It’s the fight of your life. Your hands are sweating, your mind is all over the place, and the anticipation is killing you as you wait to click the button that will determine it all: you’re buying concert tickets. This summer, the war to purchase tickets finally earns its ending. One of the biggest icons in music history, Beyoncé, came to Florida to perform live. Another fan favorite, Karol G, also had a concert, along with the annual rolling loud Hip-Hop festival.
On August 18th, Beyoncé arrived at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami to perform her most popular and cherished songs. Beyoncé is known for her show-stopping stage presence, with her technical choreography and her impeccable vocals. Ziara Bryant shares how “literally the whole time, [my] dad was screaming and yelling, so sometimes [I] couldn’t really hear that well, but it was so fun.” The sophomore “really liked her speech at the end because it was inspirational to [me].” With just one month of performing in various states, Beyoncé is already breaking records. She has overcome the biggest recorded one-month gross in history, earning over 120 million dollars and has become the highest-grossing Black artist and female artist in music history. Aside from that, Beyoncé’s outfits throughout the tour have been of great significance. One of her most popular ensembles is known as ‘Queen-bey,’ which is a bedazzled black and yellow bodysuit. On another night of performing, she wore a set of outfits that were designed by Black artists. Beyoncé even plans to associate her outfits with her fans during August 23- September 22, in celebration of Virgo season, as said in a tweet.
In April 2023, Karol G announced that she will be touring all around the United States starting in Las Vegas on August 11, 2023, with the debut of her new album titled Mañana Será Bonito. The Colombian prodigy left her mark at the Hard Rock Stadium this past weekend. As a representation for the Hispanic community, throughout her tour, she has made a breakthrough by being the first Latina to headline at Lollapalooza in Chicago. Along with her memorable achievements, Karol not only takes part in making a difference as a Colombian artist, but also makes sure to ‘be-friend’ her fans and maintain a ‘relationship’ with them. Occasionally, Karol G herself stepped off-stage at some of her shows to tell her fans ‘I love you too,’ up close. Lyn Lopez, a Pines Charter sophomore expresses, “if you were amongst the crowd, you could hear everybody singing along with her. It was so fun and the guy next to me was hilarious to watch.” Karol’s songs hold sentimental value to her fans, which makes her music so much more cherishable. Sophomore and major fan of Karol G’s, Sofia Mejia, says, “[My] favorite song was ‘Ocean’ because it’s really special to [me] and [my] mom.” Karol G’s tour will always be remembered as a great event in musical history.
Some of the world’s most beloved artists performed at the Rolling Loud concert this summer. The event’s team worked hard to ensure that it would become a premier festival, which is why it was hosted in Miami. The three day weekend from July 21-23 featured many hip hop artists, including Central Cee, 21 Savage, Lil Uzi Vert, and many more famous talents. Multiple guests who attended came for a singular artist, but left with even more satisfaction all around. With multiple surprises throughout the weekend like Central Cee’s performance alongside Drake and the debut of Travis Scott’s new song “God’s Country”, made the experience even better.
With the closing of the summer of 2023, comes great memories from the concerts of some fans’ favorite artists. We say goodbye to our cherished musicians, Beyoncé, Karol G, and the Rolling Loud music festival, and enter a new musical era.