Untraditional Concerts: Give Them a Shot

Tuesday night, I had the good fortune to go to a sold-out “concert” at Carnegie Hall. I put the word concert in quotes because, well, I don’t really quite know what it was. There was a reading, there were some songs, a speech, and a Q&A. Two best-selling authors were there (who happen to be my two favorites): John Green and Neil Gaiman. And it was really one of the best events I’ve gone to.

Much of this “Evening of Awesome” was rooted in the fact that nearly all of it was a secret. John Green and his brother, Hank, (of YouTube fame) were hosting a folk band called The Mountain Goats. Joining Neil Gaiman as surprise guests were Hannah Hart (My Drunk Kitchen), Grace Helbig (DailyGrace), and Ashley Clements and Daniel Vincent Gordh (The Lizzie Bennet Diaries).

I can’t recommend opening up your imagination for an event like this enough. The event combined fans of literature, music, and YouTube into one big melting pot of fun. Everyone was there for something different, but the audience was filled with enthusiasm. And it was amazing to go to something where you just didn’t know what was coming next. Everything kept you on your toes.

If the success of this concert is anything to go off of, we will perhaps be seeing more non-concert concerts in the future. You should give them a chance, because maybe Neil Gaiman will be there.