Pumping bass, flashing lights, screaming fans.

Although I had not been a Brockhampton fan for a very long time, I was still really passionate about them. As a whole collective and as individuals they are extremely unique and all incredibly talented and creative people. With around 13 outstanding minds all working under the name of Brockhampton with various roles, how could it not become something great?

I have waited in many lines for many shows but I had never waited as long as five hours like I did for this one. As we exited the car expecting to jump directly in line, my friend and I felt slightly lost. There was no clear beginning or end of the line and also no sign of the friends we were meeting for the show. 

With a phone call I was met with the news that our friends had just met the band coincidentally while being dropped off and were now walking to a shop where they thought the band might have went. I know that sounds a bit stalker-esc to follow celebrities into a store but this was a chance that could not be missed.

With a short walk from WaMu theater, the four of us joined to enter Bon Voyage Vintage in Pioneer Square, Seattle. 

Lo and behold right in front of us were multiple members of Brockhampton. 

I was simply awe-struck upon entrance. 

I could not fathom the fact that people who all had a part of making the music I loved so dearly and listened to on a daily basis were right in front of me, innocently shopping for clothes. I had been in this store before but I still, as calmly as I possibly could, walked around a little bit to scope out my surroundings. When I had gained the courage, I walked up to Ian Simpson, also known as Kevin Abstract, greeted him quickly and asked for a picture. After my shaking hands snapped a blurry picture, he asked what my name was and introduced himself to me. This made me feel a bit stupid. I forgot to introduce myself to him as an actual person and not just someone who followed him into this store.

    I could not believe how naturally my friends kept conversations going with Romil Hemnani, the group’s producer, Nick Holiday, clothing designer and friend of the band and Matt Champion, one of the rappers/artists in the group. 

    We returned to line and would stay there for four more hours. We laughed and sang and met new people. 

    There were multiple sections of the line separated by barricades. We were in the very front of our section. When the long hours had passed and it had grown darker as well as colder, it was time to enter the venue. As we entered the metal detectors our excitement built even more. We walked briskly towards one of the multiple ticket scanners at the door just as everyone else which makes it feel like life is being sped up. As we entered the venue, we went to the right of the stage and we were actually decently close to the stage. 

As people piled in we got more and more squished because of the numerous people yearning to be closer to the stage. We had to stand packed like sardines for about an hour before the opener came out on stage. For some of the concerts I go to, I listen to the opening act before hand but not this time. And I was completely caught off guard because of that. Listening to a band for the first time live is quite odd because you can’t really tell if your like them or not. You kind of have to base it off of how much fun it looks like they’re having. Because of the booming speakers I couldn’t hear the words at all, but I could tell it was more electronic. Some people in the crowd showed their distaste for the performers but for me it was hard not to have fun no matter what music it was. 

After the opener, we had to wait another hour for Brockhampton. During the opening act and even when we were just waiting, there would be sudden pushes in the crowd. All of the sudden you and the clump of people around you were falling and you had to fight to stay on your feet. 

I don’t typically go to big venues to see artists and I had never been to see an artist like brockhampton because pop/rap isn’t music I typically listen to. Basically, I had never been to show with that demographic. I enjoy going to shows of different genres because you get to see the type of people enjoy that genre and how they compare to different shows you’ve been to.

The lights finally lowered and the crowd erupted. The conditions were 10 times worse than it was before. Our group was cut in half and I was only left with one of my friends. Luckily, it was the one I was riding with. One of our friends was pushed to the back and the other right to the front. The friend that I was stuck with and I were slowly pushed to the back but not nearly as drastically as our other friend.

The stage design included mirrors on the ceiling with was a weird point of view to see the show from. Some were in the shape of a cross which connected to the biblical references found in their newest album GINGER with singles like HEAVEN BELONGS TO YOU, IF YOU PRAY RIGHT and NO HALO. They were donned in reflective orange jumpsuits with white t-shirts underneath which was not surprising due to their history with wearing orange jumpsuits while on stage and in music videos. The setlist was a good mix of favorites, new hits and mixes of songs that aren’t played anywhere else but during concerts in between songs. 

I was incredibly happy to be able to not only see my favorite band live but also meet them. Meeting the artists before they went on stage made me feel like I was apart of the show in some way. Even though I probably didn’t make a lasting impression on the artists, every visit I make to that store in the future, will make me think back to this day and how starstruck I felt. Brockhampton was special to me before but now I feel even more connected to them. I look forward to seeing them again as they continue to grow as musicians and creators while they continue to push the boundaries of the rap genre. Having this experience with fun people only made the night that much sweeter.