I was recently listening to my favorite radio station in the car when the DJ said they were taking song requests. I thought, do people still do that? You can play any song from your phone in an instant, yet the radio still gets requests. It felt both refreshing and nostalgic.
Maybe it’s nostalgia that keeps the tradition alive, or the need for human connection. People driving long distances who can’t play songs from their phones might need that little pick-me-up.
But it made me think about how music has always had the power to unite us in ways we take for granted. While music styles change, the emotions a song evokes and our desire to share those feelings stay constant. I often stop scrolling through my social media when I see clips of Noah Kahan concerts, feeling envious of how people lose themselves in his incredible songs and distinct sound.
I took my teenage daughter to her first concert this past weekend. I bought the tickets mainly for her enjoyment, even though I like Alex Warren too. Seeing her sing along to the songs that she’s loved for the past year with a giant smile on her face confirmed how important music is in our lives.
I’ve been attending concerts since I was her age, not just for the music, but to share the experience with someone else who also loves the artist. Besides, who wouldn’t want to spend a couple of hours singing their heart out, forgetting their troubles and everything else that is happening in the world.
I recently went to see Darius Rucker with my husband, and before the concert had even started, we struck up a nice conversation with a couple we met at the shared table in the Voltaggio Brothers Steakhouse at MGM Resort & Casino at National Harbor. If it weren’t for the concert, we wouldn’t have been there to eat delicious food and meet kind people.
What I’m trying to say is that live music, whether at a big stadium show or a small band in a subway, brings people together in a way that’s needed more than ever these days.
So if you’re thinking about those concert tickets, I suggest you buy them (as long as you won’t go into debt). It’s like a therapy session with lasting benefits.
Coffee - then adulting. 
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