Many concerts were canceled amidst the COVID-19 pandemic and frequent concert-goers went without live music for months. However, now that restrictions are lifting, music artists are taking the opportunity to tour and see their fans in-person once again. 

Seniors Kate Fischer, Nikki Linsenbardt and Bella Vollmer originally had tickets to see Harry Styles’ concert, Love On Tour, at the Enterprise Center in St. Louis on July 21, 2020, but it was canceled due to COVID-19 restrictions. When the tour was rescheduled for Sept. 15, 2021, they were ecstatic about being able to finally see him in-person.

“I will never forget the rush of adrenaline I had once Harry came out on stage. It was mind-blowing to have someone that you’ve only seen through your phone for so long, standing right in front of you. If it wasn’t for COVID-19, I don’t think we would’ve been as passionate about Harry as we are now, so in some ways I am grateful for the quarantine,” Fischer said. 

They had so much fun at their first concert, they decided one concert wasn’t enough. Their experience inspired them to convince their parents to let them go to the concert in Chicago that was less than a week away. 

“The next day I texted Bella and told her how much I wish I could go again. She told me Harry was playing in Chicago on [Sept. 25] the following weekend. Right then I decided I would commit to making that happen. I was so determined to go,” Linsenbardt said. 

Since they were traveling all the way to Chicago and sacrificing work and cheer events, the girls wanted to go all out and purchase pit seats that are located right by the stage. The process of trying to find tickets was stressful, but that didn’t stop them. 

“Buying the tickets was the hardest part because all of his shows are completely sold out, meaning we had to search through multiple scammers and overpriced resale. It was so risky buying off of other people because once you pay them there is no guarantee they send the tickets. You just have to hope you picked the right person. I bought all of the tickets within a week, including the last one being two days before we left,” Vollmer said. 

On Saturday, Sept. 25, the girls set out at 7 a.m. for Chicago. They attended the concert that night and drove home the next morning at 9 a.m. Although the trip was short, they ended up having a better experience than they had at the St. Louis concert. 

“The first concert was so amazing and I just couldn’t believe it was over so fast. The second concert was even better. I would pay three times the amount we did to go back there. Being there with some of my closest friends is what made it so special. The dream would be for us to see him in New York,” Lindenbardt said. 

Other artists that performed in St. Louis in the past month include the Jonas Brothers, Trippie Redd and Grouplove. Although concerts have returned, venues are still making an effort to prevent the spread of COVID-19. For example, The Pageant and Delmar Hall are requiring at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test 72 hours before the concert in addition to requiring that all attendees wear masks. 

Artists are also taking precautions. For example, Grouplove performed at The Pageant on Sept. 21 and only allowed fully vaccinated fans to attend. However, people under the age of 12 who are unable to receive the vaccine were required to show a negative COVID-19 test 72 hours prior to the concert. A statement from the band was posted on The Pageant’s website. 

“We want to make sure that we are doing everything we can to keep you, our crew and ourselves safe at our shows so that the shows can go on,” Grouplove said on the website.