After the pandemic there has been a steady return of artists to the Bay Area on tours, armed with troves of unperformed music. In the past few months, the likes of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Kendrick Lamar, Coldplay, The Weekend and more have graced the Bay Area. In the upcoming months, we have Steve Lacy, Wu-Tang Clan, Charlie Puth and more to look forward to. 

As venues turn their lights back on, and fans return to their seats, we took to Paly to gauge levels of anticipation and to find out if artists and venues have been living up to the expectations.

“I’m seeing Steve Lacy in November with my friend, and I’m super excited,” sophomore Madeleine Quo said. “He’s playing the Fox Theater in Oakland, which I’ve heard is a super nice venue.”

According to Paly students, the venue has a lot to do with overall enjoyment. Junior Julian Davis recently visited nearby Shoreline Amphitheater in Mountain View and took special notice of the ambiance. 

“I went to see the Grateful Dead at Shoreline and really enjoyed it because it was outside and in the sun,” Davis said.

Shoreline, as well as numerous other local venues, have packed schedules in the upcoming months. Paly students will be in the crowd for several of these shows. Some students are so dedicated, they are even planning to attend concerts on tours that for the moment are purely speculation.

“All of my friends and I are big Taylor [Swift] fans, so when she comes we’ll definitely go,” senior Sonia Hussein said. “I can’t wait.”

When such highly anticipated tours eventually come into existence and hit the Bay along the way, the hype often manifests itself in ticket prices. Such can be seen most notably when Olivia Rodrigo visited San Francisco on her debut tour. 

“[Rodrigo] played at the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium, which was a super nice location,”  sophomore Kennedy Do said. “We paid about $900 per ticket, but it was totally worth it.”

On the flip side, because of such a saturated market of live performances, if you look for one, you can find a good bargain. 

“For Maroon 5 I sat pretty far up, so the tickets were only about $30,” sophomore Llew Ladomirak said. “It was a good time considering the price.” 

Regardless of price, hype, location or admiration for the artist, most agree concerts are an enjoyable way to spend an evening. 

“I’ve never had a bad time at a concert,” Davis said. “If you have the opportunity to go to one, take advantage of it.”

Featured image by Zeke Morrison