Fangirl Spotlight: Shelley

One of the best things about traveling for music is all the friends you make along the way. So, we're beyond excited to bring you the Fangirl Spotlight series to introduce you to fellow fangirls you may meet on the road, tell you their stories, and encourage you to book that trip.

BASICS

Name: Shelley

Age: 25

Where do you live?: Rhode Island

What do you do?: Tax Accountant

Twitter: @shelleyann1817

Insta: @shelleyann1817

THE GOOD STUFF

Tell us about the first trip you took for a band/artist and what first got you into traveling for music.

Living in Rhode Island, I’m fortunate to be an hour from Boston, an hour or two from Connecticut, about two hours from New Hampshire, and about 4 hours (It was only 2 when I went to college in CT) from New York City. Canceling all those locations out, I would say my first trip I took for a band/artist was driving by myself for the first time to Hershey Park to see Nick Jonas on the Future Now Tour. My friend was going to the show with her boyfriend, and I randomly decided to check tickets that morning (well for me noon is morning). They had some amazing seats so I bought them after my friend offered me a place to stay. Within minutes I got dressed and ready for a show and drove the full 7 hours (so much traffic!!!) to Hershey just for one show! I arrived right before the opening act hit the stage. It was such an adrenaline rush, extremely spontaneous for my standards, and something I will never forget!

Concerts and music have always been a large part of my life because of my passion and obsessive personality, two things I find essential to the fan lifestyle. When I was younger I had all this passion but so many limitations. Loving music from an early age and having this strong desire to see these performers and hear my favorite songs live had its obstacles. I had no way to get tickets without having any source of income or a credit card. I also had no way to go to concerts without a parent involved, since I wasn’t old enough to drive, or my parents wouldn’t allow me to attend without supervision. I spent my time daydreaming about all the shows I would attend and all the venues I would get to go to once I was free of those limitations. Those instances when the outside factors denied me of the experiences I desperately craved gave me all the drive I needed. I knew one day I would finally be able to travel and do the things I had always desired to do to make up for all the experiences I could never get back.

Who have you traveled for the most? How many of their shows have you been to/how far did you travel for them?

I traveled the most for “The handsome, the talented, the narcissistic, one of my personal favorites, Mr. Harry Styles!” Since Harry has gone solo I have been to 9 of his shows, meaning the next will be the big 10! I traveled coast to coast for this man attending his show in Los Angeles, California. It was the first time I ever transported myself to a concert in the air. California had always been a dream of mine! Being so invested in pop culture, California is the place where it all happens. I had wanted to go since I was 15 and madly in love (still very much am) with the Jonas Brothers. I also knew if I played my cards right I might be able to squeeze some time in to go to Disneyland, which was an even bigger dream than attending a concert in California. Harry’s tour was so special to me and I just felt immensely compelled to be there for the end of the tour.

Why that particular artist/band? What about them, or their show, made you want to travel to see them?

I don’t want to waste anyone’s time with a ten page essay of why I’m hopelessly devoted to Harry Styles, so I’ll summarize the high points. He’s such an amazing performer and one of the first performers I have experienced to personalize his concerts. He will wear a different ensemble, take the time to talk to his fans, tell random stories, and surprise the crowd with extra songs and performances. The truth is you just never know exactly what you are going to get when you go to see Harry in concert. Outside of his performing I find him so charismatic, a burst of energy, and just an all around lovely guy. It’s so hard for me to verbalize just what I love about him because anything I say is just scratching the surface.

I wanted to attend his Los Angeles shows in particular because they were the final stops of his tour. Having attended a few and experiencing this amazing high, I never wanted it to end! I figured if I attend the last show, then it's also Harry’s last show, there will be no FOMO and we can end the tour together. My intense case of fear of missing out would have killed me if I only got to experience the show through Periscope and Twitter updates. I had this strong feeling those shows would be extra special and they did not disappoint! I also traveled for the California experience I described above. What could be better than seeing LA, Harry, and Disneyland all in one trip!

Have you traveled to see anyone else?

I have to go out of Rhode Island for almost every show, except for the few that come to the one venue in Providence (shoutout to Panic! At the Disco and Thomas Rhett!!) The furthest I’ve traveled for any other performer would be Pennsylvania which is always a blast because of the amazing friends I made there. I’m still so new to the idea of traveling all over for shows but I’m excited to see where other tours may take me.

Tell us about one of your fav tour memories.

Going off of the spontaneity of the first show I traveled for, inspiration struck again when my coworker and I kept getting sad about not being able to see Panic! At the Disco at MSG. It was around 4:30pm and instead of working that last half hour (shhh don’t tell!) I decided to go on my most-visited website: Ticketmaster. I pulled up the MSG show and saw they had some awesome affordable seats. We spent the next fifteen minutes debating if we could leave right after and go to MSG to make it in time for the show. Seriously going back and forth between going and not going. By this point, it was a week out from the end of Harry’s tour, and I was already going to see Panic and Taylor Swift in Boston the next four days. At this point, we decided not to go and got to our cars in the parking lot. I was ready to go home and since this was around my birthday my coworker said “F*** It we’re going!!” So we left at 5pm, I bought the tickets around 6pm, sped to MSG (shh it's fine) and got there with 15 minutes to spare! It was so fun and memorable to be at his MSG show and of course experiencing that thrill of spontaneity! It’s one of my favorite tour memories for sure because I never had expected to go so last minute!

What’s your favorite city you’ve visited on tour?

My favorite city has to be Los Angeles. I got to go on the fun LA tours, see all the sights, and experience a new timezone!

Fav venue you’ve traveled to?

Probably Madison Square Garden. Nothing beats the look on the performers face when they take in the sight of their screaming adoring fans cheering for them at the world's most famous arena.

What are your bucket list venue destinations?

I would love if I got the chance to go to concerts abroad, like in London or Australia. When I think of bucket list venues I think of Red Rocks in Denver, the Ryman in Nashville, the Troubadour in LA, the Staples Center in LA, The Rose Bowl, and any concert in Vegas. It's a dream of mine to see the Jonas Brothers in New Jersey specifically, for their hometown show. I would love to go to a show in Chicago and see that city. I absolutely want to go to more stadiums like Met Life, and AT&T Stadium, anywhere the wind blows really. For me traveling for shows is also about getting to meet up with friends and just exploring new places.

We get this question all the time, and we all have different answers, and I’m sure you get this a lot too: How are you able to travel to so many shows?

The first factor in my location, my little state is close to lots of other states making it easy to get the chance to attend multiple shows of the same tour or have options when someone isn’t coming close by. I have no hesitations about getting in the car and driving to other states. The second factor would be my career. My job is TAXING in more ways than one (I had to) in that it goes through really busy periods and really slow periods. With tax season I basically can’t go anywhere but work for all of January to April and then again from September - October, which really only leaves me the summer. I’m allotted four weeks of paid time off, so I save it all for those really important things I want to do; usually for tours and vacations. My employment funds my adventures and the expenses of adulthood. Nothing is more freeing for me than being able to do all the things you have always wanted because of the funds I work for. It makes all those long hours so worth it! The third factor would be various friendships. When I planned to travel to shows, it never was going to be anything that broke bank. With social media you could have friends all over the world and chances are they like the same thing as you! It’s so much fun not only to travel for shows, but to spend that quality time with your friends and go to shows and have sleepovers together. My friendships allow me to not have to shell out for hotels making the travel within budget. I’d gladly do the same for them any day! The fourth factor would be my sense of independence. Some friends don’t want to travel around, so for some shows I just pack up the car and go by myself. If it’s something you really want to do or somewhere you really want to be, don’t stop yourself from going just cause you will be alone. Concerts are one of the best places to make new and lasting friendships!

What do you love about traveling for music?

I love the escapism of it all. In your local area you always go to the same few venues that artists always go to; it's fun to have a change of scenery! I love meeting new people as well! The whole experience of traveling adds a new layer of excitement to going to a show. When you love concerts as much as I do, traveling is the best way to keep getting that fix.

Any music trips coming up soon?

As of right now sadly no, but I am well aware that I am answering this question BEFORE the Jonas Brothers announce their tour dates after coming back from a 6 year breakup. When the Jonas Brothers were around, it was like the times I had described in the first question, I had no control of what shows I could go to and where. Back then, I was too young and had no means to follow my Jonas concert dreams. Now I know just what I’m capable of and I can’t wait to hopefully travel to new places to see my favorite band back together again!

Any advice for fangirls who want to start traveling for their favs?

The most important thing is to do it for yourself and do it within your means. Traveling for shows is not worth going into credit card debt for. I hope my story will show other fans that one day all those things you had desired to do could become a reality. This might require some patience but you will always get there in the end. With the pressure of social media there is so much that happens for the sake of attention. If you want to start traveling for shows, do it because you want to, not to show others that you did, and don’t let anyone hold you back! There is nothing wrong or anything to be ashamed of if you want to travel for music. You will create some of the most wonderful memories and be so proud of yourself for stepping away from the usual venues. Happy Travels!

I just want to thank Fangirl Guides for asking me to be a part of this! I am pretty new to the whole traveling for shows thing so it’s an honor to be mentioned. I tend have trouble personally talking about my experiences because of all the negativity and judgement online but once they explained what they were trying to accomplish I was more than happy to oblige!