The Lumineers – The gorge’s lawn was lit not just by the rusty orange and lulling pink of the sunset but by the melodic voices of the crowd joining Wesley Schultz in tune. On September 8th, the Gorge hosted the Lumineers for a roughly 2-hour concert. With James Bay opening, the night was so overwhelmingly warm and comforting. One of the most heartful moments of this concert was the round version of “WHERE WE ARE”. There is something therapeutic about having a concert singing “I don’t know where we are but it will be ok” in unison. About halfway through the concert, Schultz did a lap around the seats and lawn and was met with screaming voices, hands to hold, and tears. One of the biggest strengths of the group is the feel of vulnerability in their songs, and while this is a lot to ask of a group perform- ing every night, this vulnerability was provided by the audience. I was lucky enough to be surrounded by a group of young fans who made a point to enjoy themselves to the fullest. Their love and joy only added to my experience.
Arctic Monkeys – On Friday the 22nd of September, the walls of Climate Pledge Arena were lit up by the sparkling disco ball labeled Arctic Monkeys. The second Alex Turner stepped on the stage, the crowd erupted in applause and energy which didn’t leave until the encore was over. There was more electric guitar time at this concert than any other that I’ve been to. Screaming fluorescent adolescence was one of the highlights of my month. The incredible base throughout the concert was what made the event so memorable and intoxicating. Surprisingly, the pit was not the keystone of energy it normally is, but rather, the seated sections were the ones to bring enthusiasm. Rock music has always had that invigorating quality for me, the second the bass comes in, it’s like the music can be felt throughout your entire body, you feel it in your heart and head, it’s a feeling of connection to music.
David Kushner – On October 1st, the walls of the Showbox were filled with half-crying, half-joy-filled voices of David Kushner fans. While for this concert, there were plenty of songs I didn’t know, that in no way affected my enjoyment at this con- cert. The opener, Chance Pena, started off the concert with the Lumineers, “Flowers in Your Hair” to which few knew the lyrics, but Pena’s energy and harmonious voice drew everyone in. However, the last song he played almost acted as a reveal for the audience. The second the first chord of “In My Room” started playing, we all realized the song we’d all cried to in past months. While his music has a more melan- choly feel, his energy was filled with hope. The highlight of this night for me was Kushner’s performance of the song “Georgia Rain” which is yet to be released. Another one of my favorite moments from this concert was Kushner quoting Noah Kahan’s song lyrics, “All lights turned off can be turned on.” The essence of what this artist brings is hope. With his audience being primarily made up of teenagers, the artist makes a point to make them feel like they are not alone in all that they struggle with. While this is a message I feel we hear a lot, there was a specific realness the artist brought that made the audience feel like he was talking directly to them. This concert also featured poet Jeremy Haynes, who shared a work that was incredibly captivating. The poet ended his performance by addressing the hope he felt in the room that evening, i believe the second he said this it became true, possibly it had already been true, but i know that the second he addressed it, it felt real to everyone in the showbox.
Säje – The jazz group Säje kicked off their tour in “Town Hall” in downtown Seattle on Friday the 13th. The majority of the audience did not know many of the lyrics to their songs, which I expected going into the concert. However, this had an impact I was not expecting. This lack of lyrical knowledge prompted the audience to listen rather than record or sing along. The group has a beautiful ability to tell sto- ries which I believe is best done in their song “Wisteria”. Their songwriting along with the insanely clean and perfectly performed harmony between all four members of the group made this performance so beautiful. The group also has a feel of community to it, all of them were able to appreciate each other, and each of the four members got to have a moment of performing and spotlight to themselves which the others were able to enjoy.