I have always wanted to be an instrumentalist. In third grade, I attempted to learn how to play guitar, but quickly gave up on that. Fourth grade was the first year that we could take music lessons in school, so I decided that maybe flute was more my thing. Half way through that year, I tried to throw in my musician towel, but ended up switching from flute to clarinet.

Fifth-grade year, I realized maybe woodwinds just weren’t my calling, so I turned to percussion, and played the drums (and was the only female percussionist) from fifth grade to seventh grade. Although I received the more basic percussion parts (like symbol and tambourine) throughout my middle school band classes, given my past, I guess I should give myself some credit for even playing the same instrument for three school years.

Let’s just skip over the fact that I signed up for choir freshman year, despite my glass-breaking singing voice.

With my dad as a former disc jockey and nightclub owner and my long history with dancing, I have been exposed to music ever since I could remember. But eventually I realized I really just wasn’t instrumentally talented, and I would have to find other ways to continue my love for music.

It’s been nine years since I picked up my first instrument, and after lots of thought, I’ve realized that listening to music on iTunes and attending concerts are probably a better way for me to appreciate music.

Back in September over Labor Day weekend, I attended Made In America festival at the Philadelphia Art Museum, where I got to see some really cool artists (including the amazing surprise guest, Kanye West!!!). Among these was my absolute favorite band, Passion Pit. They proved to be great live, and I was so happy that I had attended that concert.

A few months later, I was reminiscing on just how good Passion Pit was at Made In America, and was determined to find the next time that they would be in Philadelphia. I did some research, and found out that they were coming to the Electric Factory on November 29, and immediately purchased tickets.

I attended the concert, and it was incredible to say the least. I arrived early, got front row seats in general admission, and enjoyed every moment of it. The opening band was a group from Syracuse, NY, called Ra Ra Riot. They were unique from most bands today in that they had two female, full-time string players, making the performance even more interesting.

Their music was alternative, like Passion Pit, and although I had really never been exposed to their songs before, their performance made it almost impossible not to download their album when I got home that night.

Following that, Passion Pit lit up the stage with bright lights, cool instruments, and confetti. Nothing is worse than when you go to a concert and the performers sound so different from their songs you have downloaded in your iTunes library.

Thankfully, this was not the case for Passion Pit. Listening to their music at the concert sounded the same way it does when I blast their CDs in my car (with the exception of hundreds of screaming fans and Michael Angelakos–the lead singer–almost an arm’s-length away from me).

I’m not even sure what makes Passion Pit so good, they just really are amazing.  The group is unique in so many ways, and appealing to a wide variety of people. Even rappers like Chiddy Bang seem to appreciate the alternative work of Passion Pit (the two collaborated for “Truth“). From their first songs like “Sleepyhead” to their more recent releases like “Take A Walk,” they continue to produce albums that speak to their fans in so many ways. The concert only further confirmed this idea, as almost every audience member could sing each song Passion Pit performed in its entirety.

In short, Passion Pit is a truly amazing group. They are nothing like the “popular” groups played on the radio, but are undoubtedly worth checking out. If you don’t know much about them, I would encourage you to do some research, and maybe you’ll learn that they’re your cup of tea.

Despite my poor track record, seeing the performers play so many cool instruments at the concert made me consider learning how to play violin for my senior project. Until then, I’ll just let these boys from Boston, Massachusetts allow my not-so-musically-talent self to continue my passion for music.