Who knew that an eight-hour trip to New York City would be so eventful? The original plan (which was made maybe five days before the trip) of seeing Keshi seemed simple: hop on the train, eat, walk to MSG (Madison Square Garden), hop on the train back, and boom—check seeing Keshi off the concert bucket list.
Except that the train from Hartford wasn’t going to work out, so we had to leave from New Haven instead. Otherwise, the trip was going swell. We made it safely, thanks to Jenna, and we parked on the top floor. We got inside and realized that my phone was left at about thirty percent. Since we are such amazing planners, we had enough time to head back to my car and grab my charger. I bought my ticket on my phone, and before we knew it, we were off to New York.
Being the great friend that I am, proposed a game of Would You Rather? to pass the time. Not realizing how effective the game would be, we were almost there before we knew it. We took some photos in East Norwalk to document our journey, updated my parents, and made it to Grand Central—of course, instantly recognizable by that classic and uncanny smell of train station garbage. We headed upstairs and took some photos like true tourists (even though we’ve both been there numerous times) and made our way to the infamous Raising Cane’s.
We did go the wrong way at first, but no sweat—we realized it quickly and turned around as I sang “Sunday” by the Cranberries (and yes, I sang a lot, but what can I say—something about the streets of New York was very inspiring).
Little side note: I’ve had Raising Cane’s before after my Stray Kids concert in D.C., and quite frankly, I did not enjoy it.
But I wanted Jenna to get the experience, and hopefully we could bond over the mid-food. We ordered the 3-pc combo with a Dr. Pepper, and Jenna chose Sweet Tea. Then, like clockwork, I needed to use the bathroom, so we ran over to Macy’s, thinking it would be a quick stop. There was something very off-putting about carrying food around all the designer items, but it had to be done. We made it to the bathroom after getting lost for a bit and then found a place to sit and eat. Jenna’s consensus: Cane’s is propaganda. I don’t really know by whom, but the food just doesn’t hit the way you think it would.
Fun fact: I’m a very big fan of Conan Gray (I’m seeing him in September—very, very excited), so when I saw him pop up on Spotify’s billboard in Times Square, I felt an obligation to take a picture.
Little did I know it would take a minute, and Jenna and I would be loitering for eight-ish minutes waiting to take a picture of an advertisement. Still, worth it.
After finishing our food, we decided to walk around for a bit until finally reaching the infamous Madison Square Garden—but not before getting distracted by the gigantic billboards of Keshi.
I really wanted to take pictures for the memories—and for Instagram, of course (follow me @oliviaa.john11). Jenna says she can’t pose, but I think she did a fabulous job as a photographer and model. I played around with different locations and poses, but my favorites are definitely the ones right in front of MSG.
Around 7 p.m., we decided to walk inside to get some merch. We got through security after they joked around a little bit (very uncomfy for us, funny for them) and hopped in the merch line. Also, a little disclaimer: I have no hate for street sellers, but it does stress me out a little when they're yelling at me to buy something. Basically, to explain—that they were selling really cool t-shirts outside. So when we got in the merch line and saw slightly less cool t-shirts, we pondered if we were being punked. We weren’t. Nevertheless, Jenna bought her $45 t-shirt (very cool btw), and we made our way to our seats. Got to our section (212), and—what do you know—it smells like vomit. That was really interesting. Habituation did not kick in, and we smelt it until the show ended. :(
Starfall opened, and oh my gosh—I was really impressed and even started listening to his music! Mac Ayres was another opener, and let me tell you something: in the merch line, I saw an album cover that looked really familiar, but I couldn’t figure out why. It was the cover of She Just Wanna See Me RN, a song I’ve known (since November 2024, mind you) and listened to—without realizing it was Mac Ayres until right then. So that’s awkward. His voice is amazing—wishing them both all the best.
Overall, Keshi is an amazing performer, and I loved the show so much. I am going to complain a little to give all the details, but I wanted to preface that with: I love you, Keshi. Thank you for a great show.
During the fourth song of the set, Jenna and I wanted to stand up—because, one, it was a concert, and two, the songs were hyping us up (obviously). So we stood, which I’ll repeat is normal concert behavior. The guy behind us didn’t appreciate this, so he put his hand on both our shoulders and asked us to sit down, not very politely, might I add. But we did it because I didn’t want to cause any problems, and I was trying my best to be considerate of others, even though I hate when strangers touch me. I sat, breathed, and tried to enjoy the rest of the set.
Until a Black woman was hated more than I was. I think it’s pretty clear who Keshi’s core audience is, so I won’t really bother mentioning it. I won’t lie and say I know the whole story, but from Jenna and my experience in section 212, it seemed like blatant racism. She stood up as well and was trying to enjoy herself until a group of people quite literally ganged up on her and called security. Of course, this left me feeling uncomfortable, as I was one of the only other Black people at the concert, let alone in my section. I tried to move on (though it was in the back of my mind, of course) and enjoy the rest of the show again.
One last complaint, just because: do better. At concerts, people very often ask the artist to take their shirt off, which is usually fine, until it’s not. Keshi, being such a real person, shared some information regarding why he wouldn’t. You would think people would respect that and listen to him, but not my section, as they continued yelling, “Take it off!” throughout the concert. It’s plain disrespectful, and I hope the people in my section get some real help, because reflection is needed.
Moving on!
Keshi played Soft Spot, my absolute fave (that I somehow forgot in my post, but it’s in my highlights, so all is well), and I sang along because I paid money to enjoy myself, and that I was going to do. The show ended, and we screamed for one more song, and he came out to finish with Id. No post-concert depression, thank God. Keshi is a real person—shockingly. And I love New York, obviously.
As we exited the venue, we yelled about everything that happened—the good and the bad. And once we calmed down, Jenna bought another shirt off the streets because why not? We sang Car Radio by Twenty One Pilots—very random, I know—and then I spotted Beomhan. Honestly, I had no one to share this information with. Nonetheless, it felt crazy because I used to watch him all the time, and he was three feet in front of me. Regardless of his current reputation, I was shocked.
We got pizza ($1.50 per slice—I love NY), which I was very excited for, and we sat down and ate for a while before walking back to Grand Central—whistles out (because safety first). I sang some Hamilton and talked more about Beomhan as we made it back to the train station. Once we arrived, we boarded our train back to New Haven and waited for a while. I took a little nap as Jenna reminisced about the concert, and then we were back.
Paid for parking—only twenty bucks, so score! We noticed some people in the elevator who definitely came from the Keshi concert and chatted with them for a bit. Got in the car, and Jenna drove home (thank you for always driving). I technically dropped her off and then drove myself home, getting there around 3 a.m.
And that was the night.
All in all, I had a fantastic time and would definitely do it again in a couple of months (my wallet needs a break). Thanks, Jenna and Keshi, for a great time! Catch you at the next concert!
– Liv
Olivia Lauren John, aka Liv, is the co-founder of Lauren Simone Publishing House. She enjoys acting, modeling, reading, writing, going to concerts, listening to K-pop, and traveling the world. She is recent High School Graduate with plans to go to college in the Fall to major in Finance. Olivia has been featured in commercials (e.g., Discover the forest, Institute for Humane Education, Verizon), TV shows (e.g., Sneaky Pete, The Path on Hulu, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, Madam Secretary), short films (Leche), music videos (“Polaridad” by Alex Ferreira, “My Daughter’s Living Room” by Alge, and “StereoTypes” by Black Violin), theater productions (“Winnie the Pooh”, “Creepy Crawly Christmas”, and “The Passion of the King”), print (Big City Kids, Wild Child, AI Magazine, Writer's Magazine, KidLit Magazine, and the Hartford Courant), and over a dozen runway shows. She is the co-author of the Olivia Lauren series, a children's book series about arts, ways to communicate, things we wear, ways we travel, and different habitats.
You can follow Liv on Instagram
- @oliviaa.john11 (personal)
- @olivialaurenj (acting)
- @laurensimonepubs (publishing)