Stuck on Repeat, The Origin

It didn't matter what time of year it was. In my Nanny's car, it would always be Christmas music. It was predictable in a way that I loved. Anytime “The Little Drummer Boy” came on, she would wail against the steering wheel and dash, drumming along to the ba rum ba ba bum. As a little kid, I thought this was the best thing ever, giggling hysterically and asking her to play it again.

"Upside, inside out, she's livin' la vida loca" would be blaring through our home as I jumped around on my parents' bed, tutu and costume jewelry on, obviously. It was a toss up between this and some mix of Irish dance music. My grandfather was Irish and sadly passed away early in my life. My mom felt connected to him through Irish music, and therefore a good chunk of my childhood was spent in a local Irish pub listening to live music (and eating chicken fingers).

Flash forward to 4th grade: it was time to pick an instrument and join the school band. Despite popular belief and me being a quiet kid, I chose the drums. My nanny still claims credit for this to this day — and honestly, she's probably right. It gave me confidence in a way I never expected. I was the first girl to play the bass drum in the middle school marching band (think small girl, big drum strapped to her front).

Flash forward again to 7th grade: my dad brought me to my first concert. U2 at Gillette Stadium. As a 12 year old, this was the coolest thing I had ever experienced. Another piece of this puzzle — I'm a Cape kid whose parents play beach volleyball, which meant pretty much every weekend growing up was spent at the beach. But the part I remember most wasn't the beach. It was the early morning drives down to grab a good parking spot, my dad slipping U218 Singles into the truck CD player. “Beautiful Day” is still his all time favorite song to this day. I would beg for “Vertigo”, every single time. If it wasn't obvious, my first concert got me hooked.

Now in my late 20s, music is still something that connects me deeply to my family and brings me joy on a daily basis. One of my all time favorite things is going home to visit my parents on a random weekend. Why? Because 95% of the time it results in a living room concert as my mom DJs through her favorite 90s grunge playlist. My fiancé has been fully initiated into this ritual and looks forward to the post-bar living room concert every time we visit (Smashing Pumpkins, Alice in Chains, Temple of the Dog, Soundgarden — pretty much anything Chris Cornell ever touched).

So yes, I spend my adult money on concert tickets sometimes. But for me it's beyond the concert itself. Live music has been part of my life since I was the little kid eating chicken fingers in a pub booth, and it still brings out the spirit of the 4th grader who was brave enough to get up on stage and play in front of an audience. Fenway Park. July 8th. I’m coming for you Noah Kahan.