By Haley Kim and Madeline Tanaka
Haley:
Going into this concert completely blind and no expectations, I left the venue absolutely speechless—quite literally. While standing a grueling four hours sandwiched between a towering Lucky Felder and, let’s just say, a below eye level Madeline Tanaka, I questioned whether the concert would truly be worth the wait. Don’t get me wrong, I absolutely loved chatting about romantasy books and Fourth Wing characters whilst eating delicious, hot, cheesy pizza (sandwiches?) in the freezing weather (Maddie, we’re driving all the way to SF just to eat those again). As I stood in the cramped, sweaty revenue shaking out my legs and cracking my back for the hundredth time, I turned around to see the most magnificent goddess I had ever seen. Asha Banks, the woman you are. I was absolutely flabbergasted by her beauty as she glided past the crowd; not to mention, she is blessed with the most angelic voice to ever grace this earth. Following that unforgettable entrance was a blur of jumping, screaming lyrics I hadn’t fully memorized, and dancing—wow—did I have a blast. By far, this has been one of the best concerts I’ve been to so far; just the uplifting, stress-relieving ambience and sheer proximity of her divine presence made the experience so much more intimate and memorable. It’s safe to say, I’m so ready to dive (haha get it?) right back into her music.
Madeline:
The week leading up to the show, Lucky, Haley, and I couldn’t contain our excitement. This was our first concert together, and, after experiencing it, I have to say, it was the most fun I’ve had with them. It was so special to be able to see one of our favorite artists who means so much to our friendship up close. Despite the chilling breeze that often blows through the City (special thanks to Lucky’s parents for buying us genuinely the most delicious folded pizzas to ever grace this earth), the two hour wait felt like 45 minutes. We quickly walked to the first open spots on the floor in front of the stage while discussing our game plan for the night. Unbeknownst to us, our spots were arguably the best in the venue. We had a great view (ish? I, standing at the whopping height of 5 ‘2, lucked out and happened to stand right behind one of the maybe five men at the show…) of Asha’s opener Alfie Jukes, who you should give a listen to if you’re into Asha’s music, as well. As the lights finally dimmed for Asha’s entrance, the three of us heard scuffling behind us, and naturally separated to make room for whoever was coming through the crowd. Because none of us had watched or consumed media surrounding the concert beforehand, we had no idea how Asha would enter the stage. Watching her gracefully make her way toward the stage right in front of us, it’s safe to say we couldn’t believe what we were witnessing. After that, the rest of the show was a fever dream except her and Alfie covering “Motion Sickness” by Phoebe Bridger (one of my favorites) as a surprise song. Being able to see the person who brought me, Lucky, and Haley together was very meaningful for me, so Asha, we’re your biggest fans.