The Superfan
A Superfan is defined as a person who has an extreme or obsessive admiration for a particular person or thing. That definition perfectly describes alternative concert lover Morissa Young.
Morissa, a 19 year old from Horicon, Wis. always loved music, but found a new passion for it when she discovered alternative music. Morissa attended her first concert in June of 2015 and has been an avid concert goer ever since, having attended an upwards of 25 shows. Having experienced so many concerts, Morissa has become very familiar with the alternative music community and the concert experience.
I have know Morissa since we were six years old and attended the same babysitter. We have been best friends ever since and despite going to different schools, have gone to dozens of alternative concerts together. When Morissa found alternative music, she shared it with me. She would tell me about these obscure bands I had never heard of. One day she told me about this band called Glass Animals. I thought the name sounded funny, but I gave them a chance. I listened to their song “Gooey.” The sound was like nothing I’d ever heard before and I fell in love with their music, just as Morissa had. Morissa bought us tickets to their show at the Riverside and thus began her obsession with concerts. It was then I became her concert buddy and an avid concert goer myself. After the last concert I went to with Morissa, I got the chance to ask her about all of her concert experiences over the past year and what she has learned an an avid concert goer and Superfan.
What one may not know is that the alternative fan experience is not just attending concerts. It requires much time and preparation to make the concert experience the best it can be. Morissa has waited in line for over nine hours in the blazing hot sun to see her favorite bands from the front row. She has witnessed fights and been elbowed in the face in mosh pits. But to her it’s all worth it to hear her favorite bands and see them in the flesh. Some of the craziest road trips and longest waits in line can lead to the concert of a lifetime. After waiting in the sun for nine hours, Morissa was front row to see her favorite band Bastille and got one of their guitar picks. After surviving a violent mosh pit, she got to witness on of Twenty One Pilots’ most iconic concerts.
As a Superfan, Morissa makes sure to keep up with her favorite bands to see if they are playing in the area. She recieves e-mail notifications about upcoming concerts from local venues and said, “If I see someone that is coming to Milwaukee that I like, I get very anxious and think ‘OMG I have to see them!’” This is the alternative Superfan’s version of FOMO. The thought of missing out on a band’s performance in their area is an opportunity lost.
The alternative fan experience is like that of no other genre and neither are the fans. One of the most distinctive things about alternative concerts are the regular fans. Being a regular herself, Morissa said, “At all of the shows, you see the same people and it’s crazy how great friendships are built with total strangers based on meeting at a place where you can share the same music that you like.” The love for the music and the artists make the alternative community unique and keep them coming back.
Another distinct aspect of this genre is the fans’ emotional attachment to the music. Morissa, being a huge fan of the band Twenty One Pilots explained that their lyrics and messages have saved people’s lives and helped them out of depression. Twenty One Pilots is an American alternative duo featuring vocalist and keyboardist Tyler Joseph and drummer Josh Dun. Most of Twenty One Pilots music delves deep into the emotions and insecruties of lead singer Tyler Joseph. The authenticity of the his lyrics are what resonate with fans, which is why they have such a strong fan base in particular. Morissa said that her greatest fan experience yet was at a Twenty One Pilots concert she attended last July. She said TOP concerts are like no other because of their fans’ sense of community. Twenty One Pilots have an amazing, loving fan base that refer to each other as The Skeleton Clique. At every TOP concert, you can expect to see fans adorned in band merch, flags, and red and black makeup. Morissa recalled the concert saying, “Everyone there is dressed like you even though you look like a freak. When the flag is draped around you, you just feel like you are part of this community.”
The alternative fan experience is truly unique which is what keeps fans like Morissa coming back. Superfans sacrifice to make the best of their concert experience, but in the end it makes for memories of a lifetime. Being Morissa’s concert buddy has helped me discover alternative music and has turned me into an avid concert goer myself.
