The other day I was hit with the an overwhelming amount of grief and sadness when my dad raised doubts about going to gigs and festivals, saying that it won’t be the same for years to come because of COVID-19. As someone who lives for gigs, it is genuinely heartbreaking to hear that you won’t be able to go to concerts and festivals for a while. I know there are a lot of unknowns around the live music scene and nothing is for certain. Keeping an optimistic mindset for when I’ll get to return to seeing live music has been about the only thing I’ve been optimistic about.
I can often find myself feeling an overwhelming amount of dread and doubt for my future but things like going to Splendour in the Grass later on in the year have keep me going. That might come across a bit selfish and if so I don’t really mind. Going to gigs has been a passion of mine ever since I was able to go. The thrill of seeing and hearing a band in real life after listening to countless hours of their music through your earphones is simply the best. In saying that, I don’t even mind if I haven’t listened to all their albums back to back on repeat – seeing live music in itself is phenomenal.
Going to gigs and festivals isn’t just about the music – they are a way to hang out with friends, create new memories and just enjoy life. That’s something that I truly treasure and it takes a bloody pandemic to realise it. I guess that goes without saying for a lot of things. I’m coming to realise that so many things can be taken for granted: daily rituals, spontaneous trips, forming connections… Missing out on going to gigs means missing out spending time with friends – the people I love and treasure.
The last festival I went to was Falls festival and I had the best time. The music was great and I got to hang out with some of my favourite people. I was blissfully happy even with the long lines, dirty docs and excessive sweating. In amongst thousands of people you get this uniting feeling (as lame as that sounds).
I hope to continue to support artists by listening to their music, buying their merch and vinyl and looking forward to future gigs. For now I get to reminisce on all the good memories I have of festivals and gigs – hopefully they’ll be back real soon.
clara x 2020
clara writes 
I can’t wait until we can go out to gigs together again! You always introduce me to the coolest new music ❤
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Lots of love ❤️
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