Amanda Lyles
Staff Writer

Back in August, I begged my mom to buy me tickets to see Tove Lo in concert at the Fillmore in Philadelphia. She logged on to Ticket Master to buy them without hesitation on the release date, but sadly they were already sold out. I grew instantly disappointed because I spent so much time listening to her album “Queen of the Clouds” and really connected with it. I waited weeks, and as time went on I gave up on my dreams of attending this concert. Then, toward the middle of August, my mom surprised me with two tickets to see Tove Lo in October! She moved to another venue, known as the Fillmore. Like any teenager going to see their favorite band would do, I searched and watched live videos of Tove Lo and constantly blogged or shared photos of her with captions like “I can’t wait to see you, Tove…You sound amazing!” I knew it would be a one in a million chance she’d respond, even though in the back of my mind I obsessed over wanting to meet her but missing my chance to do so. Looking at the big picture, I knew I was going to be in the same room as this amazing, upcoming artist and would have the slight possibility of meeting her, even though it was still a long shot.
As I walked in the cold under a bridge casting a long shadow, I saw Tove’s bus parked across the street on the side of the venue. I discovered only four people ahead of me. I believe that in situations like these where one is as excited as the fellow concertgoers, people tend to connect very well. To be honest, I couldn’t believe that I was even fifth in line, and had the opportunity to see Tove’s bus in person. Most people would not see that as an accomplishment, but I consider this concert to be significant considering the connections I’ve made with her music. At past events and shows, I recall being pushed, shoved and barely being able to seeing anything. Suddenly, my friend and I were admitted early along with the rest of the line. Once inside, we quickly received instructions to buy fast passes in order to be in the front of the line a half hour earlier than the general admission. Without hesitation, we were in the front of a new line as I began questioning why life was going so well at the moment. Finally, at 7:30 p.m. we were let in, running as fast as we could to the gate standing firm in front of the stage where Tove would be performing. We waited for Tove Lo and the push of the general admission crowd as our anticipation lifted us to an ethereal daydream of excitement. We could not believe how close we were to the main stage, our reach extending just up to the edge of the performance area.
For the next hour, we watched Erik Hassle perform with radiant energy and a great voice. After performing, Erik introduced Tove to the crowd as he waved goodbye. The audience soon erupted in joy as the song “Not on Drugs” began. Finally, we were standing right in front of an artist entertaining hundreds of people with a wave of positive sound and a high-energy performance. Not only did Tove make her show personal and real, she made it unforgettable. Sadly, I was unable to meet Tove due to my friend’s curfew, but I later found out that Tove did indeed meet with fans! Overall, it was an amazing, life-changing experience that I’d wished had ended a little differently. Even though I couldn’t meet Tove Lo, I’ll keep my memories of this fantastic artist the way they are and look forward to another opportunity.