Atlanta, Georgia was overflowing with music fans from across the country on September 15 and 16. Atlanta hosted Music Midtown, a music festival at which artists such as Post Malone, Kendrick Lamar and Billie Eilish performed this year. Among the fans was junior Addison Hichman, who attended the event with a close friend.
“I’ve been wanting to go for the past two years, but I didn’t go last year because of volleyball,” Hichman said. “It’s been in the making for a while; we had everything planned out, and we bought tickets pretty early because I knew that it was something that I wanted to go to.”
Held annually, Music Midtown attracted over 80,000 attendees this year, featuring over 30 different artists. With four different stages and performances going on at once, those who went had many options for concerts to attend.
“My favorite thing about the artists was that they really knew how to perform,” Hichman said. “They kept the crowd entertained by performing songs that everyone knew so that everyone could sing along and have a good time.”
Without a maximum capacity, the performances were jam-packed. Everyone watching the performances stood wall-to-wall with no room to spare.
“The atmosphere was crazy,” Hichman said. “There were so many people there that most of the concerts were super crowded, but it was still really exciting and lively. Everyone was dancing and singing along so the whole experience was super cool.”
Simultaneous shows made it hard for those like Hichman who wanted to see multiple artists that were singing at the same time. Although some were forced to choose between their favorite musicians or bands, Hichman was lucky enough to be able to experience a few of her top picks.
“My two favorite artists that I saw were Post Malone and Kendrick Lamar,” Hichman said. “I’d definitely say those two were tied and I really enjoyed both of their performances.”
The advantages of attending live events like Music Midtown go beyond the excitement held in the crowds. Listening to a performance in person creates a totally different impression according to Hichman.
“It’s a completely different experience listening to an artist live,” Hichman said. “You feel really connected with the music and the artist when you hear it being performed right in front of you. It makes listening to the music a lot more personal.”
Along with the differences between listening to a song in person versus listening to it live, the whole experience surrounding Music Midtown generates different perspectives on the music that is performed.
“My favorite part about the whole experience was the amount of artists that I got to listen to live,” Hichman said. “Now when I listen to my playlist, I can say that I’ve heard almost all of those songs in person and I can look back on this experience.”
By: Lauren Mullis, Feature Editor
