Girlhood is a Noah Kahan Concert
I am no stranger to going to concerts alone (because I strongly believe that life is too short to miss the things you love just because someone won’t go with you) but there was something beyond magical at the second night of Noah Kahan at Wrigley Field on the Great Divide Tour. This concert would not have been possible without sheer luck and determination. A last-minute ticket, the Ventra app, and a lack of sleep can make for quite the adventure. The night before the concert I was ironing on the postage stamp watercolor paintings onto a button-up white shirt with the help of transfer paper at 11:00 pm and anticipating the chaos of the next adventure. I could not imagine what the next 24 hours were about to hold.
Moments:
On the train from the suburbs, I asked a couple of girls if they were also going to the concert and they excitedly replied with “Yes!” I thought this could be the end of the interaction but instead, they invited me to get off at the same stop as them so we could navigate to Wrigley Field together. As someone who has never traveled to Wrigley by myself, this felt like such a blessing. From the Metra to the El to a CTA bus, the timing was perfect! It was amazing getting to know these two women and get to know a little bit more of their stories. Once we made it to Wrigley, we didn’t part ways, we went to the Culture Pop pop-up for some free popcorn, keychain, and of course a can of the Culture Pop x Noah Kahan collab. We took photos for each other in front of the marquee and ventured around the pre-show Busyhead booths.
Once I made it to my seat, I was there early and proceeded to give the few Noah Kahan bracelets I had made to the members of staff who were making it possible for us to be there. One moment that really resonated with me was the one of the women I gave an Orbiter bracelet to told me a sweet story about how she witnessed a mom the night before having a moment with her daughter to the song Orbiter the night before and how it moved her to tears. She asked me how I knew that that song now had a major meaning to her. I couldn’t tell you, maybe it’s just intuition or dumb luck.
I don’t think I could have asked to be in a better section (shout-out to section 119!) to be in for the course of the night. The first few rows were the lucky bugs who managed to get off the waitlist and land tickets and everyone was just so happy to be there. There were two other girls who were at the show alone, and we all just vibed together. I took photos for strangers; strangers asked to take photos of my custom watercolor Last of the Bugs postage stamp button-up. I helped groups take photos together and helped them pose to get the best photos. We traded bracelets and pins. I mean, we all cried together! It felt like a show where everyone already knew each other.
However, even after the show the beauty of Noah Kahan fans didn’t end. I ended up missing the train back home by mere minutes, and there were two other girls who were heading the same direction and offered to let me jump in their Uber with them, and they would add me as a new drop-off spot. By no means did they need to offer that, let alone talk to me. BUT I am so thankful that they did, as I was able to get home a lot sooner than I would have otherwise, and bonus, it was a fun car ride back.
Moral of the story: Noah Kahan concerts bring out the best people, and I am thankful that social anxiety fears me. You never know how much a small conversation can lead to the biggest adventures.