Having only been to country concerts my whole life, Oct. 5, 2023, was the first of many new experiences for me this year. Although not one that I would repeat. Rapper, A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie, performed in the Pinnacle Bank Arena in Lincoln, Nebraska that day. I attended his concert with friends who are enrolled at the University of Nebraska Lincoln.
In the days leading up to A Boogie, more anticipation continued to emerge. The attraction to this concert stemmed from multiple factors: the fact that my friends and I had bought floor tickets that we got cheaper than we should have, I had not seen my best friend in months and I had made the coolest jacket to wear, which he would hopefully somehow sign. I would hopefully somehow meet A Boogie. I would hopefully somehow not be squashed by the people all around me. I would hopefully somehow be able to see over the tall people around me and the concert would hopefully somehow meet all my expectations, which were slightly high if you could not tell.
Walking into The Pinnacle, I refused to believe all the rumors I was hearing about it being packed and about not being able to move as the arena appeared to be the same size as the Denny Sanford PREMIER Center. As these rumors proved to be true and my expectations fell through, I realized that this experience was not for me. Although, I felt so strongly about it not being the experience for me the atmosphere of the arena was unmatched. The lights were flashing and fading colors, the music was so loud I could feel the floor vibrating through my feet and the energy was like nothing I have ever experienced.
Opening that night for A Boogie were Toosii and Kaliii. I assumed that just because I loved their music, I was going to like the concert too. The concert did not change my opinion about the music of any of these artists. I continue to love A Boogie and Toosii’s songs even though hearing them live was not like I thought.
My goal is not to make this experience sound like it was appalling because overall I really did enjoy it to an extent. There was tons of confetti shot into the air towards the end of the concert, which was astonishing, I was fairly close to the artists themselves, I got to spend time with my friends that I had not seen since they left for college and I got some cute pictures. The difference between country concerts and rap concerts is immense but just because I would not attend another rap concert does not mean that you would not enjoy one.
