In the streets of New York City, above all of the horns, subways, and upfront rude New Yorkers… I found myself screaming my lungs out at Willow Smith’s recent concert where she was performing her latest album “<COPING MECHANISM>” live. After years of admiring her music and accomplishing so many battles in my life, somewhere in my playlist you always found one of her albums holding their own place in at least 3 of my playlists. As this was only my second concert I’ve attended, I’d have to say from walking into the halls with excitement to walking out with no voice, it was wonderful.

When listening to Willow’s music it always felt like I was the only person in the world who was going through tough times, but the huge crowd at the concert told me differently. While crossing the street to get into the venue (Terminal 5 on November 3rd) there was a long line waiting to be checked by security but surprisingly, it didn’t take me & my older sister long to get through. It was ID first, then pat down, a mark on my hand to note that I was a minor, tickets, and then we were in. Walking in I got a huge adrenaline rush, finally and constantly realizing that with every step I was taking and every moment I was living, I was really about to see my music idol since 9th grade in person. As my sister & I walked into the venue there was loud vibrational rock music being performed in front of a good 100 people… I WAS SO CLOSE!

Stepping into the opening performance was so beautiful. Alternative/Indie and reggae artist “DE’WAYNE” opened the show with 3-4 of his unreleased songs from one of his soon to be announced albums. He riled up the audience with such adrenaline with his excitement and the expression of the way his music made him feel. As someone who never heard of him and his music before, I was caught off guard by how much I resonated and fell in love with his music on the spot. After a good 20 minutes of being amazed and pumped by the show, he dramatically left the stage, thanking all of us for being there and hoping we enjoyed the rest of the show.

After DE’WAYNE finished his performance he left the crowd wanting more — I, for one, sure did. Soon after realizing I was about to see my idol, the sound of footsteps made its way around the building. Creating such suspense and excitement, the crowd started repeatedly chanting “Willow” eagerly waiting for her appearance. Making her appearance on the stage, she layed on a couch in the darkness, then BOOM! the loud noise of the speakers and she was in front of the mic. 

Makeup beautiful and fully owning the color black like she created it herself. As she greeted fans, thanking us for being here, she then performed her first song on her album “<maybe it’s my fault>” and raised the crowds’ excitement even more. The building was filled with beautiful flashing lights that went along with every beat drop and guitar riff you could ever imagine. Colorful lights ranging from red to violet, to black and white. She performed all album songs in order, making sure to interact with the crowd by pointing, smiling, doing silly dance moves and stopping to talk to the crowd in the middle of songs. While singing her songs you could barely notice the difference between her singing live and the recorded music, she sounded phenomenal. hitting the correct high notes, and the very low ones. The crowd was filled with rage, sadness, and love, constantly praising her singing and her looks. Being a part of this crowd I knew I was surrounded by people who related deeply to her music the same empathic way I did. 

After the end of singing her “<COPING MECHANISM>” album we all thought she was done after walking out, but surprisingly she came back and gave us what we wanted — more music! She sang her most 3 trending songs consisting of “Meet Me At Our Spot,” “Transparent Soul” & “Wait a Minute,” satisfying fans and making us happier than ever, before ending the show with a burst of silver confetti and a dramatic close.

This concert was a 10/10 experience and I can most definitely say that the crowd and I enjoyed it the best that we could. From recording every song and taking an infinite amount of pictures, to taking a moment to breathe in and fully feel the music of a person I’ve related to for years playing right in front of me, I was really really happy. Leaving the show I was exhausted and my throat was burnt out, but as tired as I was, I knew the rest of her fans who went there too felt the exact same way. Willow made her fans happy, and after years of crying, laughing and dancing to her music, I realized that she has always been my coping mechanism.