As you can probably tell by now, I am a huge music fan, so concerts are my favorite way to spend my time and money. I’ve been to a handful of concerts from a variety of different artists and genres, so I feel as though I am more than qualified to rate and compare the live performances I’ve seen. Every concert I’ve been to thus far has been outstanding and I have never not had fun.

Post Malone (“B**rbongs and Bentleys Tour”, Atlanta GA, 2018)

This was my first “real” concert and I was not disappointed. The “B**rbongs and Bentleys Tour” was Post Malone’s first headline tour, and although he was only 3 years into his music career, he put on an impressive show. He was on stage as though he had been performing for years: he was cracking tons of jokes, interacting with the crowd, and his performance was so good. Post played so many of my favorite songs from both Stoney and B**rbongs and Bentleys, so I had the time of my life. Overall, Post put on a pretty amazing show! I just wish his set was longer.

Rating: 8/10

21 Savage (“B**erbongs and Bentleys Tour”, Atlanta GA, 2018)

I didn’t really enjoy 21’s performance- I liked his music at the time, but since his music hadn’t blown up yet, the crowd was pretty dead. His stage presence was pretty poor, but I don’t think I can blame him because he was pretty new live performances, especially one of that size. He pretty much walked back and forth across the stage. He’s a good musician, so hopefully his performance skills have grown since I saw him live 4 years ago. The highlight of his involvement in the show was his duet with Post for “Rockstar”. They smashed a few guitars and hugged each other. How wholesome!

Rating: 3/10

Kacey Musgraves (“Oh, What a World Tour”, Charleston SC, 2019) 

To this very day, Kacey is top #3 in my ranking of every live performance I’ve seen. I only spent about $70 and was nearly barricade in the pit (and I didn’t even camp out). Her new tour for her Star-Crossed album has gotten so crazy that fans are waiting days in advance just to get close to the stage, so I am SO lucky to have been able to see her live in my hometown with the best seats in the house. Between her interactions with us in the crowd, her gorgeous voice that sounds exactly like the recordings (if not better), and the visuals of the show, Kacey and her band put on an unforgettable show. Needless to say, I would love to see Kacey again!

Rating: 9/10

Weyes Blood (“Oh, What a World Tour”, Charleston SC, 2019)

I honestly forgot that Weyes Blood opened for Kacey at this show and I’m so mad at my past self for not taking any videos. I didn’t start listening to Weyes Blood until the summer of 2020. Obviously I don’t have much to say about the performance, so I won’t rate it.

Rating: —

Post Malone (“Runaway Tour”, Columbia SC, 2019)

Post kind of disappointed me with this show; the jokiness and the crowd interactions were minimal, if not non-existent. I don’t remember much from his set either. I remember having a ton of fun, but his first tour was much more memorable. He seemed so exhausted (which is not his fault at all, I can only imagine huge tours like this really take a toll on one’s mental health).

Rating: 7/10

Tyla Yaweh (“Runaway Tour”, Columbia SC, 2019)

Tyla was a cute show, but I didn’t know any of his songs so I felt super awkward.

Rating: 6/10

Swae Lee (“Runaway Tour”, Columbia SC, 2019)

Swae Lee CARRIED this concert. He was so excited to be there! He was jumping, screaming, making silly little jokes, and sang his heart out. My favorite parts of concerts are when you can tell the artist loves the music they make and performing. He played his most popular songs, including some that he made with Rae Sremmurd. His set included all of his most popular songs, and, of course, he and Post sang their duet of “Sunflower” which was also super cute. I would LOVE to see Swae perform with Rae Sremmurd.

Rating: 8/10

Travis Scott (“Astroworld Tour”, Charlotte NC, 2020)

I hate to admit it due to the recent events at “Astroworld Fest”, but the Travis concert was extremely fun. I was in the stands with seats and had the time of my life. I honestly don’t know how my friend and I were able to survive given we were 15 year old girls…and we were alone. I’m so glad that we were in seats instead of the pit because fans were packed in like sardines and there were what seemed like 4 different mosh pits. I didn’t realize it at the time, but looking back at the videos I have, the pit seemed insane. This random guy made his way up to the stage, hugged Travis, and stage dove. Again, I really hate to admit how cool the concert was. Obviously it’s your decision if you want to attend a concert after the Astroworld incident, but I wouldn’t recommend it…why would you want to give all of your money to someone who blatantly ignored their own fans being trambled/injured/killed. I guess if you REALLY want to go to a Travis concert, I would recommend just getting nosebleed tickets/seat tickets. You’ll be a lot safer. But if it were up to me, I wouldn’t see him live.

Rating: —

Sheck Wes (“Astroworld Tour”, Charlotte NC, 2020)

Sheck Wes is by far the weirdest artist I’ve seen live. He kept howling like a wolf, and since I did not know the lore behind Sheck Wes (and still don’t, to be honest), I couldn’t help but hysterically laugh. Of course everyone only knew “Mo Bamba” (and I am no exception to this), so the crowd was dead during every other song. I could tell he was having a lot of fun, and the show was definitely memorable, but because I don’t like his music I wouldn’t see him again.

Rating: 6.5/10

Phoebe Bridgers (“Phoebe Bridgers Reunion Tour”, Charlotte NC, 2021)

Phoebe’s set was SO good!!! I was so excited to see her live and am still dumbfounded that I got to experience some of my favorite songs of all time in such an intimate setting (it only sits around 5,000 people). I exclusively listened to her entire discography for 3 months prior to the show in preparation for one of the best nights of my life. My friend and I waited in line for about an hour just to get to our “seats”, but it was so worth it. Because the concert was pretty much general admission only, my friend and I were able to get pretty close to the stage. Before every single song Phoebe said something along the lines of “this song is for when…” or “I wrote this song because…” and then would proceed to make a joke about something a little dark (especially because all of her songs are painfully sad). Overall, Phoebe was spectacular and I can’t wait to see her again if I can.

Rating: 9.5/10

Muna (“Phoebe Bridgers Reunion Tour”, Charlotte NC, 2021)

I regret not looking into Muna before going to the show. I was so excited for Phoebe that I didn’t even think to listen to their music. A few weeks before the concert, Muna and Phoebe released a song called “Silk Chiffon”; although I did not know any other songs by them, their duet was enough to motivate me to start listening to them after the concert. They were a lot of fun and their stage presence was extremely impressive for an opening act. Muna was the perfect group to open for Phoebe and I highly recommend looking into their music if you like bedroom/electronic pop.

Rating: 8.5/10

Harry Styles (“Love on Tour”, Raleigh NC, 2021)

I strongly believe that there is no better concert than a Harry concert and I’m sure a ton of people agree with me. I’ve loved Harry since One Direction’s debut album hit the stands and haven’t been able to see them/him live since…until this concert. As soon as the “la la la la” intro for “Golden” played, I started uncontrollably ugly crying. I also cried for about 90% of the concert and Talon staff member Hallie Cole can attest to this. As always, Harry was extremely funny and produced a unique experience for every single fan. We sang happy birthday to a girl named Ivy who attended the show alone and Harry made sure to let her know that she is “never alone”; as cheesy as that sounds, interactions like that are what makes Harry stand out from other artists. I could go on and on about how amazing of a performer Harry is, but this article is already pretty lengthy.

Rating: 10/10

Jenny Lewis (“Love on Tour”, Raleigh NC, 2021)

Again, I regret not looking into the opener of this concert. Jenny was really good, I just wish I knew the lyrics to her songs. I’ll admit it- during her set, I went to the bathroom, got snacks, and waited in line for Harry merch. She didn’t play the song she wrote for the Disney movie Bolt, so I decided I wasn’t very interested. I’m so sorry Jenny. I now see the error of my ways.

Shoutout to Hallie for coming with me to “Love on Tour” and another shoutout to her dad for being a huge Jenny Lewis fan.

Rating: 7/10

Conclusion:

Based on my ratings, my top 3 favorite live performances were from 1. Harry Styles, 2. Phoebe Bridgers, and 3. Kacey Musgraves. Take that information as you will.

On March 23rd I will be seeing Tyler, the Creator, Vince Staples, and Kali Uchis at the North Charleston coliseum with some of my best friends and I could not be more excited! I have a list of names in my phone for artists I want to see live before I die: Kendrick Lamar, Taylor Swift, Phoebe (again), Harry (again), Greta Van Fleet, Paul McCartney, Father John Misty, Lana Del Rey, Mitski, Clairo, The Weeknd…the list goes on. So pray for me.