Many people enjoy going out to a bar or club, listening to music, dancing, and hanging out with friends. More recently people are going to clubs to be brought together as a community through music.
A recent trend has surfaced where clubs will advertise a special artist night, where they will only play songs by that artist or band for the night. It’s almost like a concert, except the artist isn’t actually there.
It’s a new way to connect with people who have the same interest in an artist as you. Many clubs will advertise artists or bands that aren’t actively making music or have no plans to do concerts, such as the band One Direction.
This trend started in bigger places with more club scenes, like Los Angeles. Recently it has spread to more cities, reaching both Baton Rouge and New Orleans.
Jules Powell and Grace Gibbons, both students at LSU, recently went to a Taylor Swift night at House of Blues in New Orleans. They sat down to talk about their experience that night.
“It’s kind of hard to find them [Taylor fans] at a big school like LSU,” Grace said, “and just being surrounded by them you could always find something to talk about, even if it’s a stranger.”
These nights are bringing people a sense of community. When you can’t find many people who like the same specific artists as you, it’s nice to have a night surrounded by people who are all there for the same thing.
“It’s like a concert when concerts aren’t able to happen,” Jules stated, “concert without the person.”
With Covid, many concerts have not been able to happen and many tours have been canceled. So, with these nights, people are still getting that concert feel being surrounded by others who all love the same artist. People who experienced concert cancellations or people who never got to attend one feel a little less left out. 
These special artist nights are more than just dancing and having fun with friends, it’s being surrounded by all different people coming together there for the same reason. Everyone who attends are there for that shared experience of community and love for the same thing.
If you are interested in these types of events, be sure to check out House of Blues in New Orleans, or Splash here in Baton Rouge. Both have done these special artist nights, so be on the lookout for more in the future.