the concert while working too. Now, I'm not trying to glorify staying up late to do work and I have gotten a lot better at time management since then, but I still have no regrets. This is why you should go to concerts even if your busy. Seeing your favorite artists for the first time is an experience that cannot be replaced especially if it's a more intimate concert.

@sightofsound via instagram

The venue looked so different in a smaller concert setting. I had been to Thalia Hall for bigger artists and events, but with a smaller crowd, the vibes were more relaxed. She was so much more hype in her recent concert and had a louder stage presence, she started off not on the stage, but in a VIP booth on the side with a light in her mouth. It took everyone a while to realize where she was and it was a really cool theatric to add to the show, and the unconventional start was something that fit her vibe really well. The concert was amazing and it was definitely worth seeing her twice for her to experience both of her albums live.

Concluding Thoughts

Go see the artist live, it will always be such a different experience in person than listening through your headphones. Whether it's for the first time or if it's seeing an artist again, going to a concert makes you forget about all the other things in your life for a few hours and enjoy the music alone or with the people you care about. So make time and go to the concert that you've been longing to go to.