by Reagan Densmore
One of the many activities I had on my bucket list for being in Toronto was to go to a concert. Before arriving here, I had never been to an actual concert before and it is something I have always wanted to do. When artists do their American tours, most will only go to Vancouver or Toronto in Canada; sometimes Ottawa. Since being in Toronto, I have gone to two concerts already. As someone who really enjoys music, hearing your favourite songs live is one of the best experiences ever. My philosophy class also took a trip to go see an opera. This took place within the same week of the second concert, which inspired me to write this piece.
The first concert I went to was at the end of October. It was for the band, Wave to Earth. Knowing that I like this band, a friend of mine texted me that their friend had an extra concert ticket, and asked me if I would like to go. Fast forward to the concert, it was amazing. Despite the fact that we were general admission, meaning we were standing, surrounded by a crowd, making it difficult to see, the performance was great. This band is a newer indie band who have recently become quite popular. They have fun and sweet instrumentals along with the lead singer's amazing voice. I really appreciate when an artist can sing really well live, and this guy could. It was truly a life changing experience for me as I couldn’t wait for my next concert right after that.
A little over a week ago, on Saturday, I saw the band Slowdive live. This band is one of my favourites of all time, most likely in my top three so I was very excited to go. This time I had a balcony seat, on one of the best seats I could have gotten. I was extremely close and had a perfect view. The opener, Quannnic is an artist I have listened to quite often as well, which made me want to go to this concert even more. His performance was great, switching to more of a rock sound rather than electronic live. Slowdive is more of a shoegaze/dream pop band. Seeing them live felt surreal. Instrumentals are something I really love in songs, and this band has some of the best instrumentals that I have ever heard in modern music. Experiencing that live was insane. They performed some of my favourite songs, which was so amazing to experience. Hearing songs that you really love live makes them so much better. They were there, right in front of me, performing songs I love, it was so surreal. They had a lot of visuals as well. If you are someone who is sensitive to flashing lights, this would be a downside to a concert like this. They were not just on stage, singing and playing songs, it was an actual performance. I also thought it was sweet how they would say “thank you” after every song as well. If I ever got the chance to, I would love to go see them again.
That Wednesday, I joined my philosophy class to go to an opera. I had never been to an opera before, so this was, yet again, a new experience for me. The opera was La Reine Garçon, a performance on Queen Christine of Sweden. Despite this being only a dress rehearsal, the performance was amazing nonetheless. Opera singers are extremely talented, I had come to realize. Not only were they singing, reaching crazy notes, they were acting and performing. Below the stage, was an orchestra playing live music. As someone who enjoys both music and theater this was lovely to watch. I do not regret skipping my classes to attend this trip one bit.
Overall, being a music lover, getting the opportunity to experience it live is a life changing one. Everything is live, and it is being performed right in front of you, rather than listening to it through an electronic device. I would recommend it to anyone who is curious. The only downsides is how loud it can be, and the flashing lights if you are sensitive in those areas, as well as how close you are to other people, if you are someone who prefers personal space, like me. Nevertheless, I am a huge concert fan now and have strengthened my love for live music. If you ever have the opportunity to go see a concert, do it.
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