I would have never imagined that days leading up to the concert would become one of the most memorable and exciting moments of my life. I guess that’s just what happens when you’re just weeks, days, and even hours away from seeing one of your favorite artists on stage.
I’ve been a fan of a Mexican-American singer/songwriter named Cuco for years. I first started listening to him in eighth grade. While that might not seem like a long time to some, his music has been a big part of my life. I’ve made countless connections and memories through his songs.
When I found out Cuco was performing another concert in Vegas, just days before my best friend’s birthday, I knew it was the perfect time. It will be my first concert.
The Patience of Waiting
In the days leading up to the concert I was ecstatic, I could hardly wait! This was the perfect chance not only to gift my best friend a ticket, since she is also a fan of Cuco, but also to reunite with a group of friends I hadn’t seen in a while, as they too are huge fans and would be attending. I was pretty excited knowing that I was going to be at my first concert and better yet with some of my closest friends, I knew that that night would be unforgettable.
The day of the concert was to say the least nerve racking. I picked up my best friend and took her to my house where we both got ready. Once ready, we ran into a couple of problems as I looked at my tickets, trying to transfer hers to her account and the other to my younger brother, who was also attending. It was taking a while and it wasn’t transferring. We had to be on our way to pick up our other friend who was carpooling with us to and back from the concert. In the end, we decided to keep the tickets on my phone and have me scan all the tickets at once. When both my best friend and I arrived to pick up our other friend, we were all excited. We listened to the playlist that Cuco would be performing at the concert.
When we arrived it was chaos to say the least. Parking was a struggle, as was the line. Thankfully our other friends had arrived early and were actually close to the front of the line in general admission. There were two lines, one being VIP admission and the other being just general admission. We then cut the long line and joined our other friends. In total there were seven of us. All anxious, but excitedly waiting to enter the venue.
The Experience
When entering the venue I was excited. I was with my friends as we headed towards the crowd. I noticed that there was a small line for merchandise and I knew ahead of time to get it before the concert started. I knew that there would be no way of getting merchandise after the concert. I ended up getting two shirts for my brother and I which cost $80 dollars. It definitely hurt my wallet but it was so worth it. Once I had acquired my shirts, I reunited with my friends, and we waited for three whole hours.
Within those three hours it was just my friends and I trying to entertain ourselves. One of my friends is super social, he’s practically a social butterfly. He spent the time talking to people, while the rest of us were laughing about how social he was. There were even moments where we went from watching the fight between Canelo vs Crawford, to watching Cocomelon, to laughing about the fact someone had brought a Nintendo Switch to record the concert. It was all very hilarious and fun, I’d even say that those moments before the concert started were my personal favorites.
Then, it was time. The lights dimmed, as the strum of the base shook the entire venue. To me the music and the base felt like it was going through my body, and I could feel it going through my heart. Each one of his band members came out as everyone cheered, then he came out. There were so many screams coming from the audience, including mine. I was so happy when he opened with ‘Ridin’ . It was one of my favorites within the album; there were so many of his older songs that he sang, and it was heavenly.
I hugged, danced, and swayed with my friends while we vibed with random strangers. It was magical listening to those songs. Listening to him in person and getting to actually experience the live version of some of my favorite songs was way better than listening to him on my phone. You could hear the joy and excitement in everyone’s voice as we sang along. There were so many moments where I relived those memories connected to some of the songs he sang that night.
When it came close to the end we had one more song left. I’d say it’s a song of his that hits close to my heart, “Lo Que Siento”. It was one of my favorite songs played that night. I had a couple of friends crying and tearing up, and I’ve got t0 admit, I did too. It’s a very special song with many memories connected to it and I’m happy that I got to listen to it live. Another cool thing I got to experience was an encore. The crowd and I weren’t too ready to end the night right there and then, all of us shouted, “OTRA!!” which translates to “another” or in other words “encore!” So he played one last song for us. As the concert ended, I happily watched Cuco thank us and slowly leave the stage.
The Aftermath
Exiting the venue, I was indeed tired but had that rush of adrenaline still coursing through me. I watched one of my favorite artists sing my favorite songs live, just a couple of feet away from me, for a couple of hours. I was blown away by the entire experience, and getting to see it live with my best friend and other close friends was incredible. It was definitely one of the most memorable and happiest moments of my teenage years. I can’t wait for my next concert.
