Concerts bring excitement, thrill, and memories that last a lifetime. Something about them causes an immense amount of joy to spread from the top of your head to the bottom of your toes.     

 I have experienced three different concerts and have several more for this year. My first was Billie Eilish in June of 2019, then I saw Harry Styles in September of 2021. COVID-19 caused many artists to postpone their tours, so I have even more planned this year than expected.

   The most recent show that I went to was The Backseat Lovers during their Turning Point Tour on February 14, 2022. Their music genre is indie-rock with a hint of pop. My grandparents gave me the concert tickets as a Christmas present. 

   The Backseat Lovers have a whopping four million monthly listeners on Spotify. The band consists of four members: Jonas Swanson, the guitarist and backup vocalist; Joshua Harmon, the guitarist and primary vocalist; KJ Ward, the bassist; and Juice Welch, the drummer. 

   The concert was in Kansas City, Missouri, at The Truman Event Center. It started at eight pm and ended close to eleven o’clock.

   I arrived at the venue shortly after seven and only had to wait roughly twenty minutes before the doors opened. The tickets were general admission, meaning no assigned or reserved seats existed. It worked on a first-come, first-serve basis. 

  I was fortunate and ended up getting close to the stage. I counted the minutes until it was time for the opening act. I felt the excitement and jitters creeping up on me. 

   I screamed joyfully when the leading lights went dark, and the bright stage lights turned on. The opening act was an underground band called Over Under. They have around ten thousand monthly listeners on Spotify and have published four songs. 

   The band is currently in the process of releasing new music in the upcoming year. Their music genre consists of indie-rock and pop-rock. I didn’t know any of their songs, but I still enjoyed their music. 

   They had a significant stage presence and did a fantastic job of exciting the crowd before The Backseat Lovers came on stage. When Over Under left the stage, the crowd cheered, applauded, and appreciated their performance. There was a short gap between the two bands so they could prepare the set for the main show.

   While in that wait gap, somebody managed to sneak a small succulent in a terracotta pot into the venue. They would hold up the succulent, and the crowd would whoop and holler excitedly. 

  They did this multiple times before The Backseat Lovers came on stage. It was a fun experiment to see how people would react to something so simple and seemingly out of place.

   When the venue got dark, the blue and purple spotlights turned on, and the fog machines started, I knew the show was about to begin. I clapped and cheered as the four members entered from the left and right sides of the stage. They immediately started playing their hit song “Kilby Girl” from their 2019 album When We Were Friends.

   The fans and I started screaming the lyrics and dancing like there was no tomorrow. I pulled out my phone and took some pictures and videos to look back at them in the future. Being in the same room as Joshua, KJ, Jonas, and Juice felt surreal.

   Each member put their entire heart and soul into their performance. I could see the sweat dripping from their foreheads as they played like it was their last show ever. They were also dancing around and jumping with the crowd from the stage.

   After almost every song, Joshua would thank the crowd and check in to see how we were doing. The bright and gleaming smiles on their faces could be seen at the back of the venue. The band’s hard work was not diminished but was enjoyed by the large crowd of people that night, including me.

   As the night was dwindling, the concert was coming to an end. The band wrapped up their performance and walked off stage. The crowd and I repeatedly chanted, “One more song!” until they returned for an encore.

   For their encore, they performed “Sinking Ships.” The crowd sang along like it was permanently engraved in their brains. Once the song was over, The Backseat Lovers said their final goodbyes and exited the stage for the last time.

   This was a very memorable and unique night for me. The fans I was around were so sweet and fun to hang out with. Everyone that was in that venue had a blast.

   If you are looking for a night full of fun, I highly recommend seeing The Backseat Lovers. They will blow your socks off and leave you wanting more.