The festival life
Junior Diem Dang gains a professional opportunity be attending the Beyond Wonderland music festival.
I went to my first concert — Martina McBride — when I was 5 years old. Ever since, I’ve been notorious for dragging my friends along to concerts and even making four-hour road trips to see some of my favorite artists. Because of my love for music, I’ve decided to make a career out of it.
In a city like L.A., there is never a shortage of live music to hear. L.A. is notorious for surprise guests making appearances on any given night and huge celebrities popping up in small, crowded venues.
My favorite concert that I’ve been to so far this semester has been Alexander 23’s L.A. debut at the Moroccan Lounge. The intimacy of a small venue is unmatched, and there was definitely magic in the room that night. A couple hundred people filled the small room, with Alexander’s most dedicated fans squeezed right up next to the stage.
Seeing how overjoyed his fans were to see him perform live and hearing them all sing along to every word was endearing and a great reminder of why I want to work in music.
In a city full of celebrities, smaller talent can get overlooked or forgotten. People get wrapped up in securing tickets to a sold-out arena tour or overpaying for notorious festivals, and it’s easy to get jaded quickly. Going to these small shows and getting to see a smaller artist interact with his biggest fans is like a window into my past, when I was 14 and would camp out for hours to get a spot in the front row.
Experiences like these keep me excited and motivated about my decision to pursue working in music despite the sometimes overwhelming nature of the industry.