As more people across the nation begin to get vaccinated, things are looking hopeful for returning to a ‘pre-pandemic’ life. This includes being able to have mass gatherings, more specifically being able to host concerts and experience live music. As artists begin to announce tour dates and festivals begin to announce lineups for this year, SLU students are beginning to plan for more upcoming concerts.

Take, for example, sophomore Daniel Bernas. An avid fan of concerts, Bernas said his love for them came from the fact, “that you can experience the music in its rawest form” and cannot wait to, “hear these kinds of sounds up close again.” When asked who he was most excited to see, Bernas said Charli XCX: “I think it will be a poignant moment to hear songs like ‘c2.0,’ a song about missing your friends, and ‘anthems,’ a song about missing parties and being lazy, in a claustrophobic crowd, cry-dancing while screaming the words,” discussing songs off of her 2020 album “how i’m feeling now.” Charli XCX has not announced a tour yet, but Daniel is hoping to still see her soon.

Sophomore Gabby Roeder is also hoping for an artist who has not yet announced a tour: Saint Louis native Smino. When asked why Smino, Roeder said that, “I didn’t get to see him live when he came in December 2019, [and since] he’s from the Lou, I think getting to see him live in his home city would be really special.” While Charli XCX and Smino have not announced tours yet, some SLU students are looking forward to shows they already have tickets to.

Senior Eric McClelland is most looking forward to seeing Eric Church perform at the Enterprise Center later in the year, saying, “[he’s] my favorite artist and I’ve wanted to see him live for a long time. I had tickets to see him in November 2020, but it has been rescheduled to November 2021.” Rescheduling was a common practice among larger artists during the pandemic, especially at the Enterprise Center. Take for example Harry Styles, who rescheduled his “Love On Tour” Saint Louis stop with Jenny Louis from June 2020 to September 2021.

As an avid concert goer myself, there are quite a few shows that I am hoping to go to later in the year. There are some outdoor concerts that have been announced which would be quite exciting, namely the recently announced Louis The Child tour, with opener Jai Wolf. Yet there are also some shows at The Pageant that are quite exciting, mostly from indie acts Dayglow, COIN, Soccer Mommy, Beach Bunny and Julien Baker, to name a few. For live music, things are headed in a promising direction that should create a busy yet exciting concert season this upcoming fall semester.