Rebekah Harrell
Editor-in-Chief
When COVID-19 hit in March of 2020, people became confined to their houses with emotions of fear and anger, but music offered an escape from all the hardships senior Grace Bliesner faced.
“I really found escapes in music over quarantine, it’s a way to mix up your day when it feels like every day is the same,” Bliesner said.
Bliesner experiences her world through music. She finds joy and comfort through the passionate lyrics of beautiful songs such as “Always You” by Louis Tomlinson.
“I’m almost always listening to music, it’s an escape from life. I love how it’s a universal love, there’s something for everybody,” she said.
For as long as she can remember, Bliesner grew up listening to music of all different types, but as she grew older she discovered her own style and became further influenced by music.
“I used to go to concerts with my mom pretty often when I was little, I don’t really remember the specifics, but I had so much fun every time. The first one I really remember was Andy Grammar in 2018, I loved the experience and remember feeling so many emotions throughout the whole show,” she said.
The first concert Bliesner attended was Alabama Shakes. Her family went to watch the concert on the Portland Waterfront after her mother won tickets on the radio.
“The first concert I took her to was for one down on the Portland Waterfront; I won tickets on the radio to see Alabama Shakes. Over the years, she and I have seen a number of shows at Edgefield together. They’re always special times for us to be together, sharing our love for live music,” Grace’s mother, Language Arts teacher, Kristen Sinclair said.
As soon as COVID-19 hit, concerts shut down, but now they have started to make a reappearance. Bliesner loves to attend concerts in order to get the full immersion experience of every song.
“Being able to go to live music again is so fun because after so long we can hear all of these new songs and artists who have become popular over Covid in-person and meet other people who feel the same way as you do,” said Bliesner.
When cases of COVID-19 started to decrease, she began to buy concert tickets to all her favorite musician’s concerts. The most recent concert she attended was Louis Tomlinson at the Portland Roseland Theater.
“It was an amazing experience, I started listening to his music over Covid so finally being able to see it in real life was incredible. The venue was so personal and all of the fans were really really welcoming and fun to be around. I love live music because it gives me something really fun to look forward to although it’s always bittersweet when it’s over,” she said.
Bliesner plans to attend seven more concerts between now and September. She also wants to keep experiencing music through live performances as long as she has a chance.
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