Attending the Rainbow Kitten Surprise concert at Mission Ballroom in Denver, CO on Thursday, May 30th, 2024 was a solo experience for me. Recognizing that going to a concert alone can be daunting, I wanted to share my experience to inspire others to step out of their comfort zones. This post is by no means a "how-to" article because I understand that everyone's comfort levels are different but I hope that sharing my experience will inspire others to test the boundaries of their own comfort zones. I'm well aware that this post is a bit delayed but between traveling for the past two weeks and not really having the right inspiration I delayed the writing of this blog post because I wanted it to be something that I'm proud of, with that being said I plan to make a post about my travels and while working on completing that I have been uploading vlogs from the trip on my YouTube channel so feel free to check that out!
Throughout the night I kept notes on my experience while also prioritizing living in the moment. I'm honestly shocked by how seamless this experience felt I rarely found myself fidgeting with nerves or distracting myself with my phone to not appear as "awkward". Over the short amount of time that I have lived in Colorado, I truly feel like I have blossomed as a person, I have become more comfortable with my own company and I have also become more extroverted. But it hasn't always been an easy journey, from being so held back socially that when I was 15 I never believed that I would be able to have a job or go to college, to being laughed at and mocked by a group of girls when I went to the movies alone for the first time, it's not always easy for me to do things alone because there's a certain vulnerability that comes with it However, I put myself out there because life is too short to pass up opportunities due to a fear of facing negative reactions from others, and extraordinary things emerge when we venture outside our comfort zones. The beginning of my journey towards independence was driven by my desire to prove my 15-year-old self wrong and demonstrate to her and other women that we are capable of standing on our own.
Rainbow Kitten Suprise was truly an unforgettable experience from the personal significance it held, to the atmosphere of the crowd, to the wildly talented opener Madi Diaz, and lastly the headliner in their glory. The evening began with me getting an Uber to the venue and one of the funniest things happened. The driver was making small talk with me and he mentioned that since the venue and the hotel were such a close walk to the venue that I could just walk back afterward, the first thought that popped up into my brain was “Are you crazy I'm not walking through the streets of Denver alone in the dark, that's dangerous and stupid.” (spoiler alert: I did. But only because I refuse to pay $35 for an Uber when my destination is less than a mile away.) So yes I did walk back to my hotel in the dark while it was raining. Was it safe? Yes, I was practicing safety habits and walked close by with the other groups of people heading back towards the hotel.
I will say that already having visited the venue beforehand definitely helped reduce any nerves I would have felt about the experience because I knew how the seating in the venue worked, I knew where the exits were, I knew where the bar was, the merch table, and the bathrooms were.
I went in early even though the show didn't start until 8 because I have always liked to get to things early and it allowed me to get settled in ahead of time. I made friends with several people at this concert which heavily surprised my inner introvert. I met two best friends while I was waiting for the doors to open and they drove from Utah to see Rainbow Kitten Surprise, I made friends with girls in the bathroom who loved my skirt and later I met the rest of the group they came with, and the girl who sat next to me at the concert was there alone to and it was her first time attending a concert alone, which was an incredable thing that we both got to have our first solo concert experice together.
Fitting into public spaces alone
Being comfortable doing things and going out alone can come naturally for some; for others like myself it takes work and lots of baby steps. In my experience, there is no cure-all for suddenly feeling comfortable and safe in public or group spaces. It took me a lot of work to become as comfortable as I am going out into public spaces alone and I am still learning what my boundaries are. During this process of solo adventure, I have done a lot of self-reflection and learned so many things about myself, which is why I try to encourage as many people as possible to put themselves out there and really discover who they are.
The relationships we have with ourselves are immensely important, if not the most important relationship we have because before we can give to others we must also give to ourselves, before we can understand anyone else we must understand ourselves. That is why I try to prioritize my solo adventures because it allows me the space to reconnect with myself to truly help my connections with those I cherish.
Colorado is one of the easiest states to be independent and flourish as an individual, (in my opinion) especially in the outdoor scene here, it is really safe state for the most part, especially within the outdoor community. Once I moved out of the state that I grew up in I began to feel comfortable enough to explore my independence and I suddenly cared less about what other people thought of me and more about what I thought of myself. It's a really important thing to get out of spaces where that feel consticiting in order to develop fully no matter how daunting the idea might seem, I for one know that I have yet to experice my full potential becaause there is so much out there to explore and learn about the world, about humanity, and about myself that I never want to reach my full potential in fear of missing out on knowledge and growth.
Thank you for reading!
For more exclusive content on my adventures, check out my YouTube channel!
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