The sound of rock bands, teenagers screaming, cheering and applauding still ring loudly in many students’ ears as they reminisce about attending various concerts, and making memories that would certainly be a highlight of their summer.
With a diverse selection of music sure to please every crowd, a number of concerts occurred over the months of June and July. The genres could range from Pop to Country, from Alternative to Rock. A wide variety of students attended these festivities, including concerts like Ravinia, Summerfest, Warped Tour and Country Thunder.
As Ravinia Festival gained its title as the oldest outdoor music festival in the nation, it is no surprise that it remains an extremely active and popular venue for acts of all type, music and non-music related. Acts included Train, Foster the People and Hall and Oats.
“Ravinia is probably the most phenomenal venue I’ve ever been to. It feels like you are in the middle of a forest, just jammin’ out and kickin’ it. The grounds are stunning because they are so kept up,” said junior Maisey Schmidt.
Another event, Summerfest, a week long show located in Milwaukee, featured many more well-known artists, most notably Arctic Monkeys, Lady Gaga, Eminem and more.
Warped Tour is also an extremely popular pick for summer festivals. Warped Tour (presented by the store Journeys) features more rock and punk music for larger crowds. Among the performances were A Day to Remember, Mayday Parade, Real Friends, Exit Shikari, along with a long list of others. It did not matter how big or small, each band was sure to put on a show.
“[Warped Tour] has a diverse group of bands within the sub genres of rock,” said junior Cassandra Clearwater. “If you don’t listen to any of these bands, you’d think all of the people seeing them are the same, but those of us who listen to it know that we’re all pretty different.”
For country listeners, many were able have the thrilling experience of Country Thunder. With an open and spacious field, many fans were able to gather around to converse, eat and support their artist. Headliners included Parmalee, Miranda Lambert and Jason Aldean. In addition, many actually camped over the four-day festival, making the fans more involved with the shows.
“The country singers were great live and sounded almost exactly the same as their songs,” said junior Marissa Krebs.
Held in Chicago, Lollapalooza was a huge event attended by nearly 300,000 people over the course of three days. Fitz and the Tantrums, Calvin Harris, Eminem, Young the Giant were among the lineup.
Regardless of the concert being attended, everyone was certainly able to take away something from the experience, including meeting new people, dancing and supporting their favorite artist.