A Definitive Ranking of Concerts I've Attended

Let me lay it all out there for you. I've been to a bunch of concerts. This is a long list of 24 concerts (one for every year I've been alive) I can remember attending from the time I was 12 up until now. Judge away.

24. Jack White

Hear me out. It's not because it wasn't a good show. I was there for work and because I was not with friends or family, it was not as great as I was hoping. It was also a phone-less concert which I totally get but damn, not even one picture?

23. The Cheetah Girls (One World Tour)

I was the biggest Cheetah Girls fan for the longest time and finally got to see them live.. without Raven... Of course, I was probably getting too old to like them but it was still always a dream to see them. I was kind of let down and I only have myself to blame. Oh, well. You live and you learn.

22. High School Musical: The Concert

This was the high-point of my preteen existence and if I were ranking concerts back then, it'd be #1. Alas, the only thing that could've REALLY made this concert for me (and literally everyone) was ZAC EFRON. He wasn't there and for good reason. HE DIDN'T FREAKING SING IN THE FIRST FILM. Thankfully, he made up for it later.

21. Jonas Brothers (When You Look Me in the Eyes Tour)

Also, the most exciting time to be a preteen. I mean, we were in the Jonas Brothers' prime. It's only so far down on the list because of all these awesome concerts I've experienced.

20. Hannah Montana/Miley Cyrus (Best of Both Worlds Tour)

This one beats out the other four just because it's freaking Miley. The Jonas Brothers opened for her which was a bonus too.

19. Carrie Underwood (Blown Away Tour)

Due to rescheduling, I had to wait a little bit longer but it was a pretty good show for it being country and all.

18. Aerosmith (Global Warming Tour)

This was one of those bands that I just felt that I had to see. It was pretty exciting and the fact that I got to share it with my family was special.

17. American Idols Live! Tour 2012 (Season 11)

I was obsessed with this season more than I had been watching the show over the years. Season 11 had more talent than I had seen in a while and I was super stoked to see them live. I actually got to meet some of them and it made my entire summer. Also, Phillip Phillips signed my shirt.

16. Phillip Phillips

Of course, Phillip was my favorite so when I heard he was going to play at my college, I waited in line almost all day for tickets. It paid off since we were as close to the stage as we could possibly get. Funnily enough, I mysteriously lost my concert tee right after the show.

15. Honne

This was a rather intimate show, and with it being in such a small venue, I understand why. I always love discovering new artists, and with being so up close and personal, it made for a very nice evening with pals.

14. Macklemore/3OH!3 (The Heist Tour?)

Back in 2013, this was a big deal. And I mean, we got to live out our inner emo kid's dream of seeing 3OH!3 perform "Don't Trust Me." What more could you want? Oh, and we danced. We cried. We laughed. And had a really, really, really good time. ;)

13. Katy Perry (California Dreams Tour)

Say what you want about Katy Perry but she put on a great performance. It was very bright and colorful and very much Katy Perry in her prime. I had as much fun as high school me could have had at this concert.

12. Boulevardia 2016

This is a music (beer) festival held every summer in Kansas City and I swear, we decided to go on the hottest night of the year. Maybe it was, maybe it wasn't but either way, we were dying. Although we didn't know any of the acts, it was a great time to be with friends. This is also how I discovered Meg Myers and for that, no regrets.

11. Backstreet Boys/New Kids on the Block (NKOTBSB Tour)

Although my mom took my friends and I to this, it was so much fun. I was a little bitter that Kevin was not touring with them and that in exchange, I had to see the New Kids on The Block, but it was good.

10. Backstreet Boys/Avril Lavigne (In a World Like This Tour)

Backstreet Boys Round 2!! They got to redeem themselves because this time around, they had Kevin! Also, strangely enough, Avril Lavigne was the opener. She was not on for very long which was slightly disappointing but hey, we saw Avril.

9. Maroon 5/Neon Trees/Owl City (Overexposed Tour)

At the time, I was obsessed with Maroon 5 and travelling 3 hours back home from college to see them was totally worth it. Zero sleep and all. And hello, Adam Levine. That's all I'll say.

8. JoJo (Mad Love Tour)

I supposedly won tickets to this concert in Des Moines, Iowa. I had entered this contest hoping to win for the Lawrence, Kansas date but was still excited for this. I took my friend on this road trip and when we got there, they didn't have the tickets there for me. I was very confused and irritated but they ultimately let us in. It was great being able to stand so close to the stage and see one of my music idols.

7. The 1975 (North American Tour)

This was the first concert I took my boyfriend to and one of the first bands we had bonded over. It was a very special night despite being pretty far away.

6. Haim (Sister Sister Sister Tour)

Technically this was the second time I got to see Haim. I was not the biggest fan the first go around but quickly grew to love them afterwards. I was very insistent in going to their concert before moving away from Kansas City and was so glad that I did. If you haven't seen them live, I highly recommend it.

5. Kaleo/ZZ Ward (Kaleo Express Tour)

I don't mind General Admission when I get to go to shows like this. The room was absolutely electric and you could just tell everyone was into it. Stellar performances all around.

4. Lady Gaga (The Monster Ball Tour)

One word: amazing. I got my tickets so far in advance for this and was not disappointed in the slightest. It's been 7 years and I've been dying to see her again.

3. Beyonce (The Mrs. Carter Show World Tour)

I know what you're thinking.. why is Beyonce NOT #1??? You will know soon enough. This is one of my favorite concert stories to tell though because my friend and I drove from Kansas City to St. Louis to see her over winter break. Although our hotel was fairly close to the arena, we still decided to drive which was a MISTAKE. Sure, it was cold and we didn't want to walk but the traffic was so not worth it. Also, I was not properly prepared when we got there, as my phone died. What could be more sad? Except it wasn't because I have something called a memory. I can say with absolute certainty that out of all the concert tickets I've bought over the years, this one was the most expensive. For obvious reasons. Oh, and her surprise album drop had just happened days before this.

2. Music Midtown 2016

This festival was so special to me because Atlanta puts it on every year around my birthday so this was my gift from my best friend. I had never really been to a music festival on this great of a scale and it was so crazy and fun. I got to see Beck, DNCE, Chvrches, Daya, Kesha, Melanie Martinez, James Bay, The Killers, and more!

1. Music Midtown 2017

Last year's Music Midtown was absolutely killer. No, The Killers didn't make it back but you know who was there? Bruno Mars. Bam. And the night after? Mumford & Sons. Also, we got to see Haim, Young The Giant, Judah & the Lion, Weezer, Tove Lo, Zara Larsson, The Strumbellas, the list goes on. 'Twas awesome.