Standing in the sweltering heat, sophomore Alexandria Sundquist waits at the front of a long, winding line. The black ropes in front of her prevent her from walking any further. Suddenly, the ropes drop. Sundquist rushes through them, making her way through a theater and stopping directly in front of a stage.

This process is called camping, in which avid concertgoers, like Sundquist, wait in line for hours or even days to get a place directly in front of the barricade that separates the stage from the floor.

“For example, when I saw Billie Eilish in New York City and Nashville, they had a wristband system where they would give you a wristband based on your place in line,” Sundquist said. “I lined up at 6 a.m., and the concert started at 8:30 p.m.”

Sundquist began attending concerts at the age of nine. Her first ever concert was Lady Gaga’s World Tour for her album “Joanne.”

“I would just sit in my bed watching Lady Gaga videos,” Sundquist said. “And then I saw that she was going on tour, and I showed my parents, and I was like, ‘we have to go,’ and we went, and I was the only child there.”

That concert shaped Sundquist’s relationship with music, introducing her to various new bands and artists. Now, Sundquist has seen over 40 artists live, including Melanie Martinez, Poppy, Alanis Morrisette and Billie Eilish.

“When I saw Melanie Martinez in 2023, I did a fan project where I basically printed out a bunch of signs that said, ‘we’re here to stay,’” Sundquist said. “And I was in the front row for that, I passed out all the signs and everybody held them up during this one song, but it was my project, so I held mine up first and [Martinez] came up to me and she bent down, read my sign, and gave me little hand hearts.”

This is not the first time Sundquist has interacted with musicians. She has met Marina from Marina and the Diamonds, Clairo, Poppy, Billie Eilish and Morrissey and Johnny Marr of the band The Smiths.

“[Morrissey] had viewed a ton of my [Instagram] stories,” Sundquist said. “He’s reposted me many times.”

Sundquist’s family has also played a big role in developing her concert-going hobby. Her mother has attended concerts with her before, and whenever Sundquist travels to New York for a concert, she usually stays with relatives.

“It’s not like the type of thing where [my mom] is going as my chaperone,” Sundquist said. “She also really enjoys [music], and it’s a really special bonding experience for us.”

When Sundquist receives news of a concert she wants to go to, she plans her schedule wisely. Sundquist is easily able to balance schoolwork with her concerts, often planning ahead and completing work as soon as possible to avoid any future complications.

Sundquist has not faced many challenges while going to concerts, other than the wait times and weather. Although she buys tickets to concerts that are months in the future, Sundquist has never missed one. She has also never gone out of the country for a concert, with the farthest she has traveled being Los Angeles, California.

Sundquist is usually not alone when she attends a concert, either going with friends or family.

“I’ve made a ton of friends around the world, especially from Billie Eilish,” Sundquist said. “I have friends in Mexico and Europe and things like that, just from going to these shows.”

Sundquist believes that anyone can go to a concert, whether they are a superfan or a casual listener. She also feels that the atmosphere of the concerts today is different from the atmosphere of the concerts she attended when she was younger.

“I think that people are less present,” Sundquist said. “I think Taylor Swift, no hate to her, is a really talented individual, but I think that her ‘Eras Tour’ kind of made going to concerts a trend on social media, which I think has definitely hiked up the prices [of tickets] a lot in the last few years.”

Despite this, Sundquist continues to interact with people at concerts and have fun. One of her favorite concerts she has attended is Billie Eilish’s Hit Me Hard and Soft World Tour. She has gone to Eilish’s concerts seven times.

“Billie has a point in the show where she comes down to meet everybody in the front row,” Sundquist said. “And because of that I’ve met her four times, which is insane to say.”

Along with influencing her music taste, Sundquist’s concert experiences have also influenced her fashion sense.

“For one of the nights I went to Billie Eilish, I wore an oversized jersey, kind of in Billie fashion,” Sundquist said. “Because of the show I discovered new combos and things that I would like.”

To those who want to attend a concert or are going to a concert, Sundquist advises to stay hydrated and eat plenty of food.

“I’ve seen way too many people fainting and having to be carried out,” Sundquist said. “It gets really hot, and you can get super light-headed.”

In 2025, Sundquist already has plans to attend nine concerts, including Poppy and Dua Lipa. Through these concerts and past ones, she has found a community filled with much joy and passion. She hopes to continue supporting her favorite artists and experiencing the magic of concerts.