Community Connections #5: February

[Interviews, writing, and photos by Annika Eske, Nasset Derilhomme, and Abby Feck]

On Tuesday, February 21st, members of the WRBB Media Team set up a table at Curry Campus Crossroads. This month, we asked passersby to tell us about the first concert they ever went to, and which music artist is still on their concert bucket list. Although we were tucked away in a corner table this month, some of you managed to find us anyway! Most of the people we chatted with had happy memories associated with their first concert, even if they don’t listen to the same music nowadays. For those who had not yet attended a concert, there was a clear consensus that it was high on their priority list for the future. Read on to hear some first-concert stories and some future-concert dreams, and check out this playlist with all of the music people told us about this month!

Vicky and Kiran happened to walk up to the WRBB table at the same time, and ended up sharing concert stories with each other as well as with the Media Team.

Vicky told us that her first concert was a One Direction concert just after Zayne had left the band. Her sister had ended up with extra tickets, so Vicky was able to tag along. She said of One Direction, “I used to be a hater, not gonna lie – but I was also a teenager,” she added. At the time, Vicky was more excited to see opener Icona Pop than to see One Direction. After seeing One Direction live however, Vicky commends Niall’s guitar chops and is now able to enjoy the band’s album Midnight Memories. Still, she considers her real first concert to be a Porter Robinson show. She said the show stands out in her memories because its visuals and animations were stunning. The concert was “very sincere even though it was polished.” Vicky recalls that she cried during the show, and concluded, “It was the most emotional I’ve ever been at a concert.”

Much like Vicky, Kiran has had some enjoyable first concert experiences, even if they don’t reflect her music taste today. Technically speaking, Kiran’s first show was an Indian music concert in New Jersey. She remembered with a laugh that she was the only one who dressed up for the concert, but that she had fun nonetheless. However, Kiran also considers a Taylor Swift concert to have been one of the first shows she saw. Kiran told us that she saw the pop star on her Speak Now tour the day before her eighth grade graduation. Although Kiran has been to three Taylor Swift shows, she doesn’t follow Swift as closely nowadays. Still, Kiran is able to look back and remember how nice it was to get the experience of dancing in a concert crowd.

Friends Harshitha and Pramantha stopped by to chat with us about artists they want to see live.

Harshitha and Pramantha haven’t been to a concert just yet, but they’ve got a few ideas on their concert bucket list. Harshitha would love to go to a Lewis Capaldi concert. She loves his lyrics describing love and finds his songs to be very “wholesome.” Pramatha, on the other hand, told WRBB that she would want to go to a Coldplay concert. If she were to convince a friend to join her, she would simply tell them that they’d enjoy it and show them some of Coldplay’s music videos for evidence. The two friends agreed that whatever the mood they’re in, the music of Lewis Capaldi and Coldplay makes them feel better.

Pranamya asked that we use the art for Ed Sheeran’s single “Visiting Hours.”

Pranamya would love to see Coldplay, Imagine Dragons, and Ed Sheeran live. She thinks seeing these artists would be a lifetime experience. When asked why she chose these artists, Pranamya explained that the music is part of it, “but lyrics actually matter the most to [her].” This is why Pranamya particularly likes Ed Sheeran’s old music. She explained to us that Sheeran’s single, “Visiting Hours,” came out shortly after her grandma passed away. In the song, Sheeran sings about someone he has lost, and Pranamya told us that the song felt soothing to her at the time.

Ro, Taryn, Jonathan, and Archie stepped out of the WRBB station to come chat with us about music.

Jonathan told us his first concert was an Imagine Dragons show on their Night Visions tour — “so it’s the good stuff,” he joked. He then told us that No Vacation is on his concert bucket list. “They’re a west coast band, but if they ever come to the east coast, I’ll see them.”

Archie shared a vague memory of his first concert, which happened to be a “random” show at his town’s community performance center. “I saw the guy who sings ‘bird is the word’…whoever he is out there in the world,” Archie told us. On Archie’s bucket list is the prominent post punk band Black Country, New Road. When asked how he would convince a friend to tag along for the concert, Archie decided he would say to his friend, “If there is any instrument you’ve ever wanted to see live, it will be on that stage.”

Ro told us that her first concert was a Jon Bellion show. “I liked a guy who listened to Jon Bellion, so I got really into him in like 11th grade,” she explained. In fact, this ended up being Ro’s first concert, and she showed up knowing every single song in Jon Bellion’s discography. Gotta love people who do their homework before a concert. Ro then told us that the Lumineers are on her concert bucket list. Asked how she might convince a friend to join, Ro said confidently, “I don’t think they need convincing.”

Last but not least, Taryn told us that her first concert happened to be a show that Jonathan also attended. She told us that it was a show at Tanglewood featuring Carole King and James Taylor. “Maybe 2010 or 2008?” she and Jonathan recalled. When asked what music artist is on her concert bucket list, Taryn fell silent for a moment. “I can’t remember a single artist I’ve ever listened to,” she joked. But eventually, Taryn told us she’d like to hear the band FUR live.

Sairam chatted with us about a particularly fun first concert memory.

Sairam’s first concert was about three years ago, just before COVID-19, at a festival in Goa, India. Specifically, he saw the electronic music artist SNBRN perform on a beach at night – hard to beat when it comes to the best concert settings! Sairam explained that the show was part of a carnival concert series and that he had gone with some friends. The concert had a lively atmosphere, with everyone dancing to the music. Now, Sairam is hoping to one day see The Weeknd perform live.

Sriyanka’s arrived in the U.S. only recently and is interested in electronic music, Indian music, and music that finds a unique blend of both.

Sriyanka arrived in the U.S. from India about two months ago. When we asked her what she thinks about the U.S. so far, she responded with a laugh, “It’s good…it’s cold!” Sriyanka told WRBB that her first concert was an A.R. Rahman concert – Indian music. However, she would love to see either Marshmello or Kahani in the future. Marshmello and Kahani are both on Sriyanka’s bucket list because she’s a fan of electronic music. However, Kahani is special because this New York-based music artist creates tracks that combine electronic influences with more traditional Indian music. Even though Sriyanka only arrived in the U.S. recently, her boyfriend lives in NYC, and he was the one who introduced her to Kahani’s distinctive music.

Friends Helen, Jules, and Ally stopped by to share some concert memories and future-concert wishes.

Helen’s first real concert was a Clairo concert. She told us that the experience was particularly exciting because she was in London at the time for NUin. At the top of Helen’s concert bucket list is the artist beabadoobee.

Jules told us that her first concert was probably a Train concert at Tanglewood. “When I was little I used to go with my parents every year,” Jules recalled. Her grandma used to volunteer at Tanglewood, and Jules thinks, “It’s a nice place to go if you have time on the weekend.” However, Jules clarified that the first concert she paid for herself was probably a Tyler, the Creator show. “It was in Worcester, but he thought he was in Boston the whole time, and then he was freestyling about the fact that he didn’t know that he was in Worcester,” laughed Jules. During the show, she told us, everyone in the audience was screaming at Tyler the Creator that he was not in Boston. Jules remarked, “…and he didn’t know how to say Worcester either.” For her next concert, Jules said she would love to see The Strokes – and her friends agreed vehemently.

Finally, Ally couldn’t remember the first concert she ever went to, but Chappell Roan is one artist on her concert bucket list. Ally would describe the indie pop artist Chappell Roan as, “Good fun, fun to dance too.” However, Ally commented that Chappell Roan recently got a place on a popular Spotify playlist, causing tickets to become “crazy expensive.”

Lazaree and Prathamesh came by and told us about their first concert experience seeing artist Arijit Singh, pictured.

Lazaree and Prathamesh came up to the WRBB table together and shared that their first concert experience was Indian artist, Arijit Singh. Though they shared fairly little about the concert itself (apart from their sheer enjoyment), they let us know that Singh is definitely an artist for us to check out. Arijit Singh is one of the biggest artists in India and is a regular feature in the most prominent Bollywood films. According to Lazaree and Prathamesh, he is also adept at almost every type of genre and his music can definitely elevate someone’s mood. Feeling down or perhaps looking for an artist to headline your next Bollywood motion picture? Arijit Singh is the guy for you!

Anushka told WRBB her first concert experience was seeing Sunidhi Chauhan (pictured) live.

Anushka first heard Sunidhi Chauhan live at a concert in Mumbai, India when she was fifteen years old. Anushka loves the music artist’s voice and says she was her favorite singer at the time. She told us the concert venue was huge: fitting about 5,000 people. Anushka added that the lighting visuals helped to make the concert feel like a truly grand experience. Someday, she would love to see Taylor Swift or Selena Gomez live.